Crime Scene Photography

Michael A. Sparks

Cardinal Rule #1Fill The Frame

In order for the viewer to understand what the subject is, the photographer must fill the frame, so that the viewers eyes go directly to the subject matter, that the photographer wants the viewer to see, without any distractions.

What is the Subject?

In photo #1 we see that the subject is supposed to be the PCC Public Safety Building. Unfortunately there are distractions in the form of people. Photo #2 is free of people and focuses on the subject I want the audience to see. To correct the issue of the PCC letters I needed to use a flash in order to get it crisp and clean as I did in the first photo.

The Exposure Triangle

The Exposure Triangle encompasses the three factors which affect the exposure of a photograph and of a scene, with a given amount of light.

Exposure TriangleImproper/Proper Exposure

IN THIS PHOTO MY SUBJECT IS SEVERELY UNDEREXPOSED. MY ISO WAS SET WAY TOO LOW, MY SHUTTER SPEED WAS SET AT 1/320 OF A SECOND AND MY APERTURE WAS SET AT F/3.2 IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE ISSUE I NEEDED TO INCREASE MY ISO .

IN THIS PHOTO WE SEE THAT MY SUBJECT IS NO LONGER UNDEREXPOSED. I RESET MY ISO TO A HIGHER NUMBER TO GIVE PROPER COMPENSATION FOR THE LACK OF LIGHT, TO A PROPER ILLUMINATION, AND I SET MY SHUTTER SPEED TO 1/20 OF A SECOND AND KEPT MY APERTURE AT F3.2

Exposure TriangleOverexposure

Overexposure comes from the ISO being set way too high. ISO 3200, 1600 in a well lit area will cause overexposure in a photo

MY aperture was set at F/8, ISO 1600, and exposure time 1/5 of a second. Clearly this room is well lit and having the ISO at 1600 is what caused this photo to be overexposed.

Exposure TriangleProper ISO Exposure

In this photo my ISO exposure was properly set. My ISO was set at 200.

Exposure TriangleAperture/F-Stop

Aperture- The variable size of the lens opening created by the diameter of the diaphragm

Cardinal Rule #2Maximize Depth of Field

Maximizing the depth of field is the variable range from foreground to background. In Photo 1 and photo I wanted to focus on the number 20, but cause the rest of the markers to go out of focus. Photo 2 shows all markers in focus. In these photos the concept of Hyperfocal focusing came into play. Hyperfocal focusing is based on the fact that depth of field typically extends 2/3 behind the point focused on, and 1/3 in front.

Cardinal Rule #3Keep the Film Plane Parallel

Keeping the film plane parallel is keeping the subject matter at 90 degrees to the film plane and not showing the image lopsided

White Balance and Image Composition

In the previous slide, both pictures had a light yellowish tint to it. This is a result of the White Balance not set at a proper setting. In this photo the White Balance was corrected to Incandescent. We want the camera to depict what the human eye sees so adjusting the white balance is part of that process.

Inverse Square Law

The Inverse Square Law shows the relationship between the Distance light travels and the Intensity of the light at different distances

Oblique LightingIN THIS PHOTO IS HARD TO SEE ANY DETAIL OF THE WEAPON DUE TO INADEQUATE LIGHT SOURCING.

IN THIS PHOTO I FIXED THE ISSUE OF AN INADEQUATE LIGHT SOURCE. I UTILIZED OBLIQUE LIGHTING WHERE I UTILIZED A FLASHLIGHT TO THE LEFT OF THE HANDGUN TO ILLUMINATE THE DETAILS OF IT.

Painting With Light

In this photo we see the laser trajectory. In order to capture this properly, you must use a tripod to minimize unwanted movement. I set my F-stop to F/8, a 15 second exposure time, ISO at 100, and Exposure Mode in Rear Aperture Priority. The Instructor utilized a white piece of paper and used it to trace the laser across the crime scene. In the end this photo above shows the proper product.

Telling The StoryExterior Overall Photo

Exterior Overall Photos relate the crime scene to its general surrounding area. This lets the judge, and jury know where the actual address or landmark the crime was committed.

Telling The StoryBuilding Diagram

Having a building blueprint or diagram gives the judge and jury an inside look of the layout of the interior and where the crime was committed.

Telling The StoryInterior Overall Photo

This photo is of the hallway leading to the actual room where the crime was committed. This gives the judge and jury a visual of the key information to show the steps taken by the suspect. NOTE: In this photo I need to eliminate all distractions so that they eyes of the audience focus on the subject rather than who that person is contaminating the photo.

Telling the StoryInterior Continued

This photo shows the location and address of the crime scene and its closeness to the room next to it. This is important, it shows the audience how close the neighboring room was to the crime scene but also to show the sequence of the addresses as a reference point.

Telling The StoryFull Midrange Capture

Having a full room capture of the crime scene, depicts what the layout of the room is and how it is laid out, for the judge and jury to see

Telling the StoryMidrange Evidence Capture

The audience must see what evidence was found. This shot shows the evidence and its actual location within the crime scene.

Telling the Story Close-up Of Evidence

These two photos show the items of evidence “As Found” in the scene before alteration or movement of it anything from the scene.

Telling The StoryThe Suspect and Location Found

These two photos depict where the suspect was at and what the suspect was doing when he was found and ultimately arrested.

Ultraviolet Fluorescence Photography

Because the naked eye cannot see latent fingerprints, ultraviolet lighting is used to illuminate the fingerprint.

Fluorescent LightingFilters

Yellow and orange filters are used with blue, UV, green and cyan light. In this photo an orange filter was used to illuminate the fingerprint on the handgun. My aperture was set at F/11, ISO 200, 20 second exposure time, focal length 70 mm, meter mode on center weighted average, no flash, White Balance on auto, and exposure program set on Aperture Priority.