Settling In

As I have already been working at the hospital for nearly a month now, I have settled in Cardiff and my job at the hospital very smoothly. Lately, I have been spending much of my time working in the dental department and assisting in photographing patients in various wards. At first, the wards were slightly shocking and sometimes even grim, as illustrated in the trauma clinic where patients are usually completely unresponsive to stimuli. However, I am growing accustomed to the conditions I've witnessed which is paired a sense of normalcy.

Recently, I have been working on many sub-projects in which have produced portfolio worthy images. An interesting assignment included photographing the assistance of dental nurses for the hospital's online website for prospective students. During a forum for the hospital's information technology services, a statistic noted that the youth of Wales are rated to have the worst oral health in all of the United Kingdom and the importance of dental nurses was exemplified. The main focus was solely on the nurses working on every day tasks from assisting dentists to preparing dental molds to illustrate their fast-paced occupation.

I have also spend my first day with Mark, the hospital's forensic photographer and was given a overview and orientation of the entire department. With the faint smell of formaldehyde, I was shown the forensic imaging equipment, microscopes, and the autopsy examination rooms. Also, I watched video Mark captured of a post mortem examination in which the deceased body was severely decayed and covered from head to toe in maggots. Tomorrow, I will attend a full autopsy and with the anticipating killing me, I cannot be more excited!

 

 

I also photographed a human lower jawbone (disambiguation) section in the dental studio

Highly specialized dental x-ray imaging equipment

A broken scalpel stained blood, which was requested to be photographed for a client in the hospital.

Outside of the hospital, I have also been spending time with co-workers and continuing to explore all of what Cardiff has to offer. This past weekend, I toured Cardiff Castle on a beautiful (rare) afternoon in Wales and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery.