Crime Scene Photography - Research Paper Example

Photography is one of the four major tasks of crime scene documentation, the other three of which include note taking, sketching and videography. All four of these tasks are necessary and cannot be used as substitutes for one another. As Miller (2003) asserts, the purpose of documentation using still photography is to "provide a true and accurate pictorial record of the crime scene and physical evidence present" (p. 122). Still photography is used to document the initial condition of a crime scene.

Photographs not only serve as a permanent record but also help investigators in analyzing and examining the crime scene away from the actual location of the crime. The number of photographs taken cannot be predetermined. All photographs taken should be preserved in a photo log, along with an accurate documentation of the time, date, roll number, camera settings such as shutter speed, exposure number, and distance from the object. The basic equipment required for crime scene photography includes a 35-millimeter camera, wide-angle lens (28-35 mm), normal lens (50-60 mm), tripod, electronic flash, close-up lens, flashlight, batteries and photo log sheets.

In case of close-up photographs, document placards should be used and the flash must be detached from the camera. The side lighting effects used must be proper and the photos should be taken both with and without scales. The exteriors and interiors of the crime scene must also be thoroughly photographed and documented. 2. Photography – mai.mercyhurst.edu (2011) There have been innumerable instances where cases have been successfully solved through the use of "accurate and complete" photographs (mai.

mercyhurst.edu, 2011, p. 61). For an investigator, analyst, jurist, and anyone else not present at a crime scene, photographs serve as the only means of accurately observing the crime scene by examining the remains and the environmental factors that affect the state of the victim. A still image of the original position of the remains of a crime can prove invaluable to forensic experts and anthropologists. There have been great technological advancements in digital photography and it is possible to take detailed and clear pictures affordably and conveniently.

It is thus "inexcusable for investigators to leave a crime scene without a good photographic record (mai.mercyhurst.edu, 2011, p. 61). Good photography combined with appropriate mapping/diagramming and note taking is essential for the accurate reconstruction of a crime scene. These three activities not only supplement one another but also overcome each other's shortcomings. Crime scenes are temporary with regards to both space and time, and the concerted utility of these three tasks is essential for crime scene investigation.

The utility of photographs is limited by the fact that they record only a certain perspective and are affected by parallax errors. On the other hand, diagrams and maps are merely schematic and notes are limited by their lack of "visual depiction" (mai.mercyhurst.edu, 2011, p. 61). Thus, the shortcomings of each of the three methods are overcome as they supplement one another. 3. Crime Scene Investigation: The Foundation Stone of Crime Detection, Investigation and Prosecution – Dr. B.P. Maithil and Rajesh Mishra (2007) A crime-scene investigation unit must always include a photographer and a videographer.

Photographs taken at a crime