If you’re a plastic surgeon's office, medical aesthetics clinic, or even an esthetician who does chemical peels and other skin rejuvenation treatments, then you are likely to take before and after photos of your patients. And if you are even somewhat photography savvy then you probably use a digital camera or one of the newest smartphone cameras paired with a background screen or blank wall next to a window. You know how important natural light is to accurately showcasing your work and you also know how vital these before and after photos are to your business.
Whether you’re using before and after photos for your website, email, social media accounts, or print brochures, it’s crucial that you are taking the best possible photos of your patients. Here are LVL UP Imaging’s five tips to nailing the best before and after photos in the medical aesthetics space.
We would urge you to invest in one of our affordable systems to achieve the best lighting, even on a rainy day – even in a dim office. Our lighting systems are complete with a background “wall” as well as a diffuser wall that when paired with a simple spotlight, will transform the light on your subjects. You can expect perfectly even light that accurately depicts your patient’s facial features, but still manages to do so in the most flattering way. Our system is also very easy to set up, with no professional help needed.
BUT, if you don’t want to pull the trigger just yet on a LVL UP Imaging system, then we would suggest taking your before and after photos near a large window, during a sunny part of the day. The window will help naturally diffuse the light. Turn off any overhead fluorescent lights as well, as these lights can cast unflattering shadows on your subjects.
When taking a before and after photo of your patient, you want no distractions around them. So either invest in a pull-down screen you can install on the back of a treatment room door or take the photo against a blank wall. LVL UP Imaging’s Professional System does come with a background screen, making it a convenient all-in-one purchase for your marketing needs.
Make sure when you take before and after photos of your patients, you are having them stand in the same general area each time (being mindful of the sunlight if you’re relying on natural light from a window). Also, be sure their faces are positioned the same each time too and that you are standing about the same distance from them too. You want these photos to be exactly the same, aside from the changes/improvements to their facial features and/or skin.
So your photos turned out a bit dark? This won’t ever happen with photos taken using the LVL UP System. But if you do run into this issue, be very careful not to over edit your photos for brightness and exposure as it will completely change the patient’s skin tone, making it an inaccurate representation of their results (in most cases).
When your patient gets really awesome results from Botox, Dermal Fillers, laser, or a medical-grade chemical peel, you’re going to want to show off your work on social media and your website. But you’ll need them to sign a photo release first. This should be very obvious, but we have heard of clinics that haven’t verified they have a photography release on file before posting a patient’s before and after photo to social media. Always double check before posting!