FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
Legal aspect of Crime Scene and
Evidence Photography
PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
▪Consists of the images captured by an
investigator or forensic photographer at a
crime scene that indicate critical information
about the crime.
ADMISSIBILITY IN THE COURT FOR
PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
▪ RELEVANCY – the photo must have a clear purpose for being
presented in court. If the photo does not help to demonstrate whether a
crime did or did not occur, there is no reason to introduce it into the
courtroom.
▪ ACCURACY – the photo represent what was observed by the naked eye
at the scene. Witness and investigator views should align with what was
capture in the photograph.
▪ AUTHENTICITY – the photo must be verified for accuracy by a
qualified individual, such as a forensic photographer. This individual
must be willing and prepared to testify.
▪ ORIGINALITY – the photo must be presented in its original form
whether that be the film negative or digital. It should not be edited,
formatted or modified in any way.
DIGITAL EVIDENCE
▪VIDEO – including surveillance & body cam
▪AUDIO – including sound clip/recording
▪TEXT FILES OR DOCUMENTS – including
emails/text/ PDFs, word document, etc.
▪COMPUTER FILES
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
▪ DSLR Camera first used at the crime scene to
capture overall photographs of each room/outdoor
space involved in the crime.
▪ Save each image in .jpg format for court
admissibility.
▪ DSLR Camera can automatically time-stamps all
photos and includes GPS coordinates to show photo
originality and authenticity.
DIGITAL ADMISSIBILITY
▪ Preserve electronic evidence in its original form (many
agencies use hard drive, memory card or CD)
▪ Track and document each piece of evidence. (answer the who,
what, when, where, why and how question)
▪ Prevent purposeful and accidental alterations (save the files as
“read-only” and restrict file access to essential personnel).
▪ Create a new file for analyzation purposes and leave the
original file as is (re-name the new file to avoid confusion).
▪ Maintain chain of custody from the moment of the evidence
collection through case closure.
ADMISSIBILITY OF EVIDENCE
▪ Audio, video and similar evidence – ADMISSIBLE provided it
shall be shown, presented or displayed to the court and shall be
identified, explained or authenticated by the person who made the
recording or by some other person competent to testify on the
accuracy thereof.
▪ Ephemeral electronic communication – shall be provenby
the testimony of a person who was a party to the same or has a
personal knowledge thereof. Ephemeral electronic communication
refers to telephone conversation, text msgs, chatroom sessions,
streaming audio, streaming video and other electronic form or
communication the evidence of which is not recorded or retained.
FORENSIC PHOTO ANALYSIS
Three categories of image forensic scientists:
1. TECHNICIAN – intake of the evidence, copies and converts
media, performs preliminary enhancements ad other
assessments.
2. ANALYST – includes all technician skills, performs
photographic comparison, photogrammetry, content analysis
and image authentication.
3. EXPERT WITNESS – includes all technician and analyst skills,
provides consultation with litigators, generates formalized
report, peer/technical review, formulating opinions, evidence
recovery.
CRIME SCENE AND EVIDENCE PHOTOGRAPHY
Five Legal Methods of Preserving the Crime Scene:
1. Photography
2. Sketching
3. Notes Taking or description
4. Manikin Method
5. Preservation in the mind of the witness
Manikin - when the human form is being used for medical or
scientific purposes – teaching anatomy, demonstrating surgical
techniques, conducting scientific experiments
GENERAL STANDARDS USED TO REVIEW
THE CREDIBILITY OF THE PHOTOGRAPH
▪Accurate representation
▪Free of distortion
▪Material and relevant
▪Unbiased
TWO GENERAL METHODS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
▪ Overlapping Method – a photographic method of taking a series of
photographs in a circular or clockwise direction, overlapping each
other slightly to show the entire crime scene.
▪ Progressive Method – a photographic method of taking a crime
scene photographs tarting from a fixed point, photographing each
piece of evidence as a photographer moves towards it, and
progressively gets closer. (General to specific)
Note: Upon arrival at the crime scene, photograph the whole area
before anything is moved. Take shots from different angles to show the
whole area.
CARDINAL RULES OF CRIME SCENE
PHOTOGRAPHY
▪ Fill the Frame
▪ Maximize depth of field
▪ Keep the film plane parallel
PROCEDURE AT THE CRIME SCENE
▪ General View – the overall view of the crime scene.
▪ Medium View – this is to show four angles of the crime scene
including possible route path of the suspect.
- Used to establish the modus operandi of the suspect.
- Mid-range are taken in a manner which portray crime
scene from approximately ten to 20 feet from the subject
▪ Close-up Shot – This is to identify the subject.
▪ Extreme close-up shot – to show the extent of damage or
injury caused by the suspect.
PERSPECTIVE AND SCALE OF SHOTS
▪ Bird-eye View
▪ Eye level View
▪ Ground level View
CASE IDENTIFIER
▪ Organization
▪ Case/Lab number if available
▪ Photographer name
▪ Location of incident or location of where the photographs were
captured if different
▪ Date and time
▪ A standardized form may be used for this purpose but a photograph
of any document containing the above information satisfies this
requirement.
GUIDELINES IN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF
CRIME SCENE
▪ Establish shot – this is an overall view from extreme to the other.
▪ The building – the next photographs should show the building in
which the crime was committed. Usually two photographs will be
needed front and back of the building.
▪ The entrance – this usually the door, but it maybe a window in a
house breaking robbery, If there is a gate and a door, take
photograph one for each entrance.
▪ The Hallway – camera will show what we would observe immediately
after entering the building. It should show the location of the other
doors or rooms through which we must pass to get to the room in
which the crime was committed.
GUIDELINES IN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF
CRIME SCENE
▪ The room – the room where the exact crime happened. The most difficult problem
is to include the entire area sometimes like in the building shots, two photographs
from opposite corners will be enough. A wide lens is used. However, the
investigator’s note should also be carefully marked with the information.
▪ Close-up shots – the number and the types of close-up photograph will of course
depend upon the kind of crime.
✓ Object attacked – the purpose of these pictures is to show the amount and
kind of damage the method of attack.
✓ Weapon or tools used – Must careful to show a reference point in every
picture. It show which is right, left, up, down, north, south.
✓ Significant clues – physical evidence (fingerprint, blood stain, footprint, skid
marks, tool marks and broken glass) Fingerprint should be photographed after
dusting but before lifting.
RULES IN TAKING CRIME SCENE
PHOTOGRAPHY
▪Rule 1 – DO not Disturb the scene
▪Rule 2 – Get Complete Series of Picture
▪Rule 3 – Pay attention to camera angle
▪Rule 4 – Record all data
END OF THE PRESENTATION
