Investigative Photography A picture is worth a thousand words, or is it?

Considerations  Take photos with a predetermined purpose: –to support the accident investigation report.  Realize that your photos may be reviewed in discovery by an attorney or judge.

Guidelines  At a minimum, take an overview photo, a midrange photo, and a close-up photo.  Create a relationship between all photos taken.

FBI Handbook Requirements  Photograph the scene as soon as possible.  Prepare a photographic log.  Establish a progression of overall, midrange, and close-up views of the scene.  Photograph from eye level to represent the normal view.  Photograph the most fragile areas of the scene first.  Photograph all stages of the scene.

FBI Continued  Photograph the conditions before recovery.  Photograph the evidence in detail and include a scale, your name, and date on each photo. When using a scale, first take the photo without the scale.  Photograph the interior in an overlapping series using a normal lens and then an overall view using a wide-angle lens.  Photograph entrances and exits from the inside and the outside.  Photograph important evidence twice.

FBI Continued  Take midrange photos that show the evidence and its position to other evidence.  Take close-up photos that include a scale and fill the frame.

Overview Photos  What do we see in this photograph?

Mid-range Photos  What about now?

Close-up Photos  Now do you have a good focus on what we are investigating?

Overview of Facial Injuries  The first rule of injury- related photos: –Be sensitive to the victim. Always ask permission, especially for close up shots. –Don’t publicly display the photos without permission, even in safety meetings.

Close-up of Facial Injuries  Note the use of a ruler here as a reference.  We will see in the next slide how references become much more prevalent in scene shots.

Measurement Reference  What are some of the references being used here? –The worker –The ladder

Standard Measurement Devices  For smaller or less obvious damage, use standard measuring devices like tape lines, rulers, measuring cups, etc.

Let’s run it Backward  This is a close up of the hazard area.  What do you think the problem might be?

A bit more info  Now we know a bit more…  Are we still OK?

Overview Showing Boom’s Position  And now, we reveal the full story…  What have we learned that could be helpful in additional photos: –Reference for height –Close-ups of “warning signs” on the ladder.

Use a Labeling System  Photo number: A number that coincides with the negative number or the report document number.  Photographer: The identity of the photographer.  Date: The day, month, and year the photo was taken.  Report Number: A number corresponding to the report or investigation the photos support.

Summary  Photographs can be very valuable to drive home a point in your report.  Basic Rules –Photograph an accident scene before it is disturbed. –Take a range of photos from relative perspectives  Overview  Mid-Range  Close-up  Label and log your photos to keep them in order and to assure accuracy in future reference.  Don’t depend on your memory, that is part of the reason you took the photos in the first place.