The following detail the resposes by Rod Gully currently serving as a forensic photographer for Wellington Police Service
For you, what are the important aspects of forensic photography?
- The overriding principle before pressing the shutter is: why each image is being taken, ie to give those not present at the scene an accurate picture of events;
- To provide a true and accurate record of these events.
Forensic photography creates a permanent visual record of the crime scene in the state in which it was originally found and plays a huge role throughout the entire investigation. Can you explain how you approach this or does it depend on the individual circumstance?
I approach every crime scene in a similar way, obviously no two scenes are the same but these general rules apply:-
- Work in from the perimeter of the scene;
- Capture the scene from a minimum of 4 angles;
- If a vehicle crash scene, capture images leading up to the impact point from both directions;
- Capture the scene in a methodical manner;
- Record the scene as is before capturing with markers/scales (if appropriate);
- Record 3 images for each particular item of crucial evidence, ie a general ‘location’ image, a mid-range image and a close up image.
The images play a key role in reconstructing the events which took place and give jurors a clear image of the crime. How difficult is it achieve this? What are the key areas to consider and avoid?
- Difficulties:
- Adverse weather conditions;
- Wearing full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment, Overalls/Mask/Gloves etc – especially in confined spaces in the heat of summer);
- Time constraints/pressure;
- Changing equipment inside a scene (ie lenses);
- Photographing in small/confined rooms and spaces;
- Considerations:
- Composition – Fill the Frame;
- Composition – Ensure that everything visible is in the frame is relevant before taking the image;
- Lighting – Ensure the image is correctly exposed.
- Exposure – Do not freeze raindrops !
- AVOID – erroneous persons in the image, reflections, distractions.
How do you separate your personal professional photography skills from that of being a forensic photographer or are they complimentary?
I have found both my own skills and the skills required in this role to be quite complimentary, particularly in the composition of images, ie taking stock of the complete frame before taking the image.
A big difference is that forensically I am mostly shooting at f/8 to f/16 to obtain maximum DOF, whereas personally I prefer to use as shallow a DOF as possible.
Technically and post-processing however are both mutually beneficial.
Also, personally I am shooting NIKON J
What’s in your kit bag? How has this changed if at all? (assume you have only used digital equipment)
Canon 1DXmkIII DSLR
24-70mm f2.8 LII USM
16-3mm F2.8 LII USM
50mm f2.5 Macro
100mm f2.8 Macro
600EXII RT Speedlite
Macro Ring Lite MR14 EXII (including extension cord)
METZ Mecablitz 60CT4 and battery pack
UV Filter
ND64 filter
2x spare battery packs
Spare AA batteries
3x spare Memory Cards
Other equipment available :
Macro Twin Lite MT-26 EX-RT
Multi directional tripod with reversible head
Various scales/rulers etc
Cones and numbers
6m extension tripod with remote trigger unit
Step ladder
Stepping plates
Are there any special techniques that you use to ensure all evidence has been captured?
- Long exposure photography for Luminol image capture (30 seconds+);
- Light painting for night time scenes;
- 400nm Polilight and Yellow filter for image capture following cyanoacrylate/panacryl development of latent fingerprints;
- ND64 filter and laser pointer for firearm projectile trajectory imagery
Has there ever been a case where images that you have taken have affected the outcome of a case?
Not that I have been made aware of.
Have your professional skills ever been questioned during an investigation?
There have been cases reported of mistaken identity (ID shots) or false memory in court cases how important do you think forensic photography is in playing the part of scene sitting and memory recall of witnesses?
- Given that it can take years for a case to go to trial, contemporaneous images made at the time of the event are vital for this recall – although the witness would(should) have made a statement at the time also.
Do you think the image only shows the facts?
- The image can only show what the photographer is able to show, in some cases a video of the scene can be more beneficial than a still image as this will allow the jury to enter the scene as it were rather than having a 2 dimensional perspective.
How much of the process is based on your perspective? Do you think this could affect the outcome or does the camera never lie?
At the end of the day, the images recorded are totally based on your own perspective, that is partly what makes this role a very challenging one.
However the balance to this is that, for the most part, photographers are experienced Police officers in the first instance who know both what evidence is required to be captured from any given scene and how to capture these images without applying any prejudice to the images.
You must constantly be aware of the potential side effects an image may create, for instance using a wide angle lens or a telephoto lens at a vehicle crash scene will distort the scene dimensions in the resulting image, potentially giving jurors an incorrect picture of the scene.
Michele Usher 