Episode #281: No BS Interview on Digital Photography, with Adamo Notarantonio

If you want to be a good dentist, you need a digital camera — and know how to use it! In today’s podcast, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Adamo Notarantonio to teach you why. Not only is it a way to display your work, but it is also an effective way to communicate with patients and prospective patients. To learn about other benefits of good photography in your practice, listen to Episode 281 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Work ethic leads to success. Put the time in.
• You need good photography in dentistry.
• Dentists need social media. Instagram is free advertising!
• Understand the materials you're working with to be a better photographer. 
• You will never be a good dentist without a digital camera. 

Quotes:

• “One of my biggest pet peeve questions I get when I show my photos on Instagram is, ‘What camera did you use?’ And I'm like, ‘Listen, I can physically send you my camera with my SD card, and you'll never take a picture like me. Why? Because you don't understand light. You don't understand camera settings.’ You have to put the time and hours in to understand this to create the kind of work that you see that these guys create.” (12:21—12:46)
• “I don't know how anybody practices without a digital camera. I think you're nuts if you do. But if you can start getting into the artistic stuff, and it doesn't have to be crazy, the amount of advertising — I get so many patients from Instagram. And we used to spend $10,000 on 30,000 flyers to five local zip codes and get patients looking for deals, not looking for quality.” (16:52—17:14)
• “A lot of people will ask, if I post a composite, ‘Which composite?’ That's really not the question you should ask. ‘What camera?’ It doesn't really matter, to be honest. You need to understand how the composite I'm working with handles, what color is it really, how does it reflect light, and stuff like that.” (19:44—20:00)
• “If you're not taking before and after photos of your work constantly, which is what I do, how are you going to improve?” (24:24—24:30)
• “When you're able to display your work at the highest level, they come to you. You don't even have to do anything anymore.” (33:11—33:18)

Snippets:

• Dr. Notarantonio’s background. (04:25—07:26)
• Denzel Washington’s garbage truck story. (07:49—08:52)
• How Dr. Notarantonio became successful. (09:09—13:20)
• Why photography is an important topic in dentistry. (13:54—17:33)
• His aha moment. (18:20—19:07)
• What dentists get wrong on this journey. (19:32—22:39)
• You need good photography in dentistry. (23:28—26:37)
• Photography as a communication style. (27:03—29:49)
• Taking risks. (30:27—32:00)
• Where to start. (32:34—35:29)
• Last thoughts. (35:52— 37:19)
• His courses. (37:51—39:41)

Reach Out to Dr. Notarantonio:

• Dr. Notarantonio’s email: [email protected] 
• Dr. Notarantonio’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamoelvis/?hl=en
• Dr. Notarantonio’s ImP.R.E.S. courses: https://imprescourses.com/

Further Reading:

• Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
• Photo course, “When the Pictures Really Matter” http://en.whenthepicturesreallymatter.com/

Adamo Notarantonio Bio

ADAMO E. NOTARANTONIO, DDS, FICOI, FAACD

Dr. Adamo Notarantonio is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (2002), where he received honors in both removable and fixed prosthodontics. He completed his residency in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program at Stony Brook in 2003 and was chosen by faculty to complete a second year as Chief Resident.

Dr. Adamo was accredited by American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in 2011, and recently received his Fellowship in the AACD. He is the only Accredited Fellow in New York State, and the 80th person worldwide to achieve this honor. He was further honored by the Academy when asked to serve as a consultant and examiner for the Accreditation and Fellowship processes.

In 2016, Dr. Adamo was awarded the AACD’s Rising Star Award. Dr. Adamo has been re-elected to serve on the American Board of Cosmetic Dentistry®, is the most recent past chairman of the ABCD, and has recently been appointed the Accreditation Chairman of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Dr. Adamo is a graduate of the Kois Center, where he studied under Dr. John Kois. He also has completed The Dawson Academy Core Curriculum. Dr. Adamo has received his fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He has been published in multiple dental journals and lectures nationally and internationally on such topics as CAD/CAM dentistry, implant dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, composite dentistry, and dental photography. Dr. Adamo also volunteers his time at the NYU College of Dentistry where he is a Clinical Instructor in the Honors Aesthetics Program. 

Dr. Adamo is an avid golfer and is also fluent in Italian.

Instagram: @adamoelvis