Module 1

Forensic Photography
For this lesson, we are going to learn the definitions of Photography, Police
photography and forensic Photography, differences between Photography, Police
Photography and Forensic Photography, and the different types of Photography,
Police Photography and Forensic Photography. It is important for you to gain a better
understanding of these concepts for you to be able to appreciate its importance as a
Criminology Student and a future police officer. Hopefully, you will also understand
the relationship of these concepts to your understanding of the criminal justice
system of the country and the of the Criminology profession.

Objectives
After studying of this module, you will be able to:
1. Discuss the definitions of Police Photography, Photography and
Forensic Photography;
2. Identify the differences between Photography, Police Photography and
Forensic Photography; and
3. Determine the different types of Photography.

DEFINATION OF TERMS

A. Photography

1. Literal Definition:
The word photography is a derivative of two Greek words phos which means
“light” and graphia meaning “write”. Therefore photography best translates to “write
with light.” (Herschel 1839)

2. Modern definition:
Photography is an art or science which deals with the reproduction of images
through the action of light, upon sensitized materials, with the aid of a camera and its
accessories, and the chemical processes involved therein. (Aquino 1972)

3. Technical/Legal definition:
Modern photography may be defined as any means for the chemical,
thermal, electrical or electronic recording of an images of scenes, or objects formed
by some types of radiant energy, including gamma rays, X-rays, ultra-violet rays,
visible light and infrared rays. This definition is broad enough to include not only the
convention methods of photography but also any new process that may be
developed. (Scott 1975)

B. Police Photography
 Police Photography is an art or science which deals with the study of the
principles of photography, the preparation of photographic evidence, and its
application to police work. (Aquino 1972)

C. Forensic Photography
Is the art or science of photographically documenting a crime scene and
evidence for laboratory examination and analysis for the purposes of court trial.
(Redsicker 2001)

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

A. The Basic components of Photography

1. Light – the days of creation

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was
formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of
God was hovering the waters.
And God said, “ Let there be Light” and there was light. God saw the light was
good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and
the darkness he called “night”. And there was evening, and there was morning – The
first day. (Genesis, chapter 1)

2. Equipment 1700
The portable camera obscura (Latin for dark chamber) was used by artist or
painters to get accurate perspective of natural scene and scale of their subjects.

3. Chemicals 1726-1777
Light sensitivity of silver nitrate and silver chloride solution was discovered
and investigated. In 1800 Thomas Wedgewood and Humphey Davy produced
photograms.

B. True Photography
 1839 is generally known as the birth year of photography. William Henry Fox
Talbot explained a process he had invented (calotype) at the Royal Society of
London.
The “Calotype” used paper with its surface fibers impregnated with light
sensitive compounds.

Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre made a public demonstration in Paris

“Daguerreotype” in collaboration with Joseph Nicephore Niepce.
The “Daguerreotype” formed image directly on the silver surface of a metal
plate.

With Talbots “calotype”, the fixation was only partial while Daguerre’s
Daguerreotypes, images were made permanent with the used of hypo.

1848 – Abel Niepce de Saint-Victor introduced a process of negatives on glass

using albumen (egg white) as binding medium.
1850 – Louis Desire Blanquet-Evard introduced printing papers coated with
albumen to achieve a glossy surface.

1851 – Frederick Scott Archer – Published a “wet plate” process when collodion –
a vicious liquid that dries to a tough flexible and transparent film-replaced albumen.

1885 – Gelatin emulsion printing paper was commercially introduced based films in
1889.

During this time; the cameras were crude; the lenses could not form a true
image; and the sensitive materials required long exposures and could not reproduce
colors in shades gray.

It was in 1856 when John f.W. Herschel coined the word “photography”

1861 – James Clark Maxwell researched on colors.

1890 – Full corrected lenses were introduced.
1906 – a plate was placed on the market that could reproduce all colors in equivalent
shades of gray.
1907 – Lummiere color process was introduced, a panchromatic film was used but
with blue, green, and red filter.
1914 – U.S. Eastman Kodak made a color substractive process called Kodachrome.
1935 – Color process came out together with electronic flash.
1947 – Edwin H. Land introduce “Polaroid” the one step photography.
1960 – LASER was invented making possible Holograms (three dimensional
pictures).
1988 – The arrival of true digital cameras.
The first true digital camera that recorded images as a computerized
file was likely the Fuji DS-1P of 1988, which recorded to a 16 MB internal memory
card that used a battery to keep the data in memory. This camera was never
marketed in the USA. The first commercially available digital camera was the 1992
Kodak DCS-100. It used a 1.3 megapixel sensor and was priced at $13,000. The first
consumer camera with a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) on the back was the Casio
QV-10 in 1995 and the first camera to use compact flash was the Kodak DC-25 in
1996 the Nikon D1 a 2.74 megapixel camera was the first digital SLR with price of
under $6,000. This camera also used Nikon F-mount lenses which meant that filmed
based photographers could use the same lenses they already own. In 2003 Canon
introduced the 300D camera also known as digital rebel, a 6 megapixel and the first
DSLR priced under $1,000 to consumers.

C. Criminal Applications

“The history of forensic science and criminal investigation is both rich

and exciting. The discoveries and observations of our predecessors is likewise
surprising and comforting. The great men and women who paved a path of
enlightenment in crime investigation continue to teach us long.

After their deaths. These are the aspirations that we should aspire to endow. We are
fortunate to work in a profession with a strong foundation and bright and seemingly
endless future.

1854 – An Englishman, Maddox, developed a dry plate photography eclipsing

Daguerre’s wet plate on tin method. This made practical the photography of inmates
for prison records.

1859 – In the United States, one of the earliest applied Forensic Science was
photography. It was used to demonstrate evidence in a California case. Enlarged
photographs of signature was presented in a court case involving forgery.

1864 – Odelbercht first advocate the use of photography for the identification of
criminals and the documentation of evidence and crime scene.

Early photographs of accused and arrested persons were beautifully

posed as example of the Victorian photographers at 20 to 30 years. Later, every
major police force in England and United State has “Rogues’ Galleries” – Full face,
profile and full body shot.
In Europe and United States had “Rogues Gallery” (photograph of
criminals) became an integral part almost all police department.
1882 - Alphonse Bertillion who initiated anthropometric measurements for personal
identification was also involved in various means of documentation by photography
which developed into a fine science for criminalistics when he photographed crime
scenes and formulated a technique of contact photography to demonstrate erasures
on documents.

1902 – Dr. R.A. Reis, a German scientist trained in Chemistry and Physics at
Lausanne University in Switzerland. He contributed heavily to the use of
photography in forensic science and established the world’s earliest crime laboratory
that serviced the academic community and the Swiss police. His interests included
photography of crime scene, corpses, and blood stains. He made a trip to Brazil in
1913 where his experience in criminalistics were presented to the western
hemisphere for the first time.

1910 – Victor Baltazard developed a method of photographic comparison of bullets

and cartridge cases which act as an early foundation of the field of ballistic.

Victor Baltazard, Professor of forensic medicine at Sorborne, used photographic

enlargements of bullet and cartridge cases to determine weapon type and was
among the first to attempt to individualize a bullet to a weapon.

D. Legal Foundation of Photographic Evidence

1. For Black and White Photographs

1859 - Daguerreotype was used in a civil case, Lueo vs. United States, 23 Howard
515 to decide on authenticity of photographs in comparing signatures.

1874 – In a criminal case introducing photograph as identification evidence,

Underzook vs. Commonwealth, 76 Pa. 340.

1960 – In criminal case, State vs. Conte 157 Comm. 251 A.2d81 showing the
graphic wound of the victim.

E. Criminology Education

1902 – Dr. R.A. Reis professor at the University of Lausanne Switzerland set up one
of the first academic curricular in forensic science. His forensic photography
department grew into Lausanne Institute of police science.

1950 – August Vallmer, Chief of police of Berkeley, California established the school
of Criminology at the University of California, Berkeley. Paul Kirk presided ove the
major of criminalistics within the school.

1954 – In the Philippines, the school which pioneered criminology education is

Plaridel Education Institution now the Philippine College of Criminology at 641 sales
st. Sta. Crus, Manila.
THE PRINCIPLE OF POLICE PHOTOGRAPHY

Different authors of photography books have different approach in

explaining the principles of photography but to our mind, the one expounded by Atty.
Avelino Aquino in his book “police photography” – its principles and practice is the
best articulated.

A photograph is the mechanical and chemical result of photography. To

produce a photograph, light is needed aside from sensitized materials.

Lights reflected or radiated by a subject mush reach the sensitized materials

while other lights must be excluded. The exclusion of all unwanted and unnecessary
lights is achieved by placing the sensitized material inside a camera.

The amount of light on the sensitized material after exposure is not

immediately visible to the eyes. To make the formed image visible, it must undergo
the development process. The visual effect that results from the chemical processing
is dependent on the quantity and quality of the exposing light. More light will yield an
opaque or black shade on the sensitized material after development. Too little will
produce a transparent or white shade. The varying shade of gray will finally form the
complete image.

Chapter Evaluation

SAQ 3-1

1. Define photography?

2. What is police photography? Discuss its features and important

characteristics.
 SAQ 3-2
1. Give the differences between police photography and forensic
photography.

2. What are the basic components of photography? Explain each.

3. Who is the father of police photography?

Note: Answer the SAQs (Self-Assessment Qestions) in a separate paper. Use

A4 size bond paper. Answers should be handwritten. Write legibly.

4. Give 5 examples of situations involving inclusive patriotism and another 5

examples of situtions involving exclusive patriotism.

Note: Answer the SAQs (Self-Assessment Qestions) in a separate paper. Use

A4 size bond paper. Answers should be handwritten. Write legibly.