12 Inspired Nurse Photoshoot Ideas

Are you celebrating your graduation from nursing school? Or perhaps you simply want to take some photos in honor of your nursing career? Then you need to check out our inspired nurse photoshoot ideas that will help guide you as you plan your shoot.

One of the most important aspects of planning a photoshoot is choosing the location. Luckily, you’ve come to Peerspace, the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals. You can use our simple platform to connect you to amazingly stylish and amenity-packed venues near you that happen to be the perfect setting for your nurse photoshoot ideas. You’ll see what we mean ahead when we share Peerspace venue examples alongside our nurse photoshoot ideas. Let’s get started!

1. Wear an old-fashioned/retro nurse uniform

Nurse uniforms used to be a lot different in past decades. If you’re someone who likes the look of these styles of uniforms, then wearing one for your photos is one of our favorite fun nurse photoshoot ideas. You can even combine this one with a Halloween costume photoshoot if it’s anywhere near Halloween, but this isn’t a requirement.

For instance, this Florence Nightingale nurse costume is a wonderful way to pay homage to an important figure in the history of nursing. You can even add filters to your photos after the fact to make them look like they were taken during the era your costume is emulating!

And for an even more impressive set of photos, take your retro photos in a space that matches that era, too. You can rent these types of spaces through Peerspace, like this Victorian room in Methuen, MA. Use your photos to pretend you’re paying a house call to a wealthy patient!

2. A graduation photo with all your textbooks

Nursing school requires students to purchase a TON of textbooks. You can use these as a prop in your graduation photoshoot (before you go ahead and try to make back the hundreds of dollars you probably spent on them by selling the ones you can).

Stack all the textbooks with the titles facing the camera and pose with the enormous pile of books like this graduate did in her own celebratory photos. Alternatively, for a more creative pose, lie on the ground with all your textbooks scattered around your head and have the photographer snap photos from directly above.

Sold your textbooks already? We understand! And no need to fret, you can still recreate this fun suggestion at a Peerspace venue. We especially love this beautiful vintage library room in Brooklyn, NY!

3. Consider getting a set of scrubs tailored

This is a nurse photoshoot idea you may not have considered, but for whichever set of scrubs you plan to pose in for your pictures, you might want to get them tailored, so they fit absolutely perfectly.

This will be especially helpful if you have body proportions that mean, for example, that the top fits your chest well but is too loose in the waist or that your scrub bottoms gap at the waist. Either way, this will make your scrubs look that much more flattering and professional, and your photos will come out looking great.

Our creative business photoshoot ideas can help elevate your professionalism even more. Check them out!

4. Pose with the letters of your credentials

Whether you’re a CNA, an LPN, an RN, or an NP, find a set of large 3-dimensional letters and pose with them to emphasize the credentials you’ve attained! For creative nurse photoshoot ideas like this, you can buy the props online. Hold a set of letter balloons like these from Party City, or you can cut some large letters out of sturdy foam and paint them to customize them to your liking.

5. Hold a personalized graduation sign

For a graduation-themed nurse photoshoot, a custom nursing graduation sign is a wonderful way to summarize your accomplishments. Although a picture does say a thousand words, it’s hard to convey the info on this type of sign with a photo alone, so a customized sign can speak for you! Emma Sue Bow-Tique offers these custom signs as digital files that you can then have printed on whatever paper or board you prefer.

6. Do a photoshoot in front of your workplace

If you recently got hired or are simply excited about the place you’ve been working as a nurse, this nurse photoshoot idea is a great option. Stand outside your place of work and have your photo taken to demonstrate where your career has taken you!

Did you know that Peerspace can connect you to authentic hospital sets used by professional productions? It’s true, and you can book one for your shoot if you feel more comfortable doing so! For example, check out this hospital standing set in Los Angeles, CA. It’s bright and airy nurse’s station can make the perfect setting for your shoot!

7. Incorporate your stethoscope as a prop

You can incorporate your stethoscope – an iconic symbol of medicine that you might end up using daily in your line of work – into your photos in all sorts of ways.

For instance, lots of nurses take photos where they twist their stethoscope into the shape of a heart and hold it up to the camera, like in this photo. Or you can be a little more silly with a hint of glam and take some photos like this one, with your stethoscope hanging off one of your high heels.

8. Write an inspiring message on your medical gloves

Write the message of your choice on the palms of a pair of medical gloves and wear them while holding them up to the camera. For instance, Anne Schillings Photography shared this creative photoshoot where the subject did just that, writing “Nurse” as well as important concepts like “educator,” “empathy,” “patience,” and more on the fingers of the gloves to emphasize what her values would be going forward on this career path.

9. Practice your bedside manner during your photoshoot

You might not have access to an actual hospital or other medical space for your photoshoot, and that’s fine! As we mentioned before, an alternative is to rent a set for a few hours that’s been designed to look like a real medical location. Only this time, you can book a set that looks like a patient’s room and showcase your skills as you take care of them (or in this case, a friend or family member as a stand-in “patient”!).

For instance, this hospital room set in Seattle, WA is well-reviewed and comes complete with a hospital bed, medical gear, and costumes. Best of all, the window is a production screen that you can adjust to make it day or night outside!

To quote one happy reviewer: “This studio is fantastic! Chad and Will and the rest of the team at Raptor Studios are awesome to work with, super friendly, and were even able to accommodate a custom request to add a door and a wall to the room so that our team could shoot the scenes that we needed for our film. We’d definitely book with them in the future. Highly recommended!“

Check out even more hospital sets that you can rent for your shoot here!

10. Research and draw inspiration from other nurse photoshoots

There are tons of nurse photoshoot ideas out there already just waiting to be found on the internet, so you can draw on them for inspiration when planning your own photos. For example, Daniel Grove Photography shared this photoshoot of a new nursing school graduate with tons of different poses, outfits, and props used throughout.

11. Dress your pet in a matching nurse costume for your photoshoot

Do you have a beloved pet who’s not technically a nurse but who you’d like to include in your photoshoot? If so, buy them their own nurse uniform and bring them along!

For instance, this outfit would look absolutely adorable and hilarious on a cat or small dog. Or, for a more traditional set of scrubs, check out this dog costume from Sweetpawz on Etsy.

12. Try lots of different poses

Don’t be afraid to try out a bunch of different poses for your nurse photoshoot. You might be surprised how well some of them turn out! Here’s a short video with some suggestions for poses to try while being photographed in scrubs.

Nurse photoshoot ideas: conclusion

Whether you’re just starting your nursing career or you’ve been a nurse for years, you deserve to pamper yourself with a photoshoot that shows off your amazing career choice. We hope these nurse photoshoot ideas have inspired you. Be sure to book a professional photographer and remember to come back here to Peerspace to book your dream photoshoot location!

Find unique photoshoot locations on Peerspace