Medical Photographer

Medical Photographers take pictures of surgeries, treatments or other procedures to assist with medical research and teaching. Because you are working in the medical field in a scientific capacity, you must be knowledgeable about medical procedures and terminology, anatomy and sterilization techniques.

Your day as a Medical Photographer might include taking pictures of one or more different procedures. Or you may be asked to photograph conditions or illnesses of patients who have consented to be photographed. After taking these photos, you develop the film so that the photos properly display the surgery, illness or procedure in the medium they are intended to be used. You may need to use computer or graphic design software to enlarge or clarify a microscopic image.

Medical Photographers are employed by publication companies, hospitals, research facilities and medical schools, and their pictures appear in textbooks, pamphlets, exhibits and brochures. You could find yourself side-by-side with Surgeons, Nurses and other medical professionals in a treatment or surgical room, and remain in with the team for several hours to obtain all the photos you need. So if you get queasy at the sight of blood be careful—you may just find yourself as close to surgery as you may ever get without wielding a scalpel.