Crime Scene Photography
Crime Scene Photography
Testimonial evidence is faulty.
 Admissions of guilt are not iron clad.
 Jurors are influenced by what they can see
and experience in the courtroom.
 Photographs of the crime scene and
evidence is a powerful tool in bringing the
jury to the crime scene.

Getting the Evidence into Court
In order to be effective your evidence must
be admitted into court evidence.
 The following guidelines must be followed.
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Do not disturb the scene
 Get a complete set of pictures
 Pay attention to camera angles
 Record all data

Rule #1 Do NOT Disturb the Scene
This is the cardinal rule of crime scene
photography
 Both later investigators and jurors need to
see the scene as it was when the police
arrived
 Leave scales and labels out of your first
series of pictures
 After the scene has been photographed in
its original state, you shoot a second series
of evidence pictures.

Rule #2 Complete Set of Pictures
You must move around the scene to see
everything - So must the camera
 Generally speaking, each important object in
the scene should appear in at least three
pictures
 The overview should cover the entire scene
to bring out the relationships between the
objects. The mid range shot shows and
important object and its immediate
surroundings. Finally, each close-up shows
a key detail clearly.

Example of Three Step Process
1. Overview
2. Mid-Range
3. Focused
Overview
Mid-Range
Close-Up
Rule #3 Pay Attention to Angles

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Relationships of size and distance may be distorted
by the wrong viewpoint
Shoot most pictures with the camera at eye level.
This is the height from which people normally see
things and that makes it easier to judge
perspective.
Ask yourself questions such as:


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Does this picture reveal the true position of the witness
to the crime?
Does the picture distort what I am shooting?
Am I shooting from the perspective of an observer.
Distortion

To prevent distortion that may skew the
image and even prevent its admissibility, try
to take the photos at a perpendicular angle.
Selecting A Lens
Regular Aspect Lens
Wide Angle Lens
Rule #4 Record all Data
Make a sketch of where each picture was
shot
 Write the details of each shot

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Location, date, time, photographer, camera
settings
Some court systems put more emphasis on
print film
 Label all pictures and negatives.

Taking the Pictures
A crime scene photographer has command
of the art of photography.
 All pictures must be

Sharp
 Focused
 Properly exposed
 Framed properly
 Have proper lighting

Lighting- The Critical Element
Lighting is critical in photography
 The direction from which the light comes
determines where shadows fall
 Sometimes these shadows completely
obscure details in the picture
 On the other hand, shadows may reveal
details which would otherwise be invisible
 Let’s look at 3 types of natural light; back,
side, and front lighting

Back Lighting
The light source is behind the object
 A light directly behind the subject creates a
silhouette
 Furthermore, any light shining directly into
the lens can cause a “flare” and/or a “halo”
effect.
 This has little value in crime scene
photography

Side Lighting
Side lighting puts shadows on the unlit side
of the subject
 This may be very good or very bad,
depending on the situation
 These shadows are often essential to bring
out the fine texture that is found in a cloth
sample, a footprint or a tool mark
 On the other hand, when you shoot into a
subject, the shadows obscure important
interior details

Lighting
Lighting
Front Lighting
The light source is behind you and the
object being photographed
 This is essentially shadow less. It, therefore,
gives the best representation of most crime
scenes
 When you do not have a specific need for
shadows in a scene, you will normally be
wise to light it from the front

Not Enough Light?
Exposure times can be altered to brighten
photographs
 Longer exposure times required a tripod and
no movement of the camera
 Alternate light sources

Ultraviolet
 Infrared
 fluorescent
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Bracketing
Since there is no magic setting for available
light exposures, bracketing is necessary to
ensure a quality photograph.
 The same photo should be taken several
times with each exposure changing one
camera condition; either aperture or film
speed.
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Bracketing Available Light
Bracketing Available Light
Bracketing Available Light
Bracketing Available Light
Bracketing Available Light
Bracketing Available Light
Film vs. Digital
Film has been the traditional method of
presenting photographic evidence, however
digital is growing in use and acceptance.
 Evidence integrity is always an important
issue no matter the choice of media.
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Homework
Camera Photography Starts Monday 10/4
 Get a Camera
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Memory card
 Transfer Cable
 Extra Batteries
 Manual
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