We’ve all heard the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to senior care companies looking to entice people to their rehab, post-acute care and skilled nursing facilities or to a retirement or assisted living community, this becomes even truer. People want to see where they will be taken care of or where they plan on spending their retirement years. Photo galleries are among the top-visited pages on a senior living website; therefore, it’s critical to have photos of your community that make it seem like a desirable place to live.

Original Photography
Because you have a very specific story to tell, it’s usually best to use original photography, particularly if you’re trying to attract residents to your senior living community. Imagine searching for a new home online and not being able to see any photos of the dwelling you plan on living in. Our client, Stoddard Baptist, uses original photography throughout their sites, creating an immediate impression that this is a beautiful place to call home. Whatever facet of the senior care business you’re in, original photography is almost always preferable to stock photography, if it is of high quality. That’s why it pays to hire a good photographer.

Of course, not everyone can afford a professional photographer. Here are some tips to give your photographer to get the best results:

  • Take photos of a variety of different areas of your facility. If your building has nice common areas, entryways, grounds features, or signage, include these in your photos.
  • Experiment with different times of the day, shades open or closed, flash or no flash, lights on or lights off.
  • Add decorative touches to the spaces you are photographing, such as flower arrangements or table settings.
  • Candid shots of smiling people who are obviously enjoying themselves help create an upbeat tone and help make the shot seem less posed.
  • Avoid group shots or shots of a whole room of people. Instead, zoom in on one or two or three individuals. Have people in a group stand close together. Close-ups provide the clearest detail.
  • Choose light, uncluttered backgrounds when possible.
  • High resolution photos enable a designer to do more with your photo. Set your camera to a high resolution setting and let the designer compress the photo for use on the web.
  • Digital photography gives you the advantage of checking the photo right away. Take a quick look – if a photo could be better, take another shot.
  • Avoid taking photos in which the light source is in the background. You want the light to be on people’s faces – so stand with your own back to the window or sun, facing your subject.

Finally, if you are taking photos of residents, staff, or visitors, make sure you have them sign a model release, which gives you the right to use the photo in your promotional material, including your website.

Stock Photography
Stock photography is an excellent and cost-effective way to supplement your website. Often, you may not want to include an actual patient or resident photo to honor their privacy and be in compliance with HIPAA. In these cases, stock photography can work well. It can help illustrate a particular service you offer, such as care management, rehabilitation, home care or hospice care. In these cases, people are more interested in the service you provide and how it will help them increase their health and well-being. When choosing stock photography, keep these tips in mind:

  • Look for photos that are interesting and evoke positive emotions.
  • While photos with people looking directly into the camera can engage visitors, they also may seem less real. Most of your photos should appear to be candid shots to make it seem like this is a “real” photo.
  • Photos that represent the feeling people enjoy from the service you provide is more important than finding a photo that looks exactly like your building, employees or facility.