Forensic Photography Used In Today’s Society

Posted by on January 9, 2012 No comments

As the crowd pushes closer around the crime scene and yellow tape gets strung around the place of murder, theft or other forms of violence, little white chalk people get drawn around a corpse and its contortions there from the sidelines with a bag and lighting equipment comes the often unsung hero of our Articles. He or she is an important part of every investigation, with their sharp eye for detail and the patience of Job in the hustle and bustle that never fails to happen as the newest crime gets tagged, bagged and labeled.

I am talking about the Forensics Photographer.

Aside from taking fingerprints, dusting the crime scene and bagging evidence carefully to bring to the forensics lab and later the Court room, Photos are an important part of every crime investigation and later as evidence in Court.

Forensics Photography is a fantastic Tool to collect and catalog Data as well. Sometimes a sweep of the surroundings with the Camera logs in Images which would otherwise would have been overlooked or forgotten. The Person in the third row of the onlookers. That broken piece of glass in the shadow. Our busy Patrol Officer might have not noticed it, but our Camera Lens has picked it up.

One of the most important things in Forensic Photography is the sharpness of the Image. It has to be sharp as a well honed blade. Any fuzziness, pixilation or shake and it is as useless to the Court and the Investigators as an Eagle with pinkeye. The entire case rests on Forensic Photography and any flaw however sight, could cost a case to be lost.

Never, ever disturb the crime scene. The first round of photos has to be taken before anything has been touched, removed or altered. It is the freeze frame of the Crime Scene. The closest you will come to having been there during the crime. So make sure you plan the photo before you take it. Later if you must small adjustments, like the adding of a measuring tool to show distance is permissible, but not during the first go over.

Make sure you get a complete set of shoots. Those should include a close-up, a mid range and a wide angle. The Angel is very important as well. If you use the wrong point of view you may easily undo the best shoot by misrepresenting the relationship of distance to the object etc. Remember, your photo has to show exactly what is set out before you.

You need to record everything in writing. Mark out specific items, but never mark on the photo it-self. For that it is wise to use an overlay that you can remove as is needed. Transparency paper is used for that purpose. Make sure you lighting and exposure is set correctly. There are a lot of extremely good literature available that can teach you how to set your exposure for which light, background and scenario. This helps take the perfect pictures needed.

Lastly but not least. Photos can be messed up easily if your equipment is not in tip top shape. Make sure that your lens is clean at all times of dust. No smutches etc. I know it seems to be a topic that should not even have to be mentioned, but often it is the small things we overlook. After all the entire point of forensic photography is to capture those small seemingly mute points that are often overlooked.

I suggest you make your-self  a check list and place even the most common sense items on your list. Batteries, Film, dust free equipment, tripod, removing the lens cap. You can think of it, write it down. You will be surprised sometimes how easily even the best professional forensic Photographer can make a simple mistake that could have been prevented by a check list. Remember the victim is counting on you too.

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Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual

Posted by on December 28, 2011 No comments

All cameras come with an owners manual, but so few people take the time to read it.  Once they get past the basic operations, they get anxious to go out and try the camera.  Maybe all the new terms are confusing or there seems like too much information to digest.  This is understandable, but by not reading the entire manual, you limit yourself and many cool features of your camera are never used.  Hopefully you will find the following suggestions helpful in getting the most from your digital camera.

After your first overview of the features your camera possesses, decide what you would like to explore the  most.  Pick only one special feature.  Read the instructions on what this feature can do and how to use it.  Don’t worry if it isn’t completely clear, that will come in time.

Now the fun part.  Take your camera and start using this special feature.  Try all the different settings within this one feature.  See how your pictures change.  Explore what this feature does.  Don’t stop until you know this feature inside and out  and don’t go onto the next feature until you have fully explored this one.

When you are satisfied you know the ins and outs of one special feature, return to the owner’s manual and pick another special feature you would like to learn.  Repeat the above process with this feature, only returning to the manual when you are satisfied you have mastered the new skill.

By working through the owner’s manual in this way, you will find it isn’t so overwhelming.  The hands-on practice of each skill will help you learn it thoroughly.  When you have covered all the cool things your camera will do, go out and enjoy them all.  You will be glad you took the time to become friends with this wonderful creation.

Remember that you can also use any photos you take for scrapbooking or to start a Home Biz.

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Red Eye and Your Digital Camera.

Posted by on December 24, 2011 2 comments

You’ve seen the dreaded demon-eye effect that occurs when the camera flash bounces off the eye of a person or pet.  An otherwise wonderful picture can be ruined by this.  Technically, this is called red-eye and is caused when the pupil of your subject’s eye is wide open and the light from the camera’s flash reflects off the subjects retina.

In people, the color ends up red; in pets, the color is often green.  Many photo editing programs include a red-eye correction filter, but this may not allow your photograph subject to appear “normal.

These filters also do not work on the green effect produced in a pet’s eyes.  Photo stores sell pens that are used to clear up red-eye, but again they are not always natural-looking and do not work on the green.  The best thing is to prevent the demon-eye effect from the start.

It is rare to find a digital camera that does not come with a red-eye reduction feature.  This feature can be turned off or on.  It is best left on in all circumstances other than direct sunlight.  The red-eye reduction feature works by flashing a short burst of light at your subject before you snap the picture.

This burst of light causes the subject’s pupil to close and makes it less likely for the camera’s flash to reflect off the retina. This in turn reduces the chance of red-eye. It also helps to direct the flash of your camera so it does not directly hit your subject’s eyes.

Bouncing the flash off a nearby wall or other object will soften its effect and reduce the chances of this unwanted malady.  Between bouncing the flash and using your digital camera’s red-eye reduction feature, your little angel, whether human or animal, will have eyes that don’t glow.

 

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Use Your Powershot S95 to Have a Career In Fashion Photography.

Posted by on December 15, 2011 No comments

We see them everywhere, in Magazines, on
the Run Way, in advertisements on TV. They are the slender women strutting
their stuff or extra ordinary Beauties with their sultry looks flashing their
pearly whites while wearing the newest Styles from the hottest Designers.

We are talking about the fashion models of today, yesterday and tomorrow. They are
everywhere we look, but who brings them to us? Their images are captures with
care and precision, patience and that special look for style, color and
lighting composition. I am talking about the fashion photographers.

In the fashion circles famous names like Mario Testino (easily one of the hottest names out there) and Eva Mueller (photographer for Fashion Magazine Allure) are just as sought out if not more
then those men and women sauntering their way into our conscious.

High Paychecks and glamour’s Lifestyle of hob nobbing it with the rich and famous might be the dream of many young shutterbug, however it is not easy to reach the golden Staircases of the well-known
fashion houses and magazines. For every one talented photographer, hundreds are
left panting at the sidewalk, only dreaming about the moment that their photo
will be chosen.

Here are a few tips for the novice and dreamer of dreams in getting started in fashion photography. Study your subject. You can never learn enough. Read and look at any fashion Magazine you can get your
hand on. There are fantastic books on Fashion and fashion photography
available. Amazon.com has a true treasure trove available.

You need one or two good cameras, tripod and a lighting system. Always make
sure that you have plenty of film and batteries available. SLR and digital
cameras Like the Powershot S95 take different photos, so make sure you find the best for your field.

When submitting your work, hopefully to give a chance you have to have a portfolio on hand, just in case the editor of the fashion magazine wants to see samples of your work. I assure you if they
consider working with you that is going to be a fact.

The sharp, bright images of a 4X5” transparency show of your work to its best effort. If you have already had a publication, no matter if, it was a small neighborhood magazine/paper or a
contest a tear sheet (literally a sheet you tore out of the magazine) works
well.

If neither is at hand a good high quality 8 X 10 “is acceptable as well.
You want to make sure that you have a minimum of 20 photos in your portfolio
and preferably different styles. You want to show your expertise in full figure
or just partial body parts.

Remember, fashion includes jewelry and accessories. Sometimes a watch from a famous maker on the slender wrist of a beautiful woman is a good fashion shoot. If you are applying for the job, be
prepared to leave your Portfolio behind for an extended period of time,
sometimes as much as a couple of weeks.

I would advice you to make copies and have several on hand. This comes in handy when showing your work to many different people for consideration for fashion work.

In the time of modern technology, it is good to display your talent as a fashion photographer online as well. Set up a website; submit your photos to contests. Submit them to an online fashion gallery.
This helps with getting your work seen and people can see what type of work you
actually do and can do for them.

Most editors are looking for your
personality in the photos you take. Each fashion photographer captures the soul
of the fashion and its model differently. There are a couple of very good “how
to get started” websites on the net. You might wish to start out with http://www.fashion.net/howto/photography/or  http://www.stylecarrer.com/fashion_photographer.shtml.

Most importantly, if this is your dream, don’t give up. Keep trying and I hope to see your images on
the cover of my next hot fashion magazine.

If you think you have what it takes to make your surplus photo’s into a home biz, check this out.

 

 

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Powershot S95 Digital Photography The New Way To Taking Photographs

Posted by on December 13, 2011 No comments

Photography is an art. 

It takes practice, skill, and an eye for the unexpected.  Not all people will take the
time to study a landscape, wildlife, building, or other subject to find the
hidden depth within, but when they do often they will find great meaning in the
photo they take.

Photographers spend their lives looking for new and different ways to shoot a subject.  Digital photography is just one new way of taking a picture.  There are many advantages for working with digital photography.

The darkroom is now out the computer printer comes forward for most of us using digital photography.  We are able to send our pictures to all our friends with a few clicks of the buttons.

Powershot S95 Digital photography makes taking a picture simple, by eliminating some
of the guesswork.  With the LCD screen on a digital camera you can now view the photo you just took without waiting and hour or longer to see the film develop.
We are no longer limited by film capacity, but by memory cards.  Most memory cards have 32MB or 1GB depending on how much you’ve spent on equipment.

 

Digital photography can encompass the
professional cameras with the interchanging lenses, manual setting or it can be
a simple point and shoot camera.  Whether
you are looking for a professional grade picture or something your friends will
laugh over digital photography has made taking photos easier. 

As I said before we can see the picture
before we ever print, and also a lot of digital cameras will allow you to crop
and save the photo before printing.

 

Digital cameras can be all sizes from a key
chain camera to the professional.  We have all had a little fun with digital on our phones.  If you are more interested in the professional side of photography the first digital camera you choose should have interchangeable lenses with a high resolution.

It can be automatic if you feel more comfortable with light settings,
however most have ISO settings, aperture, and shutter speed choices as well.

Like with older photographer setting up your shot is half the fun.  Determining the settings you need to use for light is the other.  Setting up your shot still requires you to
have an eye for the unusual or for making the unusual out of a common
scene. 

Walk around the subject and look for every possible angle, you may even decide to take several photos to choose the best angle.  This is where digital photography surpasses film cameras every time.

Once you have looked at all angles and taken photos you get to see if
the effect you wanted is there.  It is a faster way for you to learn how to set the shutter speed and aperture on a shot and use lighting because you see the results while you still looking at the scene.

Digital photography may not seem like it would still use all those skills you learned on your old camera, but this is definitely not true.  Instead digital photography enhances your learning while you are still at the sight. 

Instead of long hours in a darkroom or waiting in line you can get the picture you want right then.  It certainly gives more towards vacation photos when you can see if your thumb is over the lens or the camera.

 

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