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Running Head: ASPECT OF CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY
Reflection Paper
CJUS -361
Liberty University
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ASPECT OF CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography is a priority on all crime scenes. Photography is one of the easiest ways to capture
the crime scene or in other words capture the event that happened. Crime scene photography captures
all bits and pieces of evidence at a crime scene. The purpose of crime scene photography is to provide a
true and accurate record of the crime scene and evidence. Though people are good at telling stories,
nothing tells the story like a picture does. When people tell stories they try to be as accurate and precise
about what took place so that their story is clear and true. In crime scene photography your purpose is
to show truth and clarity. To do this you have to understand photography in general and how to capture
the scene and all evidence. Photographs provide investigators with a permanent visual record of the
crime scene. These photographs can be examined later to help find anything that was missed while on
scene. Photographs provide accurate measurements and distances of objects. The photographs that you
take of the crime scene and evidence are imperative in court hearings and trials. This type of evidence
shows a visual record of the crime scene and evidence. Some people think that videotaping the scene is
better than pictures. They both have their advantages but photographing is very important and must be
done.
Using photographs in court can make or break the case. If you present photographs that are blurry or out
of focus you will lose credibility really quick. You have to know how to gain correct exposure of your
photographs.
The one aspect of crime scene photography that I find most important is the depth of field. I find
this important because in crime scene photography if you don’t have a focused picture you don’t have
anything. Depth of Field is the variable range, from foreground to background of what appears to be in
focus (Robins, 2010, p. 35). In crime scene photography, knowing how to maximize your depth of field
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is a critical skill. This is one skill that will separate you from other photographers because your goal is
to capture everything in focus and not just one part of the picture. By capturing the entire photograph in
focus, this will help keep a defense attorney off your back. When the defense attorney looks at your
photographs and see’s that it captures everything clearly without any blemishes, it will show your
credibility and you will earn respect from that attorney and your colleagues. To maximize your depth
of field you have several ways to do this; select your ISO film speed, and set your f/stop. The f/stop is
the lens setting number indicating the size of aperture that allows light into the camera. The ISO speed
is the sensitivity of a given film or sensor to light, indicated by a number such as ISO 200, the higher
the number the more sensitive or faster the film (Crime scene photography, 2014). There are also some
techniques that you can use to insure you maximize your depth of field. The first technique is called
Hyperfocal focus. This is when infinity must be in focus and can be used when photographing large
outdoor crime scenes. Zone focus is another technique that can be used when a particular area of the
scene is included in the camera’s depth of field range. This technique could be used when
photographing large crime scenes but infinity is not in the background and it requires a scale. The last
technique is called Focus by the rule of thirds. This is when focusing on medium sized areas, compose
the shot, and make a mental note of the distance between the bottom and top of the viewfinder. Focus
at a distance point midway between the top and bottom of the viewfinder. This technique is used when
taking photographs of a large crime scene when infinity is not in the background and you don’t have a
scale (Robinson, 2010, p. 163).
Learning the depth of field has given me a whole new outlook on photography. Prior to this
knowledge, I just pointed and took the picture. When I didn’t get a good picture because of the lighting
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or the environment that I was in, I just blamed the camera. I now clearly see that it wasn’t the camera,
it was the person behind the camera operating it. Knowing what I have learned up to this point I will be
more cautious on how I take my pictures. This is for both in my profession as a police officer and for
recreational use. Learning depth of field and how important it is has given me the confidence in taking
crime scene photos and accident photos. I know how to get the picture I want and feel confident about
presenting it in court. By no means do I feel like I’m a professional photographer but I do feel like I
have a leg up on your average person by taking this class and learning the variables on how to get a
correct exposure.
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References
Crime Scene Photography. (2014). A Practitioner's Guide Forensic Photography, 113-162.
Robinson, E. (2010). Crime scene photography (2nd ed.). Amsterdam: Academic Press/Elsevier.
