Dr Miguel A. Ortiz will be presenting an all-day hands-on workshop on Thursday, June 6, 2019, during the presymposium portion of The 13th International Symposium on Periodontics & Restorative Dentistry.
My goal in teaching this workshop is to develop attendees’ general and clinical photography skills by teaching them the fundamental concepts of photography. Every photographer must have a strong grasp of these concepts in order to optimize their work. There is no simple formula of settings that will always work because any slight change in physical space, lighting, angle, or distance can drastically change the photographic outcome. However, once you understand the physical and mechanical aspects behind photography, you can approach each situation with the knowledge of how to adjust the camera’s settings to achieve your goals. You learn the language of lighting and can manipulate it the way great musicians manipulate their instruments to draw out an infinite spectrum of texture, tone, and range. The best way to learn these concepts is through a combination of clear, concise didactic instruction and plenty of hands-on practice guided by photography specialists.
Photography is like driving a car. I can tell you what all the buttons are and what they do, but until you get behind the wheel yourself, you won’t know how to drive. So you practice. You sit behind the wheel with an experienced instructor beside you to guide you as you take those first slow loops around the block. Reading and hearing someone talk about driving may give you knowledge, but it doesn’t provide the experience of adjusting to different situations. Like a new driver getting onto the freeway for the first time, you need that guided practice to adjust your speed and merge into oncoming traffic. My workshop offers that same guided practice for dental photography. You learn to gauge what each photographic setting needs with your own eyes, your own hands, and your own experience. You take the concepts you’ve learned and practice applying them with live models to explore positioning and how to verbally guide the subject. You will work with multiple lighting stations, equipment, and setups, giving you the chance to evaluate a range of equipment to see what you like and what works best for your needs.
Anyone and everyone in the dental field will benefit from this course. All members of the dental team, including assistants, hygienists, and office staff, are an integral part of maintaining accurate and consistent photographic protocols. Dental students and residents especially will benefit from the skills learned in this course by using high-quality photography of their work in developing, documenting, collaborating, and assessing treatment plans and patient care.
The value of this workshop is in building a strong foundational understanding of photography that can be applied in life and in work. Attendees take home a simple protocol for intra- and extraoral photographs and in-depth knowledge of equipment and lighting setups for clinic space optimization. They will come out of the workshop with confidence in their skills as a photographer gained through the extensive hands-on experience.
Miguel A. Ortiz, DMD
Dental Photography Course
An All-Day Hands-On Workshop at ISPRD 2019
Register today at www.bostonperiomeeting.com
