Having looked at hundreds (or more) photos of people wanting to get hair transplant advice or recommendations I think it is high time to give a refresher on how to take photos. The reason for this is because you are sending photos to a clinic to get them to give you a preliminary assessment of your case. This assessment deals with how you are going to look basically for the rest of your life so you owe it to YOURSELF to take the best photos you can. A clinics assessment is only as good as the information and photos you give them.

1. Use the lighting from the room you are taking the photos in. Do not use the flash accessory on your camera.

2. It tends to work out better if you take your photos in your bathroom. The environment is small, the lighting is usually adequate and you have a mirror in which to judge your angles.

3. Any lighting that you have available in the room should be slightly in front of and above the area to be photographed. You never want the source of lighting to be behind the subject,(you head).

4. Place the camera on a steady support such as a bathroom counter or shelf to steady your shots. Almost all cameras come with a timer delay feature of ten seconds. Use this to get the most stable images. You do not want any "blur" effects to ruin your shot. It will take several practice shots to get proficient at using your camera in this manner but it will be worth it. You can place your camera in one place for all angles of the shot. Turn yourself for each angle, not the camera.

5. CONSISTENCY!! Take consistent photos of yourself. This means taking photos from the same angles throughout your documentation process. This helps to truly see the progress.
Suggested angles are...90 degrees left and right; face forward; face slightly turned downward to show hairline; Chin to chest to see overhead view; direct view of the back of your head to show the donor area; back of your head while looking slightly up to show your crown area. Also, DO NOT let your hairline hair drape over the frontal areas. You want the clinic to SEE your hairline, right? Remember, you don't need to move the camera for these shots. Move yourself.

6. While taking photos indoors is more appropriate it does help to spice up your portfolio (if you are posting to the web) by taking some shots outdoors.

7. When taking close up shots of your hairline or any other particular area of interest make sure to turn on your macro feature on your camera. This should be used when taking photos from less than 3 feet away. If you don't know how to enable this feature then look in the manual. If you don't have your manual anymore then you can most likely download a new one from the manufacturer's web site.

8. When you are finished taking your photos you need to review them. Ask yourself if the photos are what you would want to see from someone else. Are they clear? Are they consistent with previous photos? Do they give an accurate representation of what your hair really looks like?

I may add to this later as I think of more points but these are the basics so for your own good follow these guidelines. You'll get a more accurate assessment if you do.

Joe,

Excellent reminders. Thanks for posting it. I feel that your advice will be helpful for a patient who is trying to properly document their progress.

The funny thing is that most patients seem to know how to take pictures more than a lot of clinics. For example, I was never instructed on how to take photos, I just logically concluded a number of these concepts for myself and applied them. I did this for my own sake as well as for the sake of the forum members and guests who were following my progress.

Clinics on the other hand, whose bread and butter is hair transplantation should be working to create an ultra-impressive accurate portfolio to show to prospective patients.

It always amazes me that some clinics sound great on paper, but then they send me photos that are highly inconsistent and don't accurately represent the result. It boggles my mind because taking impressive accurate photos I have always thought should be a given, but I often have to take time to teach a clinic how to take proper photos. They don't have to be photographers to take excellent photos either. I documented my whole progress with a 3.1 megapixel point and shoot.

Photo evidence is highly important when considering a clinic for potential recommendation, so we must hold clinics to a high expectation when presenting them. Those that don't will most likely not be approved by this community's high expectations.

Best wishes,

Falc