Healthcare photography – Case History

Photography for Menvate Clinic – Solihull

Healthcare photography -Case History -Solihull

A typical client and a typical commission do not exist, everyone is unique as is my approach to any photography brief. I know that clients who want a photography shoot for their new business see it as another extra necessary expense of making the business work.

A business in healthcare is like any other, it provides a service and that service has to be communicated to the potential clients, so nowadays a website is an essential part of the set up costs and with that comes the needed for images, photography of those involved, maybe the location and images that communicate the service delivered.

All variables, that need careful consideration.

A website designer and the client may have an idea of what is required, seeing other comparable businesses sites and the general formula that businesses have to provide as a communication to the world.

It makes sense to a business to have as many fixed costs and easy steps to get into the marketplace and start trading and making the money that is needed to cover the set up costs and also earn the rewards that any business requires.

In February I was approached to quote for a healthcare clinic website, a few images of the practitioner and some headshots or something for social media?

As the clinic was not yet in existence and the website yet to be built, quoting for the job was not easy, but by engaging with the client and working out what needed to be photographed and then how, made it all a lot easier. Having it all set up in mind, the costs would be lower; some images would have to be stock, but to provide the authentic look for a business that would include real people visiting a doctor , some images were very important to look real, not AI-generated.

This is about building trust, if you are visiting a healthcare professional it is important that the person you see on a website is the real deal, a real person and not a stock image of a generic Doctor.

Hence the actual shoot for the new men’s clinic Menvate took place at the new base in Solihull when the contracts were in place, and signage/ logo were agreed.

Well not quite straight away; once a location is agreed, a day was set, and then Graphics / Signage was organised, a real amount of discreet Logo signs were created so the location could be dressed as it would when consultations were started, plus a little help from post-production Ai (Photoshop) was employed.

The Clinic in question is Menvate, based in Solihull,

www.menvate.com

The resulting images provide the authentic feel for clients, and the location is the one the clients actually visit in the Real world.

I have enjoyed many similar briefs and final outcomes over the many years of working in the healthcare sector, from GP surgeries to charity research programmes; all require a unique approach, they are just connected by the professional sector, but each subject is unique.

The site designer has also used Ai generated images, and although I would have loved to set up and shot the ‘issue’ based images, it certainly makes ecomonic and ethical sense to use Ai gerated stock, in the past that type of image would have been an illistation, or generic stock as the heathcare subjects are sensitive, so the audience can accept that the communication is not about real people. It is when the actual doctor you are seeing is the real person that it is important to have an authenic portrait not a generic stock or Ai generated image.

The work has changed with technological advances, first, the massive digital revolution when film gave way to digital capture, now, the lighter lighting equipment has impacted my practice. I can now deliver a photo shoot without an assistant, as kit has lightened and requires no mains power.

The camera systems have reduced in size and risen in resolution.

The one thing that hasn’t changed and that is the skill of understanding the clients requirements and providing the solution, its about the Unique quality of every job.

Ai is changing a great deal, but certainly in the healthcare sector, real people need real healthcare personal and they shall need photographing for marketing and communication purposes especially when private practice is concerned.

I was a pleasure to work for Menvate and hopefully as they expand I shall be back to photograph more.

Real people – photographed well !