Insider Secrets to a Professional Patient Photo Shoot

 

Many, many dentists are drawn to photography. There’s an artistic element in each of you that often blossoms when photographing your cases, and there’s no tool more powerful in you marketing arsenal than gorgeous lifestyle shots of your patients. Whether you shoot the patients yourself or you hire a professional, here are a few tips to follow to make the event as successful as possible. 

 

The best location is a well appointed home, country club or even a hotel. You want a place that allows you to capture many different backgrounds. Look for interesting architectural details, a variety of seating styles, and windows with beautiful blinds and window treatments. While the primary focus of your shot will obviously be your patient and their smile, that background adds interest to the photo and draws the viewer in. And no matter how beautiful your office is, it’s probably not going to give you enough diversity in vignettes. Trust me, we’ve been asked to try and it just doesn’t work!

 

If you decide to contract a photographer, look for a digital portrait photographer who shoots unique, artistic images. Tell them that this is a commercial shoot, and you want a complete buyout of the images. This means that you will own every image they take. Otherwise, you may be charged a licensing fee every time you use an image in your marketing – crazy but true. They should also provide their own lighting and gear. A good photographer will cost you $1,000 to $2,000 or more for a full day.

 

The type of makeup needed with professional lighting is very different from what a woman might wear day to day. Hire a professional makeup artist to ensure your patients look natural but polished and attractive. The easiest place to hire one is at the cosmetic counter of your local department store. I prefer Mac trained artists as there is a corporate standard of quality I can count on across the country. Simply call the counter, explain what you want to do, and see if they can work with your shoot date. Costs range from $350-$800 per day, but know that makeup artist’s day rates are extremely negotiable if you only ask. Show them samples of the finished look you are looking for so you don’t get a glamour shot effect.

 

Once you have a date, location and photographer secured, you’ll need patients. Brainstorm a list of the top 20 cases that you want to capture. Select a day for the shoot and start asking your patients if they would be willing to join you for a special day designed to capture their gorgeous new smile. Tell them it will take 1-2 hours and to bring several wardrobe changes. Schedule patients one hour apart, knowing that they will overlap each other as they move from makeup to the photographer. Remind patients about the shoot one week and one day prior about location, time and wardrobe.

 

Have your photographer and makeup artist come about an hour early for set up. When patients arrive, explain the order of events and thank them for coming. Have each patient sign a modeling release (visit the Latest News tab of www.GoldenProportions.com for a master release you can use), review their wardrobe with the photographer, have them get changed into outfit #1 and sit them down with the makeup artist. Assume 30-45 minutes for makeup for a woman, and 10 minutes for a man (yes, they get a little touch up too!). Introduce them to your photographer, and back out of the picture so they can relax and have fun! If you’re the shooter, break down the barriers and have fun! Only when your patient is relaxed will you get a warm, natural smile. Once the photography is done, ask each patient to write a short testimonial about their experience with you and how their new smile has changed their life. A small thank you gift is a nice idea as each patient leaves, followed by a personal note a day later. 

 

With a few weeks you should be given a DVD with every image taken that day. Select your favorites for your marketing and be sure to note in each use that these images are of real patients. Nothing provides you with greater credibility than showing off your own work. With a little work and a one day shoot, you should end up with a library of 500 to 1,000 images that you can use for years!