Taylor Parker

Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota USA

Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color and UVB light therapy has been shown to stop or slow the progression of active vitiligo. Using photographic processes and a UVB light (Wood's Lamp), the extent of skin pigmentation is able to be documented.

Purpose
Image was created for patient documentation as well as education and research purposes. The purpose is to educate about Vitiligo. Audience is everyone.

Equipment / Technique
Canon 5D Mark III w/ Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L

Judges Choice Award - 2023

“I think this collection of images is a very strong example of both standardized patient photography in a studio setting and the use of an alternate (UV) light source to illuminate the visible fluorescence that is common with certain dermatology conditions. Both exposures involve a significant amount of knowledge, technique, and experience that are all evident in the creator’s final product. Their decision to include grayscale images of each lighting technique also provides an additional level of visual information for the viewing audience, which makes the entire package that much more potent. Unfortunately, the inclusion of the de-identifying bars is probably what kept this piece from potentially placing in this year’s contest. Although using black bars like this is a common practice to maintain a subject’s anonymity by many medical publishers, their presence did not benefit the series inside of the contest’s arena.”

Nathan Pallace
Medical Photographer
Mayo Clinic
Phoenix, Arizona, USA