Through the Lens: Three Physicians Find Balance and Friendship Through Photography

In the demanding field of medicine, where precision and quick thinking are crucial, photography provides a creative outlet to slow down and appreciate the world from a different perspective. This article explores photography as a hobby for physicians and researchers through a Q&A with three co-authors, highlighting its benefits and personal experiences.

In the fast-paced world of medicine, where precision and problem-solving rule, finding a creative escape isn’t just refreshing—it’s essential. Photography offers a rare chance to slow down, see the world differently, and capture moments that might otherwise slip by. Whether it’s the glow of a sunset, the fleeting motion of a bird, or the quiet beauty of everyday life, photography fuels mindfulness, creativity, and curiosity. As physicians who share this passion, we explore how this art form not only balances our demanding careers but also enriches our lives. One of the first documented physician photographers is Dr John Murray. He excelled as a photographer and was trained as a physician in the mid-nineteenth century. He developed an interest in that technology while in the Medical Service of the Army of the East India Company. Another modern example is Dr Jeff Gusky, a National Geographic Photographer, ER doctor at the University of Wisconsin, Explorer, and professional speaker (https://jeffgusky.com).

In this article, we cover some of our thoughts on discussing photography as a hobby for physicians and researchers in the format of Q&A for three co-authors.

Why did photography appeal to you?

Vitaly Herasevich: Photography is unique because, while the tools might be the same, the results are always different. Let me explain. Many hobbies focus on mastery as the ultimate goal. You are an avid glider pilot. You are an excellent racing driver. It repeats again and again. Photography is different. You have to master your technical skills; the real challenge lies in capturing subjects and moments that are never the same. Every photograph presents a fresh, new experience, making it an endlessly creative pursuit. It is always new.

Daniel Diedrich: Physicians have spent their career reading, memorising facts, interpreting data, and being tested on their knowledge both in school and in practice. Photography allows for this technical side to continue through understanding how light affects an image and the post-process process, which continues to evolve rapidly. Photography also allows for the expression of the creative side, which can be a natural talent or something that takes work – another hill to climb!  This blending of the creative and technical side of photography is what is attractive to me and other physicians and is likely why I see at least one physician on nearly every photography tour/workshop that I attend.

Brian Pickering: I grew up around art. My parents are both very creative and I spent a lot of time around artists and their art. Unsurprisingly, some of that has stuck with me. I am not a very good painter, but I am drawn to colour, light and movement. The camera was a good outlet for me in that sphere of life. In college, a friend of mine studying photography loaned me an old beat-up camera, which I took on a trip around Indonesia with my then-girlfriend and now wife of over 25 years. What I loved about that experience was the way in which the camera forced us to slow down, pay attention, and be in the moment. I will always treasure those grainy black-and-white photos taken with poor lenses for both the introduction they gave me to photography as an art form and for the way they put me in the moment.

When did you develop an interest in photography?

VH: I can say that before I started thinking about a medical career. At that time, my father introduced me to photography (darkroom/film). It was the 1980s, and by any means, photography was not a mass product. Another bump was in the 1990s with the mass market of one-use colour cameras and minilabs that dropped the darkroom experience. But at that time, I was preoccupied with medical school classes and did not have much time for hobbies.

DD: In high school in the 1980s, we had no one to take pictures of the sporting events for our high school yearbook. So, in 8th grade, I dug out the school camera. It was quite old and manually driven at that time. Since there was no one to guide me, it took quite a bit of effort to learn how to operate; this didn’t include the film processing and printing that also had to be learned!  This interest and effort in something so different likely provided a foundation for the work needed to get into medical school.

BP: I was first exposed (excuse the pun) to photography as a child through instant Kodak film and later through my father, who was a keen amateur photographer. I didn’t take my first photos until I was in college. Initially, I used a camera borrowed from a friend, and later, I bought one with money earned during my internship. It was around this time that I started travelling. Photography and travel went hand in hand for me for a number of years. Then, in 2000, the first of our children was born. Like many, this time in life was……busy!  A hiatus in photography was looming!

Many of us have witnessed the switch from film to digital, what memory do you have of this?

VH: I clearly remember that in 2002 in Belarus, I got a call from my friend who owned a computer parts company. They had received a couple of Hewlett-Packard digital cameras that were pretty much affordable. In 10 minutes, I was on my way to his office. It was a beautiful-as-a-brick HP Photosmart C215 1.3 Megapixel camera. That was my introduction to personal digital photography. It was clearly the future of photography, as you can see the result immediately, not waiting to develop film.

DD: After learning the basics in high school, I went on to be a photographer for the Dakota Student at the University of North Dakota. I reached out to the photographers at the Grand Forks Herald, which was owned by a news conglomerate, Knight Ridder, at that time. I frequently stood next to them at events, asking many questions about the technical and creative aspects of photography. Eventually, I became a known entity, which landed me some freelancing work and eventually on staff in the gap year between college and medical school. At this time, Knight Ridder had selected the Grand Forks Herald to test the Canon DCS-1. It was a HUGE device and combined a Canon EOS 1-N camera and a modified Kodak DCS 460 digital back. It had a resolution of 6.2 megapixels and, with its 1:3 crop factor, required some taping off the mirror. Also, with the new camera bodies came a fleet of long white fast primes, and overall, it was an exciting time to be a news and sports photographer!

BP: Film cameras in the 2000’s were fantastic pieces of technology. It is fair to say that digital cameras were not in the same class for “serious” photography. They were low resolution, expensive and didn’t feel nice in the hand! The magic of digital lay in the control it gave you over the whole process of photography –capture, printing, sharing. During my anaesthesiology residency, I had a temporary darkroom set up in our house. Developing film and printing was an event with that setup. Getting an image into a slide show was an ordeal. Sharing a photo with someone meant giving up one of the few copies you had. Almost every photo I took before digital I have seen in a size no greater than 5X7. In contrast, my first digital cameras allowed me to take, process and share images without limits! Digital cameras opened up new creative and technical possibilities. Since then, every process step in the photographic process has been transformed (mostly for the better) by technology. The technology allowed me to practice photography at a level I couldn’t possibly achieve when I first started. This experience has impacted my clinical informatics work and research. When you look at the three of us, you will see that we each bring something unique to the table. The brand of the camera does not determine how we view the world. We are at a much earlier stage of revolution in medicine, but I have no doubt that we will quickly come to the same realisation that technology can enable us to practice medicine at the top of our game, but it becomes expensive junk if not wielded thoughtfully by the user.

What type of photography do you do?

VH: Unlike professional photographers who specialise in specifics like weddings, food, real estate, and, for example, portraits, I do everything except commercial-type photography. I’m trying to do nature, birds, landscapes, astrophotography, street photography, car and snowmobile races, airplanes and many more in between. Everything that keeps me outside. Yes, that is a very wide spectrum, but the more you master, the better.

DD: I enjoy a wide variety of the various genres that photography can offer. I started out doing sports photography and added news photography. I continue to do sports photography for a local high school that my kids happen to attend. I also like to photograph animals, including birds, and take landscape photographs. As my ability and interest to scramble over rocks and hills becomes more difficult, I suspect I will take up macro and astrophotography. At some point, I will age to the point where I will be reliving my photography adventures again by re-processing my photos. I think this is the beauty of photography as a hobby, as it can age with you!

BP: I don’t restrict myself to one type of photography. There are no boring subjects. Having said that, those are my favourites! While it isn’t easy to take a great image of a beautiful subject – I’ve come away from plenty of beautiful subjects with very mundane images, it is a rare thing to take a great image of something ordinary. The good news is that ordinary subjects are more abundant than beautiful ones, leaving me plenty of opportunities to practice and learn.

Just as medicine encompasses a broad range of specialties, photography involves far more than simply pressing the shutter. What other aspects of the hobby do you enjoy doing?

VH: For me, working with photography is not only about taking photos but also dealing with all processes related to getting the “end product”. Pretty much like in the past when we used a darkroom to develop prints, currently, we use a “digital darkroom.” The learning process of developing raw images is part of the fun. Also, learning different techniques from “best practices” publications and YouTube videos is part of my hobby. Pretty much like medicine and research when you are learning something new. But obviously, my first choice is to go out and take as many pictures as I can.

DD: I really enjoy researching and planning the photography workshops and tours I go on each year. Lately, I’ve also been choosing a specific photography focus and then coordinating a tour with friends around that theme. There’s something very rewarding about starting with a simple idea, bringing everyone together for the planning and travel, capturing the shots, processing them, and ultimately ending up with an image that’s worthy of hanging on the wall.

BP: I love printing images –  it tests commitment to the image.

What brand of camera do you use?

VH: I stick with Sony cameras. They are innovators who did the first mirrorless cameras. That all led to more compact equipment, including lenses. However, there is no compromise in quality.

DD:  I started out with Canon and continue with this brand as I am quite comfortable with their products and navigating their menus. That said, all digital cameras on the market are excellent. One professional photographer that I had an opportunity to shoot with said, “…all of us have more cameras than we will ever need”.

BP: Nikon

What is your most memorable photo, and why?

VH: Difficult question. Obviously, there are many stories behind a lot of photos. But it was probably one of the pictures when I photographed a rally. That was the first stage of the day, and Travis Pastrana was leading. His car was so fast that it approached a corner in an unusual silence. Everyone expected a car, so I started shooting a rapid sequence of photos. It is a very dynamic photo, and it was a close call for the photographers on the side of the road.

Image 1. Ojibwe Forests Rally. Sony7III, Sony 70-200F4, 70mm, F4, 1/2000s, ISO 500

DD: I was on a family trip to Grand Marais on the North Shore in NE Minnesota. I had brought my landscape kit with me, hoping to get at least one photograph that I would be happy with. I had also brought my tripod, and unfortunately, it had gotten some sand in it, and thus, one of the legs was frozen; in my attempt to free it, I had split the leg nut, rendering it nearly useless. Thankfully, I had some gaffer tape with me and quickly did a field repair. Clearly off to a good start!  The next morning, I walked down to the Grand Marais harbour with a promising but not seemingly spectacular sky. I got set up to shoot the morning sunrise with the rocky shore in the foreground and the lighthouse in the background. I got those shots and was contemplating leaving. Then suddenly, the sky lit up to something I had never witnessed before. I quickly recomposed and framed the lighthouse and coast guard house and made the sky the focal point of the picture. While the overall composition isn’t great, this provides a great wallpaper.

Image 2: Grand Marais Harbor in Minnesota. Canon 5DS R, EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6, 176mm, F22, 1.6s, ISO 100

BP: I took this photo on a beach at sunset. My wife and I were travelling through India and Nepal after working for a year in rural Australia as physicians. At this point in time, we had evolved from a single beat-up borrowed camera to our own cameras, plural! During our travelling phase, before children, a camera was never far from our hands. I look back on this image and remember exactly what I was trying to achieve –  sun low on the horizon, I wanted to expose for the highlights and let everything else fall into shadow. I had to wait nearly 3 months as we made our way back to Ireland before I developed the image and had a chance to see if it was successful!! This image reminds me of those early travel photography days. As a tool for capturing and sharing memories, a still camera is hard to beat. 

Image 3: Sunset, Goa, India. Minolta Film Camera (model, lens and settings a distant memory). Fuji film Velvia transparency, converted to digital, Nikon Z8, Z MC 105, f11, 1/25 sec, ISO 450

What is one photo that you are most proud of?

VH: Another difficult question. Probably a photo from Antelope Canyon. This is one of the best natural wonders. I visited there a couple of times, and different times of the day make it different. True wonder of the American West. Any picture taken there is worth showing up.

Image 4. Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona. Sony7IV, Sony 14mm f1.8, 14mm, F6.3, 1/80s, ISO 320

DD: The hardest place to find photography subjects is locally. I was driving around the local countryside one fall morning, which had nicely provided some fog to set the mood. Unfortunately, I had not anticipated this the night before and thus had found nothing worthy to shoot. I elected to go into a valley ringed by hills, which would at least provide another chance of a “sunrise” as the sun peaked over the hills. I pulled into a small parking area, and the fog was moving in the valley, which provided some nice layering, but the distance was marred by a road, signage, and other manmade distractions. Suddenly, the sun peaked over the hill, and the scene suddenly came together, and the natural grass provided a complementary subject. I continue to remember this event as it pulled together all the technical and creative skills and, with some luck, took a decent photo.

Image 5: Whitewater State Park in Minnesota. Canon 5DS R, EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6, 142mm, F11, 1/500s, ISO 100

BP: As I mentioned, I love printing my images when I can. My favourite images are those that tell a story and that I can visualise printed ahead of time. We were on spring break in a hotel that had this wonderful view overhead of the swimming pool. The pool transformed the light into a swirling planet of turquoise when the water was disturbed. I was determined to capture this effect. I went down to the lobby with my camera while some of my family went bobbing around over the opening. The effect was as I hoped. By exposing the highlights, I was able to capture this somewhat abstract image. It prints beautifully and can tell different stories depending on the viewer’s perspective.

Image 6. Swim, Miami; Nikon Z9, Z 24-70mm f2.8, 25mm, F10, 1/400s, ISO 140

Minnesota is called the land of 10000 lakes. Are there a lot of opportunities to take pictures?

VH: Definitely! People tend to take more travel photos. But ultimately, photography is a way to slow down and enjoy the environment. Stop and preserve the moment. One of the interesting places to visit is the Mississippi River headwaters – the place where the river started. It is Lake Itasca, Minnesota State Park. Seeing that place is memorable. A small stream that you can cross going 4000km down becomes one of the biggest rivers in the world.

Image 7. Mississippi River headwaters, Minnesota. Sony7III, Sony FE35mm F2.8 ZA, 35mm, F9.5, 1/125s, ISO 100

DD: As I mentioned above, the hardest place to find subjects is locally. That said, I am fortunate to live in a state that is diverse in ecosystems and provides countless opportunities. I think the north shore in the NE part of the state is what most people think of Minnesota, with its fall colours and breathtaking views of Lake Superior in the fall and winter. There are other areas in the state that can offer opportunities, including the driftless area and Mississippi River corridor in SE Minnesota; the plains of the NW corner of the state offer unique opportunities. Minnesota has diverse wildlife, including some world-renowned bird photography in the Sax Zim Bog.

Image 8: The tombolo on the North Shore Minnesota. Canon 5DS R, EF 16-35mm f 2.8, 18mm, F13, 30s, ISO 100

BP: Minnesota is a beautiful state. In my opinion, the best seasons for landscape photography are fall and winter. There are some amazing opportunities for unique photos. I agree with my fellow photographers’ comments that the hardest photos to “see” are those right in front of you every day. My choice of image is not a classic “land of 1000 lakes” image but one I took as I was putting out the garbage for collection the next day. The snow was coming down pretty fast, and the streetlamp across from me stoically illuminated a little patch of ground. I had just taken ownership of a new lens (one of the perils of this hobby is the temptation of gear acquisition syndrome or GAS), but conditions had not been good the previous few days since the lens had arrived, and I had very limited opportunities to test its characteristics. As the garage door opened, inspiration hit, and I quickly grabbed my camera and captured this image – garbage can and all.

Image 9. Beautiful Lamp post. Nikon Z8, Voigtlander 40mm, f1.2. 40mm, F1.2, 1/400s, ISO 5600

What advice do you have for physicians who would like to start photography as a hobby?

VH: Today, it is so easy to snap photos. We have powerful cameras in smartphones. But photography is not about technology; it is about capturing moments. Be in the right place at the right time. I stop here as the video is another story.

DD: Photography is a great pastime for physicians. It offers an opportunity to exercise the creative part of one’s mind, blend it with technology and, depending on the genre, provide a huge variety of subjects to choose from. This allows the physician to escape the mundane and pressure of work. As physicians, we are incredibly bright and have the drive and means to support what can be an expensive hobby. I would pick one type of photography (sports, landscape, bird, etc.) and then go all in!  Take classes to upskill, purchase professional gear to support it, and take workshops/tours to go to places that intrigue you. Sometimes, having the gear and knowledge- knowing you can take some amazing pictures when you set your mind to it- is just as satisfying.

BP: Slow down. Take lots of photos, but only share a few!

Conclusion

Just like medicine, photography is about observation, timing, and perspective. It’s more than a hobby—it’s a way to pause, appreciate the moment, and tell a story beyond the clinic walls. Photography offers an outlet for creativity and reflection. It is to be heartily recommended. For any physician looking to start, our advice is simple: be curious, experiment, enjoy the process and make new friends along the way.

Conflict of Interest

None.