FORENSIC 1: POLICE PHOTOGRAPHY 

BRIEF HISTORY 

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. 

➢ French inventor 

➢ Produce the first permanent photographic image on a summer day in

1826. ➢ The photographic image was with a camera obscura 

Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham) 

➢ He invented the first pinhole camera, also known as the Camera Obscura 

Louis Daguerre 

➢ Developed a more convenient and effective method of photography, naming it after himself

the Daguerreotype 

➢ The Daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. ➢ Daguerre

was able to reduce exposure time to less than 30 minutes and keep the image from

disappearing afterwards 

Daguerreotype created a lasting image, one that would not change if exposed to

light Henry Fox Talbot 

➢ The inventor of the first negative from which multiple positive prints 

➢ He perfected this paper-negative process and called it a Calotype, Greek for beautiful

picture. The calotype, introduced in 1841; a negative-positive process using a paper negative.

Legal foundation of Photographic Evidence: 

For black and white photographs: 

1859-Daguerreotype was use in civil case, Lueo vs. US (regarding the authenticity of photographs

in comparing signatures) 

1874-In criminal case introducing photograph as identification evidence, Underzook vs. Commonwealth
For color photographs 

1943-Civil litigations Green vs. City and county of Denver Colorado, involving spoiled meat in violation

of a health ordinance prohibiting the sale of putrid meat to the public. 

1960- In criminal case, State vs. Conte, showing the graphic wound of the

victim A. DEFINITION OF TERMS: 

1. Photography = Derived from the Greek word “Phos” or “Photos” which means “light”

and “Grapho” means “Writing” or “Graphia” meaning “to Draw”. Sir John F. W. Herschel

coined the word photography when he first wrote a letter to Henry Fox Talbot. 

= Is the art and science of reproducing image by means of light through some sensitized

material with the aid of a camera, Lens and its accessories and the chemical process required

in order to produce a photograph. 

2. Forensic = Derived from the Latin word “Forum” which means “a market place” where

people gathered for public discussion. 

Note : 

When the word forensic was used in conjunction with other science it connotes a

relationship to the administration of justice. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the

word legal. 

3. Police Photography = Is the application of the principles of photography is relation to the

police work and in the administration of justice. 

4. Photograph = Is the mechanical and chemical result of Photography. 

Picture and photograph are not the same for a picture is a generic term is refers to all kinds

of formed image while a photograph is an image that can only be a product of photography.

B. USES OF PHOTOGRAPHY 

1. Personal Identification 

= Personal Identification is considered to be the first application of photography is police

work. Alphonse Bertillion was the first police who utilized photography in police work as

a supplementary identification in his Anthropometry system. 

2. For Communication 

= Photograph is considered to be one of the most universal methods of

communication considering that no other language can be known universally than

photograph. 

3. For Record Purposes 

= Considered to be the utmost used of photography in police work. 

Different Views in photographing 

a. General View 

= taking an over-all view of the scene of the crime. It shows direction and

location of the crime scene. 

b. Medium View 

= Is the taking of the photograph of the scene of the crime by dividing it into

section. This view will best view the nature of the crime. 

c. Close-up View 

= Is the taking of individual photograph of the evidence at the scene of the crime. It

is design to show the details of the crime. 

d. Extreme Close-up View 

= Commonly designed in laboratory photographing using some magnification such

as Photomacrography and photomicrography. 

4. For Preservation 

= Crime scene and other physical evidence requires photograph for preservation purposes.
Crime scene cannot be retain as is for a long period of time but through photograph the

initial condition of the scene of the crime can be preserved properly. 

5. For Discovering and Proving 

= Photography can extend human vision in discovering and proving things such

as: a. The use of Magnification 

Photomicrography = Taking a magnified photograph of small object through attaching a

camera to the ocular of a compound microscope so as to show a minute details of the

physical evidence. 

Photomacrogaphy = Taking a magnified (enlarged) photograph of small object

by attaching an extended tube lens (macro lens) to the camera. 

Microphotography = is the process of reducing into a small strips of film a

scenario. It is first used in filmmaking. 

Macrophotography = used synonymously with photomacrogaphy. 

Telephotography = Is the process of taking photograph of a far object with the aid

of a long focus and Telephoto lens. 

b. Used of Artificial Light such as X-ray, Ultra-violet and Infra-red rays to show

something which may not be visible with the aid of human eye alone. 
6. For Court Exhibits 

= Almost all evidence presented in court before formally be accepted requires that they satisfy

the basic requirements for admissibility which is relevancy and competency. A question of

relevancy is usually proved by proving the origin of the evidence and its relation to the case and

this is usually supplemented by photograph of the evidence giving reference as to where it came

from. Evidence presented in court once accepted became known as Exhibit. Either Exhibit 1,2,3

etc. for the defense or Exhibit A, B, C etc for the prosecution.

7. Crime Prevention 

= with the used of video camera (hidden camera) and other advanced photographic equipment

crimes are being detected more easily and even to the extent of preventing them from initially

occurring. 

8. Police Training 

= Modern facilities are now being used as instructional material not only in police training

as well as in other agencies. 

9. Reproducing and Copying 

= With the use of photography any number of reproduction of the evidence can be made those

giving unlimited opportunity for its examination and even allow other experts or person to

examine the specimen without compromising the original. 

C. ESSENTIALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY 

1. Light = is an electromagnetic energy that travels in a form of a wave with the speed of

186, 000 miles per second. 

2. Camera = a light tight box designed to block unwanted or unnecessary light from

reaching the sensitized material. 

3. Lens = is the light gathering mechanism of the camera that collect the reflected light

coming from the object to form the image. 

4. Sensitized material = composed of a highly sensitized chemical compound which is

capable of being transformed into an image through the action of light and with some

chemical processes. ( Film and Photo Paper). 

5. Chemical Process = is the process necessary for reducing silver halides into a form so as

a latent image and a positive image be made resulting to what we called Photograph.

LIGHT: ITS NATURE, CHARACTERISTICS, SOURCES AND CLASSIFICATION 

Light is defined as an electromagnetic energy with the speed of 186,00 miles per second. Its 
wave travel is said to be characterized in certain extent based on velocity, wavelength and frequency
of  the number of vibration of the wave per second. 

Light wavelength is the distance measured between two (2) successive crest or through of wave and it
is  expressed in either Millimicron (nanometer) or Angstrom. Millimicron is the units of light
wavelength  which is equivalent to one-millionth part of a millimeter which the Angstrom is relatively
smaller for it  has an equivalent measurement of ten (10) millionth part of a millimeter. 

Once light hits a certain medium, its action can be characterized as either: Reflected, Transmitted or 
Absorbed (RAT). Reflected once the light hits a mirror and it bounce back. Transmitted when the light 
hits a transparent glass which would allow the light to pass through its medium and Absorbed when
the  light hits a dark colored object and prevents it from either bouncing or passing through. 

Isaac Newton in 1666 proved that the light which men see as white light is actually a mixture of all
colors  of the spectrum. This is produced when we allow light to hit a glass prism (Sharp Edge of the
Glass). A  rainbow array will then be shown with colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet colors
(from top  to bottom). The visible light is also said of have a wavelength of between 400-700 millimicron
or  nanometer. 

Types of Light 

Lights can largely be classified into visible and invisible light. 

• Visible Light  

= Is the type of light that produces different sensation when reach the human eye. It is the type of
light,  which is capable of exciting the retina of the human eye. 

• Invisible Light 

= lights in which their wavelength are either too short or too long to excite the retina of the human
eye  i.e. X-ray, Ultra-violet and Infra-red lights. 
PHOTOGRAPHIC RAYS 

X-ray  

=Light with the wavelength between .01 to 30 millimicrons. It is produced by passing an electric
current  through a special type of vacuum tube. It was incidentally discovered by Conrad Welhelm
Roentgen.  This type of light works in the principle of shadow photography.
Ultra-violet ray (Before the violet) 

= Radiation having a wavelength of 30 to 400 nanometers designed to photograph fingerprints in multi 

colored background, documents that are altered, decipherment of erase writing and developing
invisible  writing. It is commercially known as “black Light”. 

Visible Light 

= Is the type of radiation having a wavelength of 400 to 700 millimicrons designed for
ordinary  photographing purposes. 

Infra-red (Beyond the Red) 

= Considered as the photographic rays with the longest wavelength ranging from 700 to 1000 
millimicrons. It is designed to take photograph of over-written documents, obliterated writing,
and  charred documents or for black out photography. (Sometimes referred to as heat rays). 

LIGHT SOURCE 

Natural Light= are those light which come to existence without the intervention of man e.i.
Sunlight,  moonlight and starlight. 

Bright Sunlight 

= object in an open space casts a deep and uniform shadow and the object appears

glossy. Hazy Sunlight 

= object in an open space casts a transparent or bluish shadow. This is due to thin clouds that cover
the  sun. 

Dull Sunlight 

= object in an open space cast no shadow due to thick clouds covering the sun. 

Daylight 

may still be classified as: open space bright sunlight, under shade bright sunlight, hazy sunlight,
cloudy  sunlight and cloudy dull sunlight. 
These conditions and their colors affect the appearance of the object being photograph. Factors such
as  atmospheric vapor, atmospheric dust and quality of the reflected light coming and not coming from
the  source should likewise be considered. 

Artificial Light  

otherwise known as man-made light e.g. fluorescent bulb, incandescent bulb and photoflood lamp.
Continuous radiation 

Photoflood lamp 

is likewise known as Reflectorized light or Spot light. It is a light with a reflector at the back
which  focuses the light to the object the common wattages of this lamp is 500 watts. 

Fluorescent Lamp 

are tube lamps in which the walls are coated with fluorescent powders with both ends is mounted
with  a holder that serves as the reflector. This is commonly used by everybody more than it is used in 
photographing.  

Incandescent bulb 

are bulb with a wire filament connecting two wires which sustain the electrical charge that produces
the  light. Everybody likewise commonly uses this although it is more expensive in terms of electrical 
consumptions. 

Short Duration type 

Flash bulb 

are chemical lamps, as it generate lights by the rapid combination of metal in oxygen. The bulb can be 
used only once as the bulb is busted when fired electrically. There are thin filaments inside the bulb
with  two electrical contacts. When the current flows through the filament, it becomes incandescent
and  ignites the explosive primer that ignites the aluminum foil that burns, giving flash of tense light. 

Electronic Flash 

produces light by an instantaneous electrical in charges between two electrodes in a gas filled glass 
bulbs. The electrical energy for the discharge is kept in capacitor or condenser. It usually ranges from 
1/300 second and 1/5000 second, and because of this, subject in fast motion can be arrested or
stopped  in the photographs. 

Concurrent light  

Light that is scattered 

Coherent light  

Light that is aligned such as laser light 

Hologram  

The formation of image trough the use of laser light

SENSITIZED MATERIAL 

It refers to the film and photographic paper that basically composed of emulsion containing
Silver  Halides suspended in gelatin and coated on a transparent or reflective support. 

PARTS OF THE SENSITIZED MATERIAL 

Emulsion 

is that part of the film or photographic paper which contains the silver grains which is the one
sensitive  to light. In a colored film this emulsion surface can be composed of Three layers ( Blue,
Green and Red)  with filters intervening. 

Anti Halation Backing  

Is the one designed to hold back the light and prevents halation. 

Base  

Support the emulsion 

CAMERA 

Is a light tight box with light gathering device and a means of blocking unwanted or unnecessary
light  from reaching the sensitized material. 

Basically, camera can produce image with its four-(4) basic parts such as light tight box, lens,
and  shutter, Holder of sensitized material. 

ESSENTIAL PARTS OF A CAMERA 

Light Tight Box  

a box designed to keep light out and serve as a frame to hold other parts. 

Lens 

designed to collect or to focus the reflected light from an object to form an image on the

film. Shutter 

designed to control the time during which the light reaches the film 

Holder of the sensitized material  

 located at the opposite side of the lens designed to hold firmly the sensitized material to prevent
the  formation of the multiple or blurred image
View finder  

designed to determine the field of view of the camera or the extent of the coverage of the given lens