FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

Literal Definition of Photography

Derived from the Greek word “Phos” or “Photos” which means “light” and “Grapho” means “writing” or “Graphia” meaning “to Draw”

Photography

is an art of
science which deals with the reproduction of
images through the action of light, upon sensitized
materials, with the aid of a camera and its
accessories and the chemical processes involved
therein

Photograph

the positive result of photography. it shows the appearance of the original as seen by naked eye

Picture

derived from the Latin word "pictura” or “pictus” which means “to paint”.

Picture

it is a design or representation made by various means such as painting, drawing, or photography.

photograph

is an image that can only be a product of photography

picture

is a generic term that refers to all kinds of formed images

opaque

too great amount of light will produce

transparent

too little light will produce

photographs

are also means of communication. it is a language sometimes defined as “the most universal of all languages”

police photography

an
art or science which
deals with the study
of the principles of
photography, the
preparation of
photographic
evidence, and its
application to police
work.

forensic photography

an
art or science of
photographically
documenting a
crime scene and
evidence for
laboratory
examination and
analysis for purpose
of court trial

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

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

Record Purposes

Considered to be the
utmost used of
photography in police
work

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

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.

PHOTOMACROGRAPHY

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

TELEPHOTOGRAPHY

Is the process of taking photograph of a far
object with the aid of a long focus and Telephoto lens.

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.

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

Police Training

moern facilities are now being used as instructional material not only in police training as well as in other agencies

ULTRAVIOLET
PHOTOGRAPHY

Art or process of photographing or recording UNSEEN
objects by means of ultraviolet light

X-RAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Widely used in medicine,
industry and science. It is quite different from
ordinary photography.

MUG-SHOT PHOTOGRAPHY

Use for personal
identification which is the first use of photography in
police work

Aerial Photography

photography from the air

Astrophotography

is the photography of objects in
space

Holography

is the three dimensional photography

Pinhole method

Is the oldest method
of forming an image where a box
camera with a very small hole without
lens is used to collect light and form
an image.

Shadow method

This method is the
principle involved in the use of X-ray
machines.

Lens method

is the modern method of
forming image by light action passing
a lens.

light, camera, lens, sensitized materials, chemical process

essential of photography

Light

is an electromagnetic energy that travels
in the form of a wave with the speed of
186, 000 miles per second.

The Wave Theory

the motion of the water that we
observe a piece of log floating in the ocean and with the force of air
will make the log move up and down.

The Corpuscular Theory

opposed the wave theory
stating that light has its effect by the motion of very small particles
known as corpuscles.

Modified Wave Theory

a theory based on
electromagnetics light is a form of energy which is electromagnetic
in form

Quantum Theory

that electrons attached to a
metal can absorb a specific quantity of light thus have the energy
to escape.

Light wavelength

is the distance measured
between two (2) successive crest or trough of
wave and it is expressed in either Millimicron
(nanometer) or Angstrom

Millimicron

is the unit of light wavelength
which is equivalent to one-millionth part of a
millimeter.

Angstrom

is relatively smaller for it has an
equivalent measurement of ten (10) millionth part
of a millimeter

Micron

equivalent to one thousand part of
millimicron

Visible Lights

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 Lights

Lights in which their
wavelength are either too short or too
long to excite the retina of the human
eye

Reflected

once the light hits a
mirror and it bounces back.

Transmitted

when the light hits a
transparent glass which would allow
the light to pass through its medium

Absorbed

when the light hits a
dark colored object and prevents it
from either bouncing or passing
through

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.

ULTRA-VIOLET RAY

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.

ULTRA-VIOLET RAY

t is commercially known
as “black Light”

Visible Light

It refers to the type of
radiation having a wavelength of 400 to 700
millimicrons designed for ordinary
photographing purposes

Infra- red ( Beyond the Red)

Considered
as the photographic rays with the longest
wavelength ranging from 700 to 1000
millimicrons. It is designed to take
photographs of over-written documents,
obliterated writing, and charred documents or
for black out photography. (Sometimes
referred to as heat rays).

Blue,
Green Red

Primary Colors

Cyan, Yellow, Magenta

Secondary Colors

Gray,
White, Black

Neutral Colors

White

Presence of
All Color

Black

Absence of
All Color

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.

TRANSPARENT OBJECT

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.

TRANSLUCENT OBJECT

mediums that allow light
to pass through it in such a way that the outline of
the source of light is not clearly visible, transmit 50%
or less of the incident light.

OPAQUE OBJECT

A medium that divert or absorb
light, but does not allow lights to pass though, they
absorb most of the light while reflecting some of it

Reflection

he rebounding or the deflection of light as it hits
the surface

Refraction

bending of light when passing from one medium
to another

Diffraction

bending of light when it strikes the edge of an
opaque object

NATURAL LIGHT

Are those light which
come to existence without the
intervention of man e.i. Sunlight,
moonlight and starlight

Dull Sunlight

Object in an open space cast no
shadow due to thick clouds covering the sun.

CLOUDY BRIGHT

objects in open space
cast no shadow but objects at far distance
are clearly visible

CLOUDY DULL

objects in open space
cast not shadow and visibility of distant
objects are already limited

Artificial light

Otherwise known as man-made light e.g.
fluorescent bulb, incandescent bulb and
photoflood lamp

Flash Photography

Is a technique where a camera's
flash is used to illuminate a subject or scene. The
flash can be built-in or externally attached to the
camera

On – camera flash
photography

This refers to
the flash that is
physically
attached to the
camera. While
convenient, it can
often result in
harsh shadows or
red-eye effect in
portraits.

Off-camera flash
photography

This involves
using a flash that is
separate from the
camera, allowing for
more control over
the direction and
quality of light. It
requires additional
equipment like
stands and triggers
but offers greater
creative possibilitie

Louise Daguerre

He was responsible for the first photography of a person

telephotography

the process of taking photograph of a far objects with the aid of a long focus lens

professor johann schulze

he was responsible for the accidental creation of his first photosensitive compound

Henry Talbot

he creates permanent (negative) images using paper soaked in silver chloride and fixed with a salt solution. he also created positive images by contact printing onto another sheet of paper. he is also known as father of modern photography

John Herschel

popularized the word photography derives from the Greek words “photos” - meaning light and “graphein” - to write

Joseph Niece

he produced the first permanent photograph in 1825

Holograph

formation of image through the use of laser light

concument light

light is scattered

coherent light

light is aligned as LASER Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

dennis gabor

invented hologram