WestCon Tribune

March 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY

In Forensic

Investigations

Presented by Chris Nelson,

Technical Roof Services

We owe the name “Photography”, derived from the Greek words for light and writing, to Sir John Herschel, who first used the term in 1839. There are two distinct scientific processes that combine to make photography possible. It was not until the two distinct scientific processes had been put together that photography came into being.  The first of these processes was optical. The Camera Obscura (dark room) had been in existence for at least four hundred years. There is a drawing, dated 1519, of a Camera Obscura by Leonardo da Vinci; about this same period its use as an aid to drawing was being advocated.

The second process was chemical. For hundreds of years before photography was invented, people had been aware, for example, that some colors are bleached in the sun, but they had made little distinction between heat, air and light.

The first successful picture was produced in June/July 1827 by Niépce, using material that hardened on exposure to light. This picture required an exposure of eight hours. Photography is so much a part of life today that the average person in the United States may encounter more than 1000 camera images in a day. Photographs preserve personal memories, inform us of public events, provide a means of identification, and glamorization. They take us to far away places on Earth and in space, inside the body and under the sea.

Photography is an excellent tool to document construction and selective component removal. A well framed and well exposed photograph can easily explain a point you are trying to make, but a poorly taken photograph may confuse the viewer and hinder your process in a forensic investigation.

At the March meeting, Westcon member Chris Nelson will illustrate how to:

Take better photographs

Tell a sequential story

Detail a photo

Understand the workings of a digital camera

Frame and compose photos for best “communication” in your construction work

For those seeking the answers to the digital camera world or anyone needing to document their work, this presents a great way to hone your skills.

BULLETIN BOARD, MENU, REVIEW, PAST ISSUES