Crime scene photographers are responsible for creating a permanent photographic record of a crime scene. After a person has been pronounced dead, the photographer will take multiple pictures of the body and the crime scene using different lenses and angles. These photographs may be used as evidence in court and will be examined by experts in fields such as blood spatter and trace evidence.
Where Does a Crime Scene Photographer Start at a Crime Scene
In their book, Postmortem, Dr Steven A Koehler and Dr Cyril H Wecht state that an indoor crime scene is normally photographed using the four corners method. This includes pictures taken from the doorway plus the four corners of the room. These photographs create a complete picture of the scene.
The photographer will then photograph the body. He will take a full length view and then views from either side. Close-up pictures are taken of blood trails, bullet holes and any evidence such as hairs and fibers that may be disturbed when the body is moved. Any substances in the mouth, hands or feet will also be photographed.
If the body was lying on its side, it will be turned after the initial shots to allow the photographer to get some full-face pictures.
Photographing the Crime Scene
Once the body has been photographed, the crime scene photographer turns his attention to the crime scene. He will take pictures of things such as ashtrays, drinks, bottles, furniture and piles of paper. If there are signs of a forced entry, the damage will be recorded and any impressions in mud or snow will be photographed.
If the crime scene involves a motor vehicle accident, the photographer will take shots that show the overall picture and the distance of vehicles from each other and other things such as buildings or power poles. The body will be photographed and any marks caused by impact with grills or headlights will be recorded carefully.
The position of the brake and accelerator pedals are captured along with details such as what gear the vehicle was in, the odometer reading and how much gas was in the tank . The physical evidence must be thoroughly documented as it does not last and investigators will not know exactly what they are dealing with at first.
What Type of Cameras do Crime Scene Photographers use
A variety of cameras are used and may include digital and standard 35mm cameras. The photographer may use different cameras for different types of pictures and work with black and white and color. Black and white images are normally better defined and the negatives last longer. Digital pictures are said to last as long as 200 years when stored digitally.
Technical forensic photographers use special equipment to record blood spatters, fingerprints and other impressions. These are highly detailed images and the photographer often works with high magnifications.
Crime scene photographers play a vital role in homicide investigations by photographing the crime scene before anything is moved. They capture the position of the body along with the surrounding evidence. These images may be presented in court and will be studied in detail by crime scene investigators.
Reference:
Koehler, Dr Steven A and Dr Cyril H Wecht, Postmortem, Elwin St Limited, 2006.