A Healthcare Photography Shoot with Matt Witherspoon
Capturing the essence of a service-based industry can be difficult. Rather than having a static product in a controlled environment, you’re often up against multiple moving people and parts in an ever-changing setting. For a photographer, this requires excellent lighting skills on the fly and the ability to calmly but confidently lead the shoot. Recently, our photographer Matt Witherspoon completed a project that perfectly exemplified these qualities.
The healthcare organization and their marketing agency were tired of using purchased stock photography. They’d tried some photographers in the past but were never quite satisfied. For some time, they’ve been waiting for an opportunity to hire a better photographer to capture a wide range of photos for their photo library. Essentially – a fully custom stock photography project.
The goal of the project was to capture around 150 images, covering 40 settings across three hospitals and one doctor’s office complex in the Cincinnati area. They were also committed to using real doctors, nurses, and patients in almost all of the photos. Working out schedules with all four locations required a flexible and experienced photography company that could make it happen.
Selecting OMS came down to a few deciding factors, which we have restated from our client. First, was our wide and versatile library that demonstrated our ability to take on any challenge. Second, was our availability, since we have multiple photographers to choose from with different schedules. Third, was our excellent people/lifestyle portfolio showcasing our ability to get the lighting right in difficult settings.
A Four Day Shoot
Matt, his crew, and the marketing teams from the healthcare organization their agency made for a 5-10 person entourage at any given time. It was a mobile photo studio that had to quickly move through healthcare facilities without interrupting patient care. All the while, they were working with real patients and doctors to line up authentic shots.
It took a lot of lighting finesse and the ability to work in cramped spaces. After the end of every day, Matt would share an image report to give daily updates of the best shots. The whole shooting process was extremely collaborative, where even the doctors and nurses were able to weigh in to help guide the images for accuracy.
The Results
Overall, it was a lot of work that yielded excellent results for everyone. The client received 150 selected and edited deliverables, which came from the nearly 6000 images Matt shot. This will be an excellent image library for their marketing efforts for years to come.
