Course Code : Forensic 102

Descriptive Title : FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

Term and Academic Year : Ist Semester, AY 2021-2022
Department and Year Level : BSCRIM II
Professor : GLENN G. CASTOR

Module I, Lesson 1
Technical terminologies in Forensic Photography, historical background and its uses

Introduction
In this lesson, you shall know the different personalities behind the evolution of
photography, their significant contributions and its uses. This cover also, the technical
terminologies that needs to be fonder in order comprehend the subject matter.

Instruction

Read the discussion and answer the questions that follow. Submit your course requirement on or before
the deadline via messenger or through my email add glenncastor5@gmail.com.

Time Frame: 6 hours Date of Submission: _____________

II. Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Discuss branches of photography and it’s the uses in the field of police work
2. Value the significant contribution of different personalities in the evolution of photography.
3. Develop skills in identifying photos of what branches of photography the pictures belong.

III. Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module, you must have:

1. Discussed branches of photography and it’s the uses in the field of police work
2. Valued the significant contribution of different personalities in the evolution of photography.
3. Identified photos/pictures of what branches of photography the pictures belong.
 Discussion
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1.) Photography – is a science or art of obtaining images on synthesized surfaces by the action o
flight and with the aid of a camera.
- An art and science of reducing image by means of light through some sensitized material with
the aid of camera. Lens and its accessories and the chemical process required on order to
produce a photograph.
- Derived from the Greek word “Phos” or Photos” which means “light” and “Grapho” means
“writings” or “Graphia” meaning to “Draw”. Sir John F. W. Herschel coined the word
photography when he first wrote a letter to Henry Fox Talbot.
- 1839 is generally known as the birth year photography. Dr. Villarba, 2008)
2.) Forensic – Derived from the Latin word “Forum” which means “a market place” where people
gathered for public debate and discussion.
- When use in conjunction with other science it connotes a relationship to the administration of
justice. It is sometimes used interchangeably with word legal.
3.) Police Photography – Is the application of the principles of photography in relation to the
police work and in the administration of justice.
- Photography that has something to do with crime detection and investigation. It embraces all
sciences connected in the administration of justice, like legal medicine, criminal investigation,
firearms identification/ballistics, questioned document examinations, dactyloscopy, chemistry,
crime scene examination and field surveillance.
4.) Photograph – Is the mechanical and chemical result of photography. Picture and photograph
are not the same for a picture is a refers to all kinds of formed image while a photograph is an
image that can only be a product of photography.
5.) Sensitized materials – 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.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND/THE MARCH OF PHOTOGRAPH

Persons and their contribution in the field of photography
The science of photography was discovered no one by one man. It was the outcome of the early
observation of the alchemists and chemists who discovered that the darkening or blackening of
silver salts was due to the action of light and not to heat.
1. Schulze (1727) – A German Physicists who discovered that a mixture of silver nitrate, acid and
chalk became purple when exposed to light and definitely recognized that the darkening action
was due to light and not to heat. The action brought out that light is an important factor in the
science of photography.
2. Wedgwood (1802) – Discover that silver chloride is more sensitive than silver nitrate.
3. Abel Niepce De Sanit Voctor (1827) – The man who first the paper with silver salts preparatic
and actually produced a negative photographic image with a device made for himself and called
it a camera. His work was a failure because of long exposure required.
4. L.J.M. Daguerre (1830) –He prepared the methods of working permanent photograph known
as Daguerre Type Photography, it is one of the first photographic prints named after the
 inventor, L.J.M. Daguerre. The exposure is shorter than the work of Niepce and developed in
mercury vapor and fixed with sodium thiosulfate.
5. William Henry Fox Talbot (1839 - He invented the calotype and talotype process witch became
the real basis of modern photography.
6. J. W. Drapper (1840, U.S.) – One of the first to produced photographs portraits using a lens
with a diameter of five inches and a focus of seven inches.
7. J. M. Petzval (1840,Australia-Hungary – Designs the first lens specifically for photographic use:
its maximum aperture of 3.6 makes possible portraits exposures of less than one minute
launching the most widespread use of the Daguerreotype. The lens is produce the following
year by Vioglander for use in the first all-utilized camera.
8. L. D. Blanquart – Evrard (1850, French)- Invents the albumen high resolution obtainable with
glass plate negatives.
9. Gustav Le Gray – Invents the wax paper process, which treats paper (to make it nearly
transparent) before sensitized an exposure, rather than after as is the common practice.
10. F. S. Archer (1851, England) Publishes a method of using collodion in place of album for
negative on glass. It comes to be called the “wet plate” or “collodion” process because the plate
must be coated, sentized, exposed, and process before the collodion dries to a tough,
waterproof, transparent sheet (far superior in handling qualities to albumen) that can even be
stripped from glass a flexible, plastic negative, typical working time is a maximum of 20 minutes
under normal conditions.
11. J. B. Dancer (1853, England) – make the first model of a twin – lens camera for stereo
photography, working from designs in 1849 by David Brewster; production begins in 1856.
12. Ducos Da Haoron (1868, French) – Publishes methods for both additive and subtractive color
synthesis of image by photography, and suggest the use of a three color monopack plate; he
demonstrates some results obtained by diffraction and inference effects.
13. Richard Leach Maddox (1871, England) – Invents the first truly practical dry plate negative
process, using gelatin in place collodion to bind silver halides to glass plates.
14. Edward James Muybridge (1871, Englamd – makes the first attempts to photographically
analyze a horse’s gallop, for Leland Stanford. Results are imperfect because collodion wet
plates do not permit short enough exposure. He resumes motions study for Stanford in 1877
and achieves excellent results in the next two years, using a battery of cameras to make
sequence photographs on gelatins dry plates.
15. Pof. H. W. Vogel (1873, Germany)- Discovers the use of dry substance to extend the sensitivity
of photographic emulsions from the blue into the green region of the spectrum making possible
orthochromatic plate ( meaning “Correct’ although they are still red-blind).
16. Leon Warneke (1875, England) – Invents a roll holder for use with studio and field (view)
camera’s a roll of sensitized paper provides for up to 100 exposure. The idea does catch on,
however, until the introduction of the Eastman-Walker roll holder in 1885, in U.S. this contains
a device for automatically making each exposure and maintains tensions on the film to keep it
flat in the exposure plane.
17. Muybridge (1879, U.S.) – invents the zoopraxiscope to project continuous movement from
photographic images. Lantern slices (positives) of a motion study sequence are mounted
around the circumference of circular glass plate this set-up is coupled with a revolving shutter
 and a projector to throw intermittent images on a screen area relate at with the human eye can
bled the images into a continuous flow.
18. Sir William Abney (1880, England) – Discover the use of hydroquinone as a developing agent.
19. George Eastman (1889) – the founder of Kodak Company, also introduces the use of roll film
made of celluloid materials to be use by portable roll film cameras.
20. Frederick E Ives (1892) – Invents in camera to take three color separation negatives, and a
photochromoscope viewer that optically combines single or stereo color separation, positives
to produce full-color images. The process is patented in 1894 and later manufactured as
Kromoscop.
21. John Joly (1893, Irreland) – Invents the additive color process using regular line screen,
checkered with red, green and blue squares. The green is placed in contact with the plate in the
camera fox exposure, and then bound in register with the developed plate.
22. Reverend Hannibal Goodwin (1895, U S) – Granted the patent covering roll film composed of a
silver-bromide gelatin emulsion on a celluloid base.
23. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1895) – He discovered the x-ray photography otherwise known as
Radiography. This photography was the basis o the cardiograph use by the doctors for
recovering movements of the heart and other parts of the body.
24. Auguste and Louis Lumiere (1990, French) – Invent the photodrama witch take and projects
360 degree panoramic photographs.
25. Friedrich Deckel 91912, Germany) – Invents the compur shutter, which uses gears to control
slow speeds and a clock work movement to control fast speed. It is a great improvement over
his compound shutter of 1902, which was the first to use a series of over loping leaves to open
and close the path through the lens aperture.
26. Ostermeler (1829, Germany) – Produces the first commercially acceptable self-contained flash
bulb aluminum foil sealed in an oxygen filled bulb.
27. Sir John F Herschel – He coined and first one to used the word photography 1839 also he was
the first used the term positive and negative to photograph images.
28. Rott and E Weyde (1939,Germany) – Independently develop diffusion transfer processing of
the negative image; Rott establishes the principles of diffusion transfer reversal processing in
1942.
29. Edwin Herbert Land (1947) – Introduces Polaroid “one step photography” with a self
processing black and white film that yields a positive print by diffusion transfer reversal method.
30. Daniel Barbaro – He is the one who introduces the used of the lens in the camera.

BRANCHES OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Amateur Photography – this is a beginner’s
photography. The cameras used here are chiefly of
folding type using a cartridge film and are of small
size. The cameras are designed primarily in the
hand and are occasionally used upon tripods. In
addition to small portable cameras many amateur
photographers use reflex cameras with focal plane
shutters. This branch of photography contributed
much to the development of the science of
 photography. They were the first to employ the color sensitive places to use lenses of special
types such us telephoto and wide angle lenses to study printing processes and to develop the
artistic of photography.

B. Professional Photography
(Professional Photography is divided to:)
1. Portraiture Photography- Is a branch of photography used in homes studio or elsewhere.
Artificial light was introduced here to make the photographer of the weather.

2. Commercial Photography- Is a branch of photography use to take photographs of developed

greatly that it has become the work of a specialized group of commercial photographers.

C. Applied and Scientific Photography - this is used in science and industry to make a record
which can be studied and measured. It can be used in copying documents, etc, because
photographic methods have the advantage of accuracy and speed.

1. Photostat Camera (now photocopy machine) – A roll of sensitized paper is employed on which
the document is recorded. The result is in the form of a negative. If positive is required the
negative is re-photographed in the same camera.
2. Factograph Camera – A camera used in reading the telephone meters.

3. Recordak Camera ( video recording through film) – This camera is intended to photograph a trip
of motion picture all checks passing through a bank. It provides a permanent record which
greatly diminishes the risk of fraud.
D. Astronomical Photography – A branch of photography with great importance in the study of
astronomy. The visual observation in the study of astronomy had been replaced almost entirely
by photography. A photographic plate is used in the focal plane of the telescope, and the
observer’s work is reduced the directing the telescope towards the object to be photographed.
A notable advance made possibly by photography is the accurate determinations of parallel axis
of the nearer stars.

E. Spectroscopy-A branch of photography used in determining the chemical element of a matter.

This becomes possible after the discovery of isocyanine and carbocyanine die.

F. Photomicrography-The application of photography to microscope.

G. Photo-Topography-The application of photography to surveying especially in mountainous
countries. Taking of photos on elevated portion but supported with ground based structure.

Aerial Photography-This
utilized for military
purposes as well as for
surveying. It is an aid to
military, both for detection
of enemy operations and
for the preparation of maps.
Taking of photograph of the
ground in an elevated area not supported with ground based structure.

I. Radiography-A branch of photography discovered by Roentgen in 1895.It is sometimes called X-

Ray photography. It is applicable in medical science as well as in crime detection.
J. Cinematography- This is also called motion picture photography. In police, it is used to record
the re-enactment of the crime scene.

IV-USES OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
1. For Personal Identification Purposes- Is considered to be the first application of photography in
police work. Alphonse Bertillion was the first police who utilized photography in police work as
a supplementary identification in his Anthropometry System.
a. Prisoners, persons subject of investigation.
b. Unidentified cadavers (victims of crimes, traffic accidents, airline crash, collapse of big buildings,
shipwrecks, stampede, explosions, natural calamities like earthquakes, landslides, cave-in of
mines, tidal waves, massive flood etc.
c. Missing persons (for publications and alert warnings).
d. Lost of stolen properties (work of art like paintings, sculpture, cons, antiques, expensive
jewelries, rare coins or books, etc.)
e. Civilian (police clearances for employment, travel abroad, other purposes).
2.) For Communication- Is considered to be one of the most universal methods of
communication considering the no other language can be known universally than photograph.
3.) For Record Purposes- Considered to be the utmost used of photography in police work.
4.) For preserving and Recording of Evidences- Crime scene and other physical evidence
requires photograph for preservation purposes. Crime scene cannot be retain as it for a long
 period of time but through photograph the initial condition of the scene of the crime can be
preserved properly.
a. Crime scenes (Homicide or Murder, theft or robbery, arson, other crimes listed in the Revised
Penal Code as well as other penal laws ( Organized or syndicated, crimes cyberspaces or
computer crimes).
b. Traffic accidents.
c. Objects of evidences (guns, bullet or shell, knife, clothing, shoes, other personal belonging, etc.).
d. Evidential traces (fingerprints, shoe or tire prints, bloodstains and other body fluids, tool marks,
bomb or explosive residues etc.
5.) For Discovering and Proving of Evidences not readily seen by the naked eye- Photography
can extend human vision in discovering and proving things such as:
A. The use of Magnification:
Photomicrography- Taking a magnified photograph of small object through attaching a camera
to the ocular of the compound microscope so as to show minute details of the physical
evidence.
Photomacrography- Taking a magnified (enlarged) photograph of small object by attaching an
extended tube lens (Macro lens) to the camera.
Microphotography- Is the process of reducing into a small strip of film a scenario. It’s first used
in film making.
Macro photography- Used synonymously with photomacrography.
Telephotography- Is the process of making photograph of a far object with the aid of a long
focus and telephoto lens.
B. The used of artificial light such as X-ray, ultraviolet and infrared rays to show something
which mat not be visible with the aid of human eye alone.

6.) For Court Exhibits- Almost all evidence presented in court before formally be accepted
requires that they satisfy the basic requirements for admissibility which is relevancy and
competency. A question of relevancy ids usually proved by proving the origin of the evidence
and its relation to the case and this is usually supplemented by photograph of the evidence
giving reference as to where it came from.
Evidence presented in court once accepted became known as Exhibit. Either Exhibit 1, 2, 3 etc,
for the defense of Exhibit A, B, C etc. for the prosecution.
a. Individual photographs.
b. Slide projections
c. Comparison charts
d. Motion picture or video coverage/ presentation.

7.) For Crime Prevention- With 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.
Visual presentation for lecturers of traffic education, modus operandi of “can game artist”,
snatchers or hold uppers, civil defense, informational services.
8.) For Police Training – Modern facilities are now being used s instructional material not only
in police training as well as in other agencies.
 Prepared training films or video presentations of personnel indoctrination, police tactics,
investigative techniques , traffic control, civil disturbances ( demonstrations) control, riots or
prison disorders, documentaries for pre-=and post- briefings on police operations, etc.
9.) For Reducing and Copying- with the used of photography any number of reproduction of
the evidence can be made those giving unlimited opportunity for its examination and even
allow other experts of person to examine the specimen without compromising the original.
10.) For the Recording Action of Offenders:
a. Surveillance
b. Entrapment
c. Extra-judicial confession
d. Re-enactment of crime

11.) Public Information- Photographs for press releases, poster of wanted criminals, crime
alerts, etc.
Every police administrator must endeavor to build a good public image of his organization and
its personnel. Media coverage on sensational or high profile crime is alright but he must not
lose sight on the often ignored day-to-day activities on the enforcement of laws. On
humanitarian services rendered like search and rescue missions during disasters and calamities,
example are photograph of a traffic policeman giving aid to an elderly or a child crossing a busy
intersection or a beat policeman doing his rounds on foul weather or in empty and desolate
street at night, can portray an image that indeed the police is a public servant, a protector, and
a friend.
Summary
Photography was discovered in early 17th century by different personalities and was used for
personal identification. In the late 17th century photography reveals a lot of uses in the field of
forensic science and commerce. It is use for communication, record purposes, preservation of
evidence, court exhibit and presentation, crime prevention, trainings and business.

Assessment
Answer the following questions comprehensively in not less than 100 words.

1. Discuss the importance of photography in police work.

2. Who among the different personalities contributed in the development of photography you
like most and why? Give at least five and rank them from best to least.

Scoring Guide:
Each answer shall be evaluated using these criteria:
Content 10 pts.
Organization of ideas 5pts.
Language facility 5 pts.
Total score-----------------------:20 pts
 TRANSMUTATION OF SCORE TO GRADE/RATING
Score 20-19 18-17 16-15 14-13 12-11 10-9 8-7 6-5 4-below
Grade 1.0 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00
99 96 93 90 87 84 81 78 75

TO DO (Enrichment):

1. Draw a tree in an illustration board showing the different branches of photography and
represent pictures as their products or fruits of each branch.
Scoring Guide:
Visual Impact ------------------------ 30 %
Relevance to the topic -------------------- 40 %
Neatness and Creativity -------------------- 30 %
Total: 100%

References:
a, W. (2008). Forensic Photography: For criminology students, Philippines: Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc
R. (2003). Police Photography, 745 Elison Sales Center, Rizal Ave., Sta. Cruz Metro Manila: Central Book Supply,
Inc.
a, W. (2001). Laboratory Manual in Criminalistics 2 (Police Photography)
, C. Et. Al. (2012). Compendium on Criminal justice Education, Visayas Avenue Project 6, Quezon City:
Wiseman’s Books Trading, Inc.
. E.C. (1994). Reviewer in Criminalistics, Philippine College of Criminology, Manila: Wiseman Book Trading Inc.
G. (1993), Police Photography Manual, Cebu City: RDC Penayes Educational Service.

-----End of Module 1-----