Advanced Crime Scene Photography developed over time and out of my
experiences as a crime scene investigator with a large metropolitan police
department. Like any major city, violent crime is prevalent, offering numerous
opportunities to utilize the different skills and techniques learned and
evolved through numerous schools, scene experiences, and experimentations.
Furthermore, a large police department is like any other bureaucratic
institution, small units within the greater organization must fight for every
dollar. The mantra “do more with less” is a guiding principle and as a result, I
had to learn to adapt non-forensic items for forensic purposes in order to save
money. This book is meant to help investigators working in similar circumstances,
investigators who are attempting to document crime scenes without
all the fancy and expensive equipment commonly sold by forensic vendors,
but who still need to produce quality photographs that will leave a lasting
impression.
The majority of my career has been spent working the night shift. As a
result, I learned the value of time exposures versus relying on my electronic
flash to illuminate a crime scene. I hope to impart this realization to those
working in similar low-light conditions. Electronic flash has tremendous
value to photography, but relying on it to document extensive crime scenes
can be detrimental to a photographer’s body of work. Outstanding, colorful,
and informative photographs can be recorded even in the dimmest of conditions,
and capturing such images is of paramount importance in developing
into a professional crime scene photographer.