RootPlayBook · Photography

Photography

Consistent, HIPAA-safe clinical photography — consent, camera, composition.

For all staff

Consistent, compliant, repeatable

Every before/after gallery, RealSelf profile, and testimonial photo the practice publishes starts as clinical photography, and a rushed or inconsistent shoot shows up months later in every one of those places. This section covers the standardized camera settings and equipment that make photos repeatable across whoever’s on shift, the four angles required every session, and the five-stage patient journey from pre-op through final result. It starts with consent and de-identification, because no photo gets taken, used internally, or published without that step completed first. Consent comes before the camera, every time.

~70%
of hair restoration patients used online before/after galleries to help decide whether to move forward with a procedure (Givens & Perkins, 2021) — making this one of the highest-leverage assets a practice produces.
4 guides Consent required

The four photo training guides

Each one, its own page

No more “View Guide” buttons that bounce back to the dashboard, and no more scrolling one long page to find a section.

Before any camera comes out — every photo starts with consent. The Photo Consent & Compliance guide covers retention (6 years), secure transmission, staff training, and the full HIPAA Safe Harbor de-identification checklist.

Recommended Apps

What to shoot with

Five apps per platform that give you manual control, locked exposure, and repeatable angles — the three things that make a before/after gallery look consistent. Pair any of them with the Camera Settings & Equipment guide.

iOS
Halide app icon
Halide

Manual focus, exposure, and RAW capture with focus peaking, so lighting and sharpness stay identical from one visit to the next.

Get
ProCamera app icon
ProCamera

Lock exposure and white balance independently, shoot RAW, and use the level grid to keep framing square from before to after.

Get
Snapseed app icon
Snapseed

Free, precise photo editor from Google with selective tools and repeatable looks you can apply the same way to every image.

Get
Darkroom app icon
Darkroom

Save an edit as a preset and batch-apply it, so an entire before/after set gets the same color and crop in one pass.

Get
Adobe Lightroom app icon
Adobe Lightroom

Shoot and edit with saved presets so color, brightness, and crop stay consistent across an entire before/after gallery.

Get
Android
Open Camera app icon
Open Camera

Free, open-source camera with full manual control, grid overlays, and exposure lock — a solid no-cost starting point for any practice.

Get
Camera FV-5 app icon
Camera FV-5

DSLR-style controls for ISO, shutter, and white balance with a live histogram, so lighting stays measurable and repeatable.

Get
ProShot app icon
ProShot

Locks white balance, focus, and exposure with customizable manual modes and a framing grid for consistent clinical shots.

Get
Snapseed app icon
Snapseed

Free, precise photo editor from Google with selective tools and repeatable looks you can apply the same way to every image.

Get
Adobe Lightroom app icon
Adobe Lightroom

Shoot and edit with saved presets so color, brightness, and crop stay consistent across an entire before/after gallery.

Get

The win is repeatability. Lock white balance, exposure, and focus so every visit matches, and use a grid or overlay to nail the same angle each time — that’s what makes a gallery look clinical instead of casual.

Recommended equipment

What to actually buy

A 7-item shopping list — camera body through encrypted storage — that lives inside the Camera Settings & Equipment guide, right next to the settings it supports. Generic category links, not a specific brand endorsement.

See the full guide
01
Mirrorless camera body
The base of the kit — everything else builds off this.
Shop
02
Portrait / macro lens
Close-up hairline and scalp detail without distortion.
Shop
03
LED ring light or softbox kit
Even, repeatable lighting from patient to patient.
Shop
04
Seamless backdrop
Keeps every before/after visually consistent.
Shop
05
Tripod
Fixed height and angle, session to session.
Shop
06
Gray card
Correct white balance and color accuracy in post.
Shop
07
Encrypted SD card
Patient photos are PHI in transit — encrypt at capture.
Shop

One more shot

Know a practice whose before-and-afters could use this kind of polish?

Refer them in and earn when they come on board.

RootLogic RootPlayBook Journey
Refer & Earn