Published on 22 February 2023
Two University of Sunderland graduates who have both landed top jobs as medical photographers are hoping to inspire photography students to consider the same career path.
Liam Grant and Sophie Bell both graduated from the University with degrees in Photography, Video and Digital Imaging and now work for the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle – using their photography skills to help diagnose patients suffering from a variety of eye conditions.
As ophthalmic photographers, Liam and Sophie take pictures of a patient’s eyes, which could include corneas or retinas or other parts of the eye.
Liam also heads up pectus imaging at RVI’s children’s outpatient department where they treat children dealing with pectus excavatum otherwise known as “sunken chest”.
Reflecting on his career journey, Liam, 26, from Newcastle, said: “I managed to get a conditional job offer at the RVI at the end of my third year at the University in 2018 on the NHS staff bank as a photography technician. After that, I got a full-time contract as a technician, then moved onto my current position as a medical photographer.
“I'm currently heading up two projects at the RVI – one is to develop a new way to use 3D photography as a new diagnostic tool on pectus patients. Once developed, a consultant and I will be writing a research paper on our results hopefully leading to a better and more efficient way to see pectus patients. The second project is developing a virtual reality service at the hospital to use both for staff training and to provide patients with a better visualisation and explanation of procedures they will be going through. On top of all this, the RVI is putting me through my PgCert in clinical photography.”
Sophie, 27, from Brampton in Cumbria, who is also being put through her PgCert in clinical photography, said: “After finishing my photography degree in 2017, I pursued a Masters in Curating and went onto gain a job in a gallery. I was planning on a career with the English Heritage but due to COVID this role fell through – but it all worked out for the best as that’s how I got into medical photography.
“Since starting in 2020, I have enjoyed every moment. When I was in university, I looked into medical photography as a possible career, and when I got the job, it felt great to be doing something that allowed me to put my degree skills to use.”
The pair recently returned to the Northern Centre of Photography at the University’s St Peter’s Campus to talk to students about their career journey and why they should consider working in medical photography, as well as tell them about an exciting opportunity.
The RVI’s staff bank is now hiring second and third year photography students on a freelance basis, allowing them to pick and choose when they work, fitting it around their studies. Students will be provided with full training on proper imaging and patient care protocols, giving them crucial experience working as a medical photographer.
Liam said: “It will give students real world professional experience that no other photography graduates will have, giving better chances when competing against other graduates for jobs.”
Students who are interested can apply through the NHS jobs website and Liam and Sophie will be shortlisting the candidates.
Sophie said: “Photography is something I’m really passionate about, so it makes working in this field really enjoyable.
"Medical photography is an extremely rewarding job as the imaging we do daily is beneficial to the diagnosing of conditions. I would recommend the job to anyone with a photography degree who is eager to learn new imaging techniques."
Professor Arabella Plouviez, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries at the University of Sunderland, said: “There are so many options that our graduates in photography can select from, as they develop their careers, so it is really important for our current students to be able to learn about, experience and explore some of those. And there is no better way than to hear from our own graduates about what they are doing.
“Liam and Sophie bring to life the journeys they have made working in the medical setting as photographers, and our students really benefit from hearing about those journeys and being able to consider their own future pathways. We are keen for our students to ‘Do It For Real’ to have real-world opportunities to gain experience alongside their academic and practical learning, to help them forge a rewarding career and to have the experience to be flexible, creative and resilient, in a world that is constantly changing.”
Dr Carol McKay, Associate Head of School (Arts) and Programme Leader BA Photography, Video and Digital Imaging at the University, added: “We were delighted to welcome Liam and Sophie back to the Northern Centre of Photography to talk about their careers in medical photography and opportunities for our current students to get into the field – they were inspirational! Such great examples of how our graduates put their skills to use in the world.”