Garry came in to talk to us about his career, and what his job as a medical photographer involved. We took part in a workshop in the studio after the talk.
- Medical photography started on the high street and was very accessible
- It officially started in 1948, before the NHS was created
- The images are usually, before and after the injury/treatment
- Photographing the condition
- The images need to be clear, sharp and have a clear background
- Try to avoid showing the patients identity
- Good placement of the patient
- He has used both the studio, and the wards as locations for shooting
- Images can show the whole body part, or very close up macro images
- The use of good lighting is important, and no flash
- Make sure you keep a record of he shots being taken
- Slide library showing the different conditions
- Images will be taken sometimes over a long period of time
- Trauma to post mortem images
- Specimen, operations appliances
- Lens with built in ring flash
- Ring flash will allow texture
- Dental shots, use retractor and mirror
- Need to use good backdrops, block cloth
- Not always clinical, some images need to be taken elsewhere in the hospital
- Ward openings, portraits of hospital staff, people carrying out jobs, new equipment
- Events, visits of importance and press days, all need to be photographed
We then took part in a workshop, where Garry showed us the techniques he used in the studio. Then we had a go ourselves, setting up the lights and the black backdrops to create the scene.
Medical photography is something I was never previously interested in. But after this workshop, I became more interested in the job and what is involved. I learnt new skills, that I could use myself in shoots, not just medical photography. I thought this workshop was well worth going to, and would love to learn new styles like this in the future.