NOTES ON FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

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.
= When 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.
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.

E. 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.
a. 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.
b. 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, Ultrat-violet and Infra-
red lights.

2. Anti Halation Backing – Is the one designated to hold back the light and prevents halation.

3. Base – Support the emulsion

I. Types of Films

1.

2. Colored Film – can be devided into two: