Contents VIII
CONTENTS
Preface
IV
1
My Art
1
2
Why Is Photography Necessary in Dentistry?
11
3
Dental Photography Equipment
51
4
Accessories
77
5
Understanding Exposure
107
6
Camera Settings
131
7
Clinical Photography
159
8
Artistic Shots
189
9
Portrait Photography
229
10
Shooting Lab Work
303
11
Editing
333
12
The Art of Observation
355
IX
Chapter 2
Why Is P hotography
Necessary
in Dentistry?
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
It’s like building a house. If you only see the concrete slab and the final construction, you cannot appreciate how the house was engineered or how the process could be improved the next time. As creators of someone’s smile, we need photos to guide us in our self-assessment and in our planning for future cases.
It‘s like building a House 32
CHAPTER 2 | Why is photography necessary in dentistry?
33
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
Guide
34
Self
us
in our
assessment
35
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
L AB COMMUNICATION I firmly believe that the quality of work you receive from technicians can be only as good as the information you deliver to them. Photo quality is important, but you also need to understand what information the technician needs to learn from the photo. To be clear, you must know what photos your technician needs from you in order to see your patient the way that you see them. I live on the East Coast, and my technicians all live on the other side of the country. They don’t have the ability to meet my patients or me. The very best way for them to see my patients’ goals is through photography. They need the fine details, shade, contours, and context to accurately evaluate the clinical requirements.
38
CHAPTER 2 | Why is photography necessary in dentistry?
39
Chapter 3
Dental P hotography Equipment
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
FULL FRAME
56
CROP SENSOR
CHAPTER 3
|
Dental Photography Equipment
A crop sensor, as the name applies, refers to any sensor smaller than a full frame or 35 mm sensor. The crop sensor has a crop factor of about one and a half times that of a full frame. Why choose crop sensor? The main advantage is that it is cheaper when compared to a full-frame camera. It is also smaller and lighter. The disadvantage is that you will be a little further from your subject to obtain certain shots because of the crop factor. This may be an issue with room size limitations. Crop sensors also have smaller pixel size, which means less detail (but that is significant only if you plan to greatly enlarge your photos). And then there are cell phones. While the convenience is a big factor, the lens distortion and pixel size are not ideal for fine details or making large prints. The bottom line is this: a camera is more than just sensor size, and you must decide which camera is better for your workflow. If you have a small space or will create large prints and billboards, then a full-frame sensor camera may be better. If you want to have several cameras in your office for your team to use to create effective documentation at an FULL FRAME
CROP SENSOR
affordable price, a crop sensor may be the way to go. 57
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
64
CHAPTER 3
|
Dental Photography Equipment
TWIN FLASHES
Twin flashes are two separate flash heads that can be mounted to the lens in the frontal direction, much like the ring flash, but with more versatility. They can be placed on extendable bracket arms to have more lateral light direction than frontal, thereby producing a more pleasing photo with shadows and highlights. They are more expensive, and the learning curve is greater, especially when you add bracket arms and other modifiers. A modifier attaches to the upper part of the flash unit. It’s used to soften or spread the harsh, concentrated lights that burst out of the flash, creating a more even and flattering light on the subject. 65
Accessories Chapter 4
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
Metal retractors What are the benefits? They are the easiest to place. They sterilize without any changes in appearance. They have an open area where contrasters or mirrors can be inserted. The downside is that they have limited side retraction. This means if you were taking a photo, you would be unable to retract the cheeks laterally all the way to the molar region in most cases.
80
CHAPTER 4
|
Accessories
METAL
Pros •
open areas
•
passive
•
ease and comfort
Cons •
limited side retraction 81
Understanding Chapter 5
Exposure
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
Notice how all the restorations are in focus at f/32.
When a using a narrower depth of field at f/4, you can see that only the centrals and laterals are in focus, and the rest are blurred out.
120
CHAPTER 5
|
Understanding Exposure
EXPOSURE In photography, exposure is the amount of light which reaches your camera sensor or film. It is a crucial part of how bright or dark your pictures appear. Whether you are a beginner or a professional photographer, you must understand this concept. In photography, the most important camera settings are often called the exposure triangle.
The exposure triangle is a just a way of associating the three
use the same few settings to take every single one of your
variables that determine the exposure of a photograph:
photos in dentistry. It’s that simple.
aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. They work together
Aperture refers to the size of the circular hole in the lens that
to produce a photo that is properly exposed. If one
lets in light. It controls the amount of light that enters the lens.
variable changes, at least one of the others must also
The bigger the hole, the more light that reaches the sensor;
change to maintain the correct exposure. Each element
the smaller the hole, the less light. It is also responsible for
of the exposure triangle has a slightly different way
the depth of field. Depth of field (DOF) is the distance between
of manipulating light and, thus, the quality of the exposure
the closest and farthest objects in a photo that appears
that results. Learning to balance all three of these to achieve
acceptably sharp. Since your camera can only focus sharply
your desired result is a fundamental skill, a technical skill, that
at one point, in a photograph with a narrow DOF, only a small
you must learn. The good news is that dental photography,
slice of the image is in focus. Conversely, with a large DOF,
as it pertains to lips, teeth, and portraits, requires you to have
much more of the scene is sharp. You choose the point of focus
only a handful of settings every single time. You can literally
desired and create the effect that suits your style. 121
Chapter 7
Clinical
P hotography
SEE. Art Esthetics Dental Photography
172
|
Clinical Photography
AF T ER
B EFORE
CHAPTER 7
173