Medical Photography and Illustration

Medical Photography and Illustration department provides photography, videography and graphic design services across the Trust.

Medical photography is a specialist profession supporting other healthcare professions within a medical environment. Medical photographs are primarily taken for the patient’s medical record. The area of expertise is made up of professionals called Healthcare Scientists, who specialise in medical photography, ophthalmic photography, videography and graphic design. Photographers are state registered with Academy of Healthcare Science

Medical photographers work to rigorous standardised photographic guidelines compiled and enforced by the Institute of Medical illustrators (www.imi.org.uk). The website is also useful for students wishing to pursue a career in medical photography as it will list routes to qualification as well as advertising jobs.

The department works alongside the ophthalmology department and carries out diagnostic tests, such as fluorescein angiography and ocular coherence tomography. These enable the ophthalmologist to determine the best treatment for conditions such as diabetic maculopathy and wet age-related macula degeneration (ARMD).

The department delivers a graphic design service to the Trust, providing digital media, leaflets, flyers, certificates, scientific posters and patient information posters.

The department also undertakes litigation/medico-legal photography to support medical reports for solicitors and other professional groups.

Specific services

  • Clinical Photography
  • Ophthalmic photography
  • General Photographic services (including passport photos, staff board photos)
  • Graphic design
  • Reprographic Services
  • Medico-legal
  • Research
  • Architectural
  • Videography (currently a limited service)

Teaching and publications

Photographs are often required for teaching purposes. Any photographs used for teaching will only be shown to medical students and staff as part of an educational programme. The use of photographs in teaching allows for greater understanding of the appearance of various conditions, and can provide essential step-by-step instructive images to demonstrate, for example, surgical procedures. If your clinician wishes to use your photographs for teaching, they will discuss this with you.

Photographs are occasionally required for publication purposes. If your clinician wishes to publish your photographs in a journal, book or electronically, they will discuss this with you prior to photography taking place. If your clinician wants to publish your images, he must obtain your written consent to do so. You should be aware that once your images have been published it is no longer possible to withdraw consent.