How to take good images?

Watch the following video for some guidance on capturing good quality context and dermoscopic images. Underneath, you will find additional information on taking good quality images for the Skin Analytics service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-P8Mud-2FA

Skin Analytics’ service needs two types of images for every mole or lesion that our dermatologists review. These are:

Image Type	What it is	Why is it needed
Dermoscopic Image	An image taken with a special lens attached called a dermoscope. This covers just the mole in question.	The dermoscope provides uniform magnification, and also cross polarised light which gives a clearer image to the dermatologist to review.
Macroscopic Context Image	A regular image, taken without the dermoscope attached from c. 20cm away, plus any other photos that are helpful to adequately identify the lesion. Context images should show where the lesion is located in relation to a recognisable anatomical landmark. Please note that up to 5 context images are allowed for each lesion.	This is useful for the dermatologists to have some context for how the mole looks in comparison to wider skin tone and other moles.

Top Tips for Taking Context Images :

Move to a well lit area, ideally with a plain background for the image. Always attempt to use a clinical drape/sheet or plain surface such as a wall or floor as a background, as this will help the device to focus on the subject matter and not what is in the distance or background.
Ensure the dermoscope is not attached to the phone.
Take the first image from c.1m away from the mole/lesion to indicate where on the body the mole is located.
Take the next image from c.20cm range of the mole in context with the nearby skin and any other lesions
If the patient has a lot of moles on the same patch of skin, or the mole is difficult to distinguish from the rest of the skin, indicate which mole you are imaging using a pen or pencil to point to it.
Consider the angle of view - this must be parallel to the skin surface to avoid distortion of the image, which occurs when the subject is at an angle to the camera device.
Check that the image is clear and focused, then capture the image. If the image is not clear and focused, you can discard the image and recapture it.
If possible, one image should be taken with a scale/ruler to show the size of the mole. Any rulers or markers to indicate the lesion of concern should be as close to the lesion as possible. However, any non-removable markers used prior to the dermoscope view must be 1cm away from the lesion so as to not be included in the subsequent dermoscopic image.

Common issues with context images:

Issue	Details
Image taken with the dermoscope attached	The dermoscope is meant for close range images, not for taking regular photos so this will be unusable.
Image is blurry	The dermoscope is meant for close range images, not for taking regular photos so this will be unusable.
Unclear which mole is being investigated	If you have lots of similar moles, it can be unclear which one is being assessed.

Common Macroscopic Issue 1: Image taken with the dermoscope attached example image

Common Macroscopic Issue 1: Image taken with the dermoscope attached example image