1. A Lesson in Forensic Photographyby
Kim Bryan

2. What’s forensic photography?
A crime scene photographer takes pictures of a crime scene (duh!)
Crime scenes range from traffic accidents all the way to murder scenes
They capture and evaluate countless pieces of evidence to prove or disprove a case

3. What does it take to become one?
To be a certified forensic photographer, you need the following notches on your belt: a minimum of 40 hours of classroom instruction in the photography arena, at least 3 years of experience in the field, and you must pass the Forensic Photography Certification test

4. Methods and Tools of the Trade
Tools include: .35 mm camera, several lenses, film, pen and paper, and occasionally a digital camera (digital cameras aren’t used often because of possibility of tampering)

5. Methods and Tools of the Trade
Rules of Thumb:
DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING-- moving or touching objects at the scene of a crime contaminates and/or ruins the admissibility of the evidence into court
Take note of every picture; Answer the following questions: what’s in the picture, what’s around the picture, what’s the picture of, where was the picture taken

6. Methods and Tools of the Trade
Ranges and Angles: There should be three separate shots for each piece of evidence
An overview-- the shot must be taken on the same plane as the evidence (parallel)
A mid-range-- self-explanatory
A close-up-- this shot is used to show the details of the object, something that the other two picture may lack

7. A Case

8. Where can you learn more?
photo.html
/crimescene/3.html?sect=21