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(Criminalistics 2) Police Photograpy
(Criminalistics 2) Police Photograpy
NOTES ON CRIMINALISTICS
POLICE PHOTOGRAPHY
A. DEFINITION OF TERMS:
1. Photography = Derived from the Greek word “Phos” or “Photos” which
means “light” and “Grapho” means “Writing” or “Graphia” meaning “to
Draw”. Sir John F. W. Herschel coined the word photography when he first
wrote a letter to Henry Fox Talbot.
= Is the art and science of reproducing image by means of light through
some sensitized material with the aid of a camera, Lens and its accessories and
the chemical process required in order to produced a photograph.
2. Forensic = Derived from the Latin word “Forum” which means “a market
place” where people gathered for public discussion.
= When used in conjunction with other science it connotes a relationship to
the administration of justice. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the word
legal.
B. USES OF PHOTOGRAPHY
1. Personal Identification
= Personal Identification is considered to be the first application of
photography is police work. Alphonse Bertillion was the first police who utilized
photography in police work as a supplementary identification in his Anthropometry
system.
2. For Communication
= Photograph is considered to be one of the most universal methods of
communication considering that no other language can be known universally than
photograph.
3. For Record Purposes
= Considered to be the utmost used of photography in police work.
Different Views in photographing
a. General View
= taking an over-all view of the scene of the crime. It shows
direction and location of the crime scene.
b. Medium View
= Is the taking of the photograph of the scene of the crime by dividing it
into section. This view will best view the nature of the crime.
c. Close-up View
= Is the taking of individual photograph of the evidence at the scene of
the crime. It is design to show the details of the crime.
d. Extreme Close-up View
= Commonly designed in laboratory photographing using some
magnification such as Photomacrography and photomicrography.
4. For Preservation
= Crime scene and other physical evidence requires photograph for
preservation purposes. Crime scene cannot be retain as is for a long period of time
but through photograph the initial condition of the scene of the crime can be
preserved properly.
7. Crime Prevention
= with the used of video camera (hidden camera) and other advanced
photographic equipment crimes are being detected more easily and even to the
extent of preventing them from initially occurring.
8. Police Training
= Modern facilities are now being used as instructional material not only in
police training as well as in other agencies.
C. ESSENTIALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
1. Light = is an electromagnetic energy that travels in a form of a wave with the
speed of 186, 000 miles per second.
2. Camera = a light tight box designed to block unwanted or unnecessary light
from reaching the sensitized material.
3. Lens = is the light gathering mechanism of the camera that collect the
reflected light coming from the object to form the image.
4. Sensitized material = composed of a highly sensitized chemical compound
which is capable of being transformed into an image through the action of
light and with some chemical processes. ( Film and Photo Paper).
5. Chemical Process = is the process necessary for reducing silver halides into
a form so as a latent image and a positive image be made resulting to what
we called Photograph.
D. THEORIES OF LIGHT
1. The WAVE Theory (Huygens)
= It is the theory that was transcribed from the motion of the water that if we
observe a piece of log floating in the ocean and with the force of the air would
naturally will make the log move up and down.
2. Corpuscular theory (Newton)
= this later opposed the wave theory stating that light has its effect by the motion
of very small particles such as electrons.
3. Modified Wave theory (Maxwell and hertz)
= Based on electromagnetics.
All these theories are still considered to be of little lacking that law
enforcement need not to be very focus on this but rather go along with the
accepted conclusion that light is a form of energy, which is electromagnetic in
form.
1. Types of Light
Lights can largely be classified into visible and invisible light.
a. Visible Light
= Is the type of light that produces different sensation when reach the
human eye. It is the type of light, which is capable of exciting the retina of
the human eye.
b. Invisible Light
= lights in which their wavelength are either too short or too long to excite
the retina of the human eye i.e. X-ray, Ultrat-violet and Infra-red lights.
2. Photographic Rays
a. X-ray
=Light with the wavelength between .01 to 30 millimicrons. It is produced by
passing an electric current through a special type of vacuum tube. It was
incidentally discovered by Conrad Welhelm Roentgen. This type of light works in
the principle of shadow photography.
c. Visible Light
= It refers to the type of radiation having a wavelength of 400 to 700 millimicrons
designed for ordinary photographing purposes.
3. Light Source
A. Natural Light= are those light which come to existence without the
intervention of man e.i. Sunlight, moonlight and starlight.
1. Bright Sunlight
= object in an open space casts a deep and uniform shadow and the
object appears glossy.
2. Hazy Sunlight
= object in an open space casts a transparent or bluish shadow. This is
due to thin clouds that cover the sun.
3. Dull Sunlight
= object in an open space cast no shadow due to thick clouds covering the
sun.
Daylight may still be classified as: open space bright sunlight, under
shade bright sunlight, hazy sunlight, cloudy sunlight and cloudy dull sunlight.
These conditions and their colors affect the appearance of the object
being photograph. Factors such as atmospheric vapor, atmospheric dust and
quality of the reflected light coming and not coming from the source should
likewise be considered.
1. Continuous radiation
Photoflood lamp= is likewise known as Reflectorized light or Spot light. It
is a light with a reflector at the back which focus the light to the object the
common wattages of this lamp is 500 watts.
Flourescent Lamp = are tube lamps in which the walls are coated with
fluorescent powders with both ends is mounted with a holder that serves as
the reflector. This is commonly used by everybody more than it is used in
photographing.
Incandescent bulb = are bulb with a wire filament connecting two wires
which sustain the electrical charge that produces the light. Everybody
likewise commonly uses this although it is more expensive in terms of
electrical consumptions.
Infra-red Lamp
Ultra-violet Lamp
4. SENSITIZED MATERIAL
= It refers to the film and photographic paper that basically composed of
emulsion containing Silver Halides suspended in gelatin and coated on a transparent or
reflective support.
Parts of the Sensitized Material
1. Emulsion = is that part of the film or photographic paper which contains the
silver grains which is the one sensitive to light. In a colored film this emulsion
surface can be composed of three layers (Blue, Green and Red) with filters
intervening.
2. Anti Halation Backing = is the one designed to hold back the light and
prevents halation.
3. Base = Support the emulsion
I. Types of Film
A. According to Use
1. Black and White Film = usually represented by a prefix or a
suffix “Pan” or “Ortho” and generally used in black and white
photography. Examples are Ortholith film, Tri X-Pan and Pan
X-plus.
2. Colored Film = can be divided into two: the Negative type
and the reversal type of colored film. The former is usually
having names ending in color while the word chrome
represents the latter.
e.g. Blue sensitive film, Ultra-violet film, Infra-red film,
Orthochromatic film and Panchromatic film.
B. According to Spectral Sensitivity
Spectral sensitivity = is the responsiveness of the film emulsion to
the different wavelength of the light course.
1. Blue – Sensitive film = sensitive to U.V. light and Blue Color.
2. Orthochromatic Film = Sensitive to U.V. Light up to the green.
( popular in the marker as KODALITH FILM)
3. Panchromatic film = Sensitive to U.V. Light up to red (sensitive
to all colors of the visible light)
3.1. Process Panchromatic film = permit short exposures
under average lighting condition and has the
advantage of the grain structure.
3.2. Grain Panchromatic film
3.3. High Speed Panchromatic film designed originally for
photographing object under adverse lighting
condition.
4. Infra-red Film = Sensitive to all colors and to infra-red light.
5. CAMERA
Is a light tight box with light gathering device and a means of blocking unwanted
or unnecessary light from reaching the sensitized material.
Basically, camera can produce image with its four-(4) basic parts such as light
tight box, lens, and shutter, Holder of sensitized material.
1/1 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 1/500 etc.
The speed number in the left is always two times powerful in terms of light
gathering than that of the right number
Using a fast shutter speed the photographer can stop or “freeze” the action of a
person provided that necessary adjustment on the lens opening be made in order to
maintain normal exposure.
D. Lens Aperture = the ratio between the diameter of the whole lens in
relation to the focal length of the lens. It is the light gathering power of the
lens. Otherwise known as lens opening or relative aperture and it is
expressed in F-number.
The lower the f-number, the bigger the lens opening and the bigger the lens
opening the greater the volume of air that will passed through the lends and reach the
sensitized material.
3. Scale Bed
Estimating the distance of the object and adjusting the camera control based on
his estimation do this.
CLASSIFICATION OF LENSES
1. According to the type of image to be produced
a. Positive or Convex Lens (Converging Lens) Characterized by the fact that
it is thicker at the center and thinner at the side which is capable of
bending the light together and forms the image inversely.
b. Negative or Concave Lens (diverging Lens) Characterized by the fact that
it is thinner at the center and thicker at the side and forms the virtual
image on the same side of the lens.
2. According to Degree of Corrections
a. Meniscus Lens = lens that has no correction.
b. Rapid Rectilinear Lens – lens corrected of distortion
c. Anastigmat Lens – correcting astigmatism
d. Achromatic Lens – correcting chromatic aberration
e. Apochromatic Lens – correcting both astigmatism and chromatic
aberration
INHERRRENT LENS DEFECTS
1. Spherical Aberration= Inability of the lens to focus light passing the side of the
lens producing an image that is sharp in the center and blurred at the side.
2. Coma = (Also known as lateral aberration) = Inability of the lens to focus light
that travels straight or lateral, thus making it blurred while the light reaching the
lens oblique is the one the is transmitted sharp.
3. Curvature of Field = the relation of the images of the different point are incorrect
with respect to one another.
4. Distortion = Is a defect in shape not in sharpness. It can either be Pincushion
distortion (curving inward) or Barrel (curving outward).
5. Chromatic Aberration = Inability of the lens to focus light of varying wavelength.
The lens refracts rays of short wavelength more strongly than those of longer
wavelength and therefore bringing blue rays to a shorter focus than the red.
6. Astigmatism= is a form of lens defects in which the horizontal and vertical axis
are not equally magnified. Inability of the lens to focus both horizontal and
vertical lines.
7. Chromatic Difference of Magnification
8. Flares = condition of the lens producing multiple images.
LENS CHARACTERISTICS
1. Focal Length – is the distance measured from the optical center of the lens is set
to focus at infinite position. As according to focal lenses may be classified as:
a. Wide Angle or Short Focus = with focal length not longer than the
diagonal half of the negative. Useful in taking photograph at short
distance with wider area coverage.
b. Normal or Medium Focus = with focal length approximately equal but not
longer than twice the diagonal half of the negative.
c. Long or Telephoto Lens = with focal length longer than twice the diagonal
half of the negative. Best used in long distance photographing but with
narrow area coverage.
d. ZOOM lens = lens with variable focal length or that which can be adjusted
continuously by the movement of one or more elements in the lens system.
2. Relative Aperture – the light gathering power of the lens expressed in F-number
a. Depth of Field – is the distance measured from the nearest to the farthest
object in apparent sharp focus when the lens
b. Hyperfocal distance = Is the nearest distance at which when a lens is
focused with a given particular diaphragm opening will gives the
maximum depth of field.
3. Focusing = is the setting of the proper distance in order to form a sharp image.
The one that controls the degree of sharpness of the object.
6. CHEMICAL PROCESS
The process of making the latent image visible and permanent.
a. Development (Use of either D-76, Dektol or Universal Solution)
= Is the process necessary for reducing the silver halides to form
the image.
Elon, Hydroquenone = used as main developing agents
b. Stop bath = normally composed of water with little amount of dilute acetic
acid that serves as a means to prevent contamination between the
developer and the acid fixer.
c. Fixation = Is the process by which all unexposed silver halides are
dissolved or removed from the emulsion surface and making the image
more permanent.
Sodium Thiosulfate (hypo) is the main fixing agent that dissolves
unexposed silver halides.