Photographing personal injury clients: the human story

A photograph showing bruising to an eye. Copyright Mark Burton

A guest blog about recording evidence of personal injuries by photographer Mark Burton

I am often instructed by london based personal injury solicitors to photograph their clients who have received injuries due to preventable accidents and medical negligence. These photographs are used as evidence to show the nature and extent of the personal injury.

Once a personal injury lawyer has instructed me, I will invite their clients to my home/studio in north east London. I almost always ask people to bring a friend or relative with them for reassurance and companionship. I’ve found that many people who’ve received personal injuries can be quite vulnerable because of their experience – and having their injuries and scars photographed can bring back difficult memories.

Sometimes people are able to roll up a sleeve or trouser leg to make their injury visible – but sometimes their injury requires an element of undressing. This can lead to potential embarrassment – so having a Mum or friend to help organise and arrange this part of the proceedings can be a big help.

Meanwhile, I will do everything possible to make people feel comfortable by providing a cup of tea & biscuits, or just chit-chatting about the weather. I spend my working life photographing people and one of the main reasons I’m hired by no-win no-fee personal injury lawyers is that I make sure that their clients’ experience of being photographed is as comfortable as possible.

Over the years I have photographed a whole variety of different people – and my heart goes out to them for the circumstances they have found themselves in. When people arrive at my house I don’t see my job as being to just photograph a leg or hand – but to be sensitive to the whole person, who may be suffering from psychological injuries (or at the very least, a loss of confidence) from the injuries they have sustained. I hope that the work I do will help them receive the compensation they deserve for their injuries.

Mark Burton

To see Mark’s website go to: www.mburtonphoto.com

Or Mark’s special personal injury website: www.injuryimage.com