Crime Scene Photography

Anyone who has seen the movie My Cousin Vinny (1992) knows that you can save that day with a snapshot. In the movie, an inexperienced New York lawyer Vincent LaGuardia "Vinnie" Gambina and his fiancé Mona Lisa Vito went to a small town in the south to represent the murder case of his cousin. The picture of Mona Lisa taken with an inexpensive pocket camera continues to irritate the whole movie, but in the end it has created a key picture of the case.

All pictures from landscape to historical events preserve and display the history of the past 200 years. When photographs of counterfeit documents were submitted to the court as evidence and permitted in 18511, the photograph was born as a forensic means and soon became the Gospel for the case of identification and scene analysis. The pictures of the crime scene became the forefront in the 1870s, and since that time new technologies have expanded their use.

In this description, the photo itself is not evidence but a visual document that provides the scene location and evidence in the scene. With photographs taken at the crime scene, investigators can reproduce the site for later analysis or use in court. If the photographing of the crime scene does not record the entire site thoroughly and accurately, it may be harmful for the investigation and may be harmful during the criminal trial.

Forensic pictures, also called pictures of crime scenes, are activities that record the initial appearance and physical evidence of the crime scene to provide a permanent record to the court. Because photographers at crime scenes often have a very special purpose of capturing each image, photography at the crime scene is different from other variations on photography. The crime scene may be the primary source of physical evidence to bring the suspects into contact with the site, the victims and the worksite, or to make contact with the victims. This is the exchange principle of Locard. This is the basic principle to investigate the crime scene. Everything found on the crime scene may be physical evidence. In the scientific crime scene survey, the first activity of the crime scene is very important to make the conservation of the physical evidence successful.

Crime scenes and evidence photography are designed for people in charge of crime scenes and laboratory photography. It may be used by law enforcement officers, investigators, crime scene engineers, forensic scientists. Includes explanations for shooting various crime scenes and various evidences. Combined with training and experience, it is a precious reference tool. Crime scenes and evidence photography are also useful sources for students and other people interested in entering the field of investigation of crime scenes. If you order this publication directly from the publisher, a 20% discount ($ 39.96)

There are some unique requirements for photography of crime scenes. When there is a scene to shed blood, basic knowledge is still needed, but you must pay special attention to the blood. Current methods for recording scenes include 35 mm (black & white, color and special film), digital camera and video (Hi - 8, DV and other formats). Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are usually several ways to record a scene. (The camera follows this same principle and is included here to provide images of the crime scene.)

Because making the specific image suitable for the court is the ultimate goal of the photography of the crime scene, the photographer at the crime scene has a background image (showing evidence in the context), a closeup image (showing details) And an overall image. Photographers at crime scenes usually eliminate the possibility of contamination and photographic alteration by handling their own movies or using a specific laboratory. Criminal photographers can use 35 mm film or digital images, depending on the requirements of law enforcement agencies and district courts, and their preferences.