Forensic photography

Forensic photography (sometimes referred to as forensic imaging or crime scene photography) is the art of producing an accurate reproduction of a crime scene for the benefit of a court. It is part of the process of evidence collecting. It provides investigators with photos of bodies, places, items involved in the crime. Photography of this kind is highly technical in nature, though not in an aesthetic sense. It involves choosing corrected lighting, accurate angling of lenses, and a collection of many angles of view. Measurement of elements of crime scenes often takes place in cooperation with crime scene photography.

Crime scene photographers capture images in both colour and black and white. Various forces and different countries have different policies in regards to 35 mm film or digital photography. There are advantages & disadvantages to both.

Pictures as evidence must be:

1. Fit for court
2. A true record
3. Untampered

Fit for court

The images must be clear and usually have scales. They serve to not only remind CSEs and investigators of the scene but also to provide a tangible image for the court to better enable them to understand what happened.

Overall images do not have scales and serve to show the general layout (e.g. the house where the murder is thought to have occured). Context images show evidence in context (e.g. how the knife was next to the sofa). Close up images show fine detail of an artifact (e.g. a bloody fingerprint on the knife).

A true record

Images must not be altered or "retouched". Bracketing (the shooting of an image at -1/3, normal and +1/3 exposures) is acceptable as this is merely varying the light going into the camera rather than manipulating the image. Dodging & burning or photoshopping is not allowed. Sometimes images or photographic or digital media must be restored or repaired but this is the job of an Audio/Video laboratory. The crime scene photographers job is to simply record the scene.

Fear of digital media and its ease of manipulation is countered by the creation of two copies of the memory card. One copy is sealed and later referred to if the integrity of the images is called into question.

Untampered

Like all evidence a chain of custody must be maintained. Sometimes a CSI will process his/her own film or there is a specific lab for it. Regardless of how it is done any person who handles the evidence must be recorded.

External links

• An online course