Photography and Questioned Documents Purposes of Photographs in Questioned Documents Examination

PHOTOGRAPHY and QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS
Purposes of Photographs in Questioned Documents Examination
- permanent records of the initial condition of documents

- enlarge a document or its important details can be accurately reproduced
- can be cut for classification and comparison
- show discolorations caused by fraudulent changes
- can record abrasions cause by erasures
Ultra-Violet Photography
- some materials will absorb ultraviolet rays while others reflect it

- some others have partial absorption while some have partial reflection.
These differences in reaction can be recorded, photographically when

materials are illuminated with this radiation.
Methods of UV Photography
A. Reflected Method - illuminating the subject with a UV lamp while excluding

all visible light in exposing energy.
B. Fluorescence Method - subjecting fluorescent materials to ultra-violet

rays, often in the visible light spectrum.
The above pictures are an example of UV-excited visible fluorescence.

Some of the markings on a banknote, which are almost invisible in ordinary
light (left), fluorescence strongly when illuminated with near-UV- light (right).
Visible light illumination was used in both pictures (in addition to UV
illumination in the second picture).
Infrared Photography
A. Taking of photographs with radiations between 700-1000 nanometers of

the electromagnetic spectrum.
B. The difference between ordinary photography and IR photography lies in

the type of film and filter used, and in the focusing method.
Methods of Infrared Photography
A. Infrared Reflected Method - done using an infrared film and using small
lens openings like f-8 or f-11.
B. Infrared Luminescence Method - done inside a darkroom with materials

that luminescence when illuminated with visible light especially in the blue-
green region.
Photographic Terms Useful in Questioned Documents Examinations
Cut-out Exhibits
- exhibits made up of words and letters cut from photographs of different
documents
- Referred as “juxtaposition photographs”
Display Exhibits
- greatly enlarged exhibit placed on an easel before the jury box
- sometimes also referred as “bromide enlargements”
Hand Exhibits
- court exhibits held and examined by the individual juror or a pair of jurors
Microphotographs
- copies of documents at a greatly reduced scale on small film sizes
Photomicrographs
- made through a compound microscope
- greatly enlarged image of a small area.
Photo macrograph
- an enlarged photograph prepared with only a lens of a very short focal
length
Photocopy
- reproduction of a document made on paper by any office or commercial
system
Xerox
- a trade name for a line of photocopying machines
- its success has resulted in many people referring incorrectly to all present-
day photo printing.
How should QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS be handled?

How to Take Care and Handle Recovered Questioned Documents
As early as possible the exact physical conditions of every part of a

suspected document should be carefully observed and made a matter of
definite written record. Thereafter, it should be preserved, as far as possible in
exactly the same condition it is in when first recovered.
Directions Necessary in Handling Documents
- should not be cut, torn, nor mutilated in any manner;

- should not be touched with an eraser, nor with any sharp instrument;
- should not be folded and unfolded unnecessarily;
- should not be wet;
- except by special permission, no chemical analysis should be made;
- portions of questioned document of particular importance should not be
encircled that the strokes or portions are affected.
How are Documents Compared for Examination?

Standards of Comparison
- condensed and compact set of authentic specimens which, if adequate

and proper, should contain a true cross-section of the material from a
known source.
- Also referred to as exemplars.
Kinds of Standards of Comparison
Procured Standard - obtained from files executed in the course of daily

routines
- Done in good faith, thereby showing the honest writing of a person
- The tendency of change due to change in writing preference over the
passage of time
- Also known as “Collected Standard’
Kinds of Standards of Comparison
Requested Standard - requested by an investigator for the purpose of

comparative examination
- Can be assured that the writing is current as it is executed in front of an

investigator.
- There is a possibility of intentional distortion.
Points to be Considered in gathering Procured Standards
- Amount of standards available (more is better than less)
- Similarity of subject matter
- Approximate date of execution of the writing standard
Points to be Considered in obtaining Requested Standards
- Should be dictated and not copied

- Selection of dictated texts
- Adequacy of writing specimen
- Repetition of writings
- Writing instruments used
- Periodic interruption
- Writing condition
How are DOCUMENTS being altered?

Alteration
- any change made on a document before, during or after its original

preparation.
Methods of Alteration
Erasure - eliminates traces of ink on the paper.
Methods:
a. Mechanical - produces abrasions on paper
b. Chemical - leaves traces in the form of stains
Detection:
- Examination with oblique light
- Microscope
- Photography
- UV radiation
- Infrared luminescence
Obliteration - obscuring a writing by a series of x-types, haphazard, lines,

blots, and smears, etc.; smeared-over writings.
Detection:
- (infrared or x-ray photography) so that the original writing lying beneath is
revealed.
- remove the obliterating material chemically while the original writing
remains untouched.
- study the impression from the original writing or typewriting that has not
been destroyed by the obliterating action.
Addition - inserting a modifying clause or sentence to change the remaining

of a document.
Indicative Signs:
- lack of uniformity of ink
- Work of more than one pen or typewriter
- crowding
- uneven margins
- unusual spacing of a modifying section if typewritten, evidence that the
document has been removed and reinserted in the same or another
machine.
Substitution - replacing original entries with another.
Indicative Signs:
- character of the handwriting
- the place where the document was written
- character of the type used
- Anachronism (something in the wrong place or time, and the wrong
instrument).
Interlineation - insertion between lines or paragraphs.
Indicative Signs:
- Sign of time lapse between the two writings
- Difference in density of the two strokes
- Ink and writing instrument used in interlineation
Cutting - skillful cutting away some of the portions and then inserting new
material to fill the gap (if the paper is thick, only the top layer need to be cut)
Detection is possible, but what was originally there normally cannot be
restored and ascertained.
Handwriting identification
Writing
- The result of a very complicated series of acts
- Combinations of forms adopted as habits
- Acquired through a long, continued and painstaking effort
A Brief History of the Evolution of Writing

Early Forms of Writing
Pictographs - composed of drawings on walls and caves that gradually

became signs (cave people)
Hieroglyphics - consist of pictures and objects that represent a word, syllable

or sound (Egyptians)
Cuneiform - composed of wedge-shaped symbols (Sumerian)

Alphabet - a system where a written sign stands for a sound in the spoken
language (Semitic people, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans)

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PHOTOGRAPHY and QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS

Purposes of Photographs in Questioned Documents Examination

- permanent records of the initial condition of documents

- some materials will absorb ultraviolet rays while others reflect it

These differences in reaction can be recorded, photographically when

A. Reflected Method - illuminating the subject with a UV lamp while excluding

B. Fluorescence Method - subjecting fluorescent materials to ultra-violet

The above pictures are an example of UV-excited visible fluorescence.

A. Taking of photographs with radiations between 700-1000 nanometers of

B. The difference between ordinary photography and IR photography lies in

B. Infrared Luminescence Method - done inside a darkroom with materials

Photographic Terms Useful in Questioned Documents Examinations

How should QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS be handled?

As early as possible the exact physical conditions of every part of a

- should not be cut, torn, nor mutilated in any manner;

How are Documents Compared for Examination?

- condensed and compact set of authentic specimens which, if adequate

- Also referred to as exemplars.

Kinds of Standards of Comparison

Procured Standard - obtained from files executed in the course of daily

Kinds of Standards of Comparison

Requested Standard - requested by an investigator for the purpose of

- Can be assured that the writing is current as it is executed in front of an

Points to be Considered in gathering Procured Standards

- Amount of standards available (more is better than less)

- Similarity of subject matter

- Approximate date of execution of the writing standard

Points to be Considered in obtaining Requested Standards

- Should be dictated and not copied

How are DOCUMENTS being altered?

- any change made on a document before, during or after its original

Erasure - eliminates traces of ink on the paper.

Obliteration - obscuring a writing by a series of x-types, haphazard, lines,

Addition - inserting a modifying clause or sentence to change the remaining

Interlineation - insertion between lines or paragraphs.

- The result of a very complicated series of acts

- Combinations of forms adopted as habits

- Acquired through a long, continued and painstaking effort

A Brief History of the Evolution of Writing

Pictographs - composed of drawings on walls and caves that gradually

Hieroglyphics - consist of pictures and objects that represent a word, syllable

Cuneiform - composed of wedge-shaped symbols (Sumerian)

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