Inspiration
I know I move slow with this, but I'm going to start with the photos which inspired me to start this blog.I covered a free medical clinic for my paper. In an unusual circumstance I was scheduled to visit the weekly clinic almost two weeks before the story was set to run. I wasn't sure what to expect and the writer didn't have a ton of info either.
When I arrived I found out the clinic was staffed primarily by first and second year medical students from the local university. There were doctors on hand to consult and prescribe drugs as well as teach, but it was really the students doing the work. There were also a few registered nurses on hand to perform basic procedures.
This impressed me and I knew I had to stay for at least the whole 4 hours the clinic was open. I ended up staying an extra hour while everyone cleaned up.
I shot a lot of ultra-wide shots with natural light, which I love to do, and captured some great moments with the students. I was too shy to work with patients enough, so I decided to go back the next week and get that aspect to tell the complete story.
This is really the image which inspired me. I love the way the student, back, is watching the patient use the peak flow tester with such curiosity. It looks like the nurse has done this a few times before.
I really like this one too, all the students consulting with each other and all layered in a nice fashion. Note the actual doctor back in the corner.
In this photo, there are two more students talking about medical stuff. The guy in red is explaining what is phlebotomy rotation was like and how he learned to draw blood to the guy in blue. What worked really well for me about this photo is the was the nurses in the back are dealing with a syringe of blood they have just drawn from someone. The layering subtly enforces what the students are talking about.
I'll end with this one since it is at the end of my story. It is at the end of the day after this student has just finished cleaning this exam room. The body language really spoke to me, and combined with the eye chart and bright orange gloves, gives great setting an mood to me.
There are many more photos, I had 18 that I really liked and should probably cut it to at least 15. Sometimes I get emotionally attached to photos and it is difficult to make those hard cuts. That is what life is about and it was tricky to get to 18 photos. Sometimes the best way to make the final round of cuts is to step away from the images for a while and come back after you've fallen a little out of love.
We'll see what happens after I've given these a little time.
-John
