Editorial Shooting with Physicians

The winter is a slow season for photography in New England. While the vistas can be stunning, the world caked in ice and snow, people don't really want to venture outside and are as close as humans can get to hibernation. Weddings are only a dream waiting to blossom in June after the frosts have abated.

I don't sit idle however.

A few times a month I shoot for a small trade magazine geared toward hospitals and physicians, and it offers its own unique challenges. The biggest is patience, since they're scheduled a lot like the cable guy with a window when they might be available between procedures and appointments (that's assuming that there isn't an emergency). The other is working quickly, setting up shots that ring authentic while preserving the doctor's time (because for some reason it's costlier than mine). Of course that's all before you enter the operating room, none of which look like something from House or Grey's Anatomy.

It's certainly nice to mix it up away from romance and weddings, but there's a lot less free cake.