Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Forensic Photography Prelim
Forensic Photography Prelim
Forensic Photography Prelim
PHOTOGRAPH
Y
DEFINITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
LITERAL DEFINITION
The word was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W.
Herschel in 1839. (John Frederick William Herschel)
1. The utmost use of it is a record purpose. Photography will record the scene of the
crime permanently.
2. Photography can preserve all perishable evidence like contusion in the cases.
3. Photography can be used not only in the identification of physical evidence.
4. Photography is necessary in the interrogation of suspects at the time he made a
confession.
5. Photography can provide a system or technique in making visible things that cannot
be seen by the naked eye.
6. Photography can be useful in court in the determination of the truth respecting a
matter of fact. Evidence that cannot be brought inside the courtroom can be presented
by means of photographs
USES OF PHOTOGRAPHY
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION
Personal Identification is considered to be the first application of
photography in police work
Alphonse Bertillion was the first police who utilized photography in
police work as a supplementary identification in his Anthropometry system
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.
FOR RECORD PURPOSES
Considered to be the utmost used of photography in police work
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.
FOR DISCOVERING AND PROVING
Photography can extend human vision in discovering and proving
things such as
POLICE TRAINING
Modern facilities are now being used as instructional material not only in
police training as well as in other agencies.
OFFENDER DETECTION.
Surveillance, burglar traps, confessions, re-enactment of crimes, and
intoxicated driver tests. One of the newest applications of police
photography is to video record arrests in which the suspect offers
resistance. This practice has been instituted by many law enforcement
agencies to counter charges of police brutality.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Slides, computer presentations, and videotapes that pertain to safety
programs, juvenile delinquency, traffic education, and public cooperation
and homeland security.
FOUR PRIMARY WAYS TO USE PHOTOGRAPHY
IN POLICE WORK
1. as a means of identification
2. as a method of discovering. recording, and preserving
evidence
3. as a way to present, in the courtroom, and impression of the
pertinent elements of a crime
4. as a training and public relations medium for police
programs
BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY PRINCIPLES
1. Light.
• =the primary ingredient for image documentation.
• 2. Exposure
• =is the total amount of light that hits the sensor of Camera. It is
controlled by the amount of light entering the camera and the duration or
how long the light hits the sensor. Exposure is ultimately responsible for the
formation of the image. Essentially, light and its effect on exposure creates
the picture.
• 3. Light Metering
• =is responsible for reading the amount of light entering the camera
and determining or making suggestions for what settings should be used for
that exposure situation.
• 4. Shutter Speed
• =controls the duration of the exposure.
• 5. Aperture
• =The opening in the lens that controls the light entering the
camera is called the aperture. The aperture is controlled by an iris,
which is composed of several blades that increase and decrease the
diameter of the opening to control the light. Apertures are in the
camera's lens and control the amount of light transmitted by the lens
that will enter the camera used to expose on the imaging sensor.
• 6. Exposure Compensation or Exposure Value (EV)
• = Exposure compensation on cameras adjusts the camera's
automatic exposure setting as metered by the camera. The exposure
compensation feature will increase or decrease the actual exposure of the
final image.
• 7. Exposure Bracketing
• =Bracketing is a method of taking multiple, images of a scene or
object using different exposures ranging from overexposed to normal to
underexposed.
• 8. Exposure Modes
• =The exposure modes are commonly located on a dial on top of
the camera or can be changed in the camera's menus. Exposure modes
allow the photographer to take control over how the exposures are made.
• 9. ISO (International Organization of Standardization)
• =is the sensitivity rating of the camera's sensor. You may recognize
the abbreviation from film, as it was used to rate the sensitivity of film.
The higher the number the more sensitive to light the film was, and
therefore it was more desirable to use in low-light situations.
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/ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
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)
- We cannot see but we know it because it tans our skin.
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”.
UV Use:
▶ Fingerprints on multicolored surfaces (dust with fluorescent powder or
ninhydrin). Body secretions such as urine, semen(buish color) and perspiration
often glow when illuminated by ultraviolet light. Money and other valuables can be
dusted or marked to identify thiefs.
Fingerprints on multicolored surfaces (dust with
fluorescent powderonormulticolored
Fingerprints ninhydrin) surfaces (dust with
fluorescent powder or ninhydrin)
ULTRAVIOLE
VISIBLE LIGHT
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. It is sometimes referred
to as heat rays).
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).
COLORS OF LIGHT FOUND IN VISIBLE
SPECTRUM
PRIMARY COLORS NEURTRAL COLORS
BLUE GRAY
GREEN WHITE
RED BLAC
K
SECON
DARY WHITE
COLOR –
S PRES
CYAN ENCE
OF
YELLO ALL
W COLO
MAGENT R
PAINTED OBJECTS do not produce their own light, they reflect light, when objects look
red, because it is reflecting only red light to our eyes. To do this, it absorbed the other primary
colors in the white light it is reflecting. It absorbed green and blue and reflects red.
MEDIUMS OF LIGHT
TRANSPARENT OBJECTS – mediums that
merely slow down the speed of light but allow to
pass freely in other respects, transmit 90% or
more of the incident light.
TYPES:
• BRIGHT SUNLIGHT
• HAZY SUNLIGHT
• DULL SUNLIGHT
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.
CONTINUOUS RADIATION
PHOTOFLOOD LAMP
Is likewise known as Reflectorized light or Spot light. It is a light
with a reflector at the back which focus 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.
(utmost use in houses or offices)
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.
INFRA-RED LAMP
ULTRA-VIOLET LAMP
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 as
LASER
LIGHT
“Light Amplification
by Stimulated
Emission of
Radiation”
HOLOGRAM
The formation
END OF PRELIM COVERAGE