Five Minutes With… a Senior Clinical Photographer
This edition of Five Minutes With may take you a little longer to read! This is because it details the interesting career journey of Laura Short, Senior Clinical Photographer in our Clinical Illustration team.
Laura began her career in fashion photography, once taking snaps on catwalks around the world, Laura now captures photographs that supports a variety of services across Team BCHC.
Read on, to learn more about Laura's role and multi-faceted duties of the team she manages and works alongside....
Hi Laura, can you tell us about the work you and your team do at BCHC?
We help clinical teams every day by providing medical photography services and creating images of patients that play an important role in diagnosis, treatment, care planning, monitoring, and referrals. Sometimes these images are also used to provide records for legal or safeguarding purposes.
Laura and the Clinical Illustration team
As a team based at the Dental Hospital, our primary focus is dental photography and the provision of specialist imaging services for dental patients. This includes routine clinical photography, as well as photography and videography for complex surgical cases.
We also receive referrals from the Children and Families Division to document non-accidental injuries as part of safeguarding investigations and potential court proceedings. While this work can be emotionally challenging for the team, it is also highly rewarding, as we know our contribution can play an important role in protecting vulnerable children.
In addition, we use digital photos and a patient's medical history to help clinicians check for skin problems remotely. This is called a Tele-Dermatology service, and we provide it in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), supporting the Two Week Wait skin cancer pathway.
The team also supports a range of additional services, including:
- 3D imaging to assist with treatment planning.
- Clinical image uploads for Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) diagnostics, falls assessments, and referrals, including the provision of technical support.
- Student services , including photographing student patients and teaching students clinical photography techniques.
- PR and communications photography for patient information leaflets, promotional materials, posters, and events.
- Video services to support staff training, patient information resources, and conference presentations.
- Graphic design services to produce patient information, leaflets, posters, animations, and support in accessibility standards.
Together, these services enable us to support patient care, education, safeguarding, communication, and clinical decision-making across a wide range of specialties.
Can you tell us about your professional career and what inspired you to take this path?
I began my career by studying for a BA (Hons) in Fashion Photography at the University of the Arts London, London College of Fashion. While still a student, I started working with renowned catwalk photographer Anthea Simms, which provided me with the opportunity to travel to New York, London, Milan, and Paris, photographing and editing content for the major international fashion weeks.
Laura's pass to New York Fashion Week
Laura's invite to a Chanel Fashion show
The Chanel Fashion show
Following this experience, I worked in the retouching department at ASOS before moving into a Studio Coordinator role for the M&S e-commerce team. I later joined Net-a-Porter, where I realised I was looking for a career change and decided to return home from London. In 2016, I secured a Trainee Clinical Photographer position at Birmingham Dental Hospital, marking the beginning of my clinical photography career.
Since then, I have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Illustration and progressed through a number of roles within the service. I moved into a Service Lead position, with responsibility for PR photography and 3D imaging, and for the past three and a half years I have worked as a Senior Clinical Photographer.
Alongside my clinical responsibilities, I deliver clinical photography training courses for photographers, dentists, nurses, and students. I am also actively involved with the Institute of Medical Illustration (IMI), contributing to initiatives that support the development of the profession and help shape the future of clinical photography.
What is the most difficult thing about your role?
One of the most challenging aspects of my role is supporting the Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) photography service. These patients can sometimes present with complex needs, including severe learning difficulties, which can make it challenging to obtain the images required for clinical and legal purposes.
The role can also be emotionally demanding. Working with vulnerable children and documenting injuries as part of safeguarding investigations can be difficult, and some of the cases we encounter are particularly upsetting. However, despite these challenges, it is important and worthwhile work, as the images we produce can play a vital role in supporting child protection and safeguarding processes.
What do you love most about your role?
Not only do I enjoy interacting with patients, particularly those attending our Tele-Dermatology service where there is often more opportunity to build rapport, but I am also passionate about supporting and developing my team. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is seeing colleagues grow in confidence, develop new skills, and thrive in their careers.
Tell us something that people might not know about you .
One of my fashion photographs has been printed in Elle Magazine. I have met a number of celebrities including world renowned photographer Mario Testino.
Describe yourself in three words.
Caring, dedicated, determined.