Crime Scene Photography: Composition & Cardinal Rules

Crime Scene Photography

Composition & Cardinal Rules

• This lecture covers the composition and cardinal rules of crime scene photography.

Composition of Crime Scene Photography

• Biggest issues in crime scene photography:
  • Lack of understanding or practice with the camera and equipment.
    • Photographer must be confident with their camera to get the most benefits.
    • Photographer fails to physically control the camera or is unskilled in using it.
  • Failure to understand and capture what the crime scene photographs are intended to depict (composition).
    • Overall photographs.
    • Mid-range photographs (evidence establishing).
    • Close-up photographs.

Crime Scene Photography Composition

1. Compose the scene or primary subject
   • What is your primary subject?
   • What is the purpose of these photographs?
   • What does the scene look like?
   • How would you adjust your camera settings?
2. Determine the proper exposure needed
3. Focus the camera
   • Always ensure that your photographs are in focus!

Cardinal Rules of Crime Scene Photography

• Cardinal Rule #1: Fill the Frame
• Cardinal Rule #2: Maximize Depth of Field
• Cardinal Rule #3: Keep the Film Plane Parallel

Cardinal Rule #1: Fill the Frame

• If the subject is important enough to photograph, fill the frame with it.
• Viewers can get lost if there are too many unrelated elements within the photograph.
• Get closer to your subject!

Irrelevant Elements in the Background

• Hold yourself responsible for what appears in the background.
• If you cannot eliminate something, change your viewpoint.
• Tilting the camera just a bit can help with eliminating the background.
• Get closer to your subject and zoom in to crop out distracting elements.

Irrelevant Elements in the Foreground

• Hold yourself responsible for what appears in the foreground.
• If you cannot eliminate something, change your viewpoint.
• Tilting the camera just a bit can help with eliminating the foreground.
• Get closer to your subject and zoom in to crop out distracting elements.

Cardinal Rule #2: Maximize Depth of Field

• Depth of Field: The variable range, from foreground to background, of what appears to be in focus in your photographs.
  • Can be very small (only one plane or distance from the camera appears in focus).
  • Can encompass the entire crime scene (overall photographs).
• Maximizing depth of field is a critical component of crime scene photography.
• Aperture range for a good depth of field: f/8 to f/22 (depends on the scene and lighting).
• Use Reciprocal Exposure to select a good aperture and adjust for lighting.

Cardinal Rule #3: Keep the Film Plane Parallel

• It is important to keep your film plane parallel with your evidence.
• A diagonal view can cause distortion in your photographs.
• Using flash with a diagonal view may not illuminate the entire scene properly.
• Diagonal views can cause distance issues between the foreground and the background.

Mid-Range Photographs

• Arrange the subject and a fixed feature of the scene so that they are both of equal distance from the photographer.
• Think of an isosceles triangle when presented with this task.
• Helps in getting a better estimate of distance.

Close-Up Photographs

• Having the film plane parallel to the evidence is critical.
• If the film plane is not parallel, the photograph cannot be used for comparison purposes.
• Cardinal Rule #3 is very easy to achieve when dealing with close-up photographs.