Handbook of Forensic Photography

Sanford L. Weiss, BCEP, is the author of Forensic Photography: The Importance of Accuracy Published by Pearson-Prentice Hall (2008). Mr. Weiss is also an Evidence Photographer’s International Council (EPIC) Board Certified Forensic Evidence Photographer, a Competitive Intelligence Specialist, and was an Illinois State licensed private detective (#115-001807) and head of the Packer Detective Agency (#12002454). He holds a State of Illinois Certified Teacher rating (#1535733) for any and all photography related subjects. He worked for Packer Engineering, Inc., in Naperville, Illinois, from 1980 to 2009 for whom he documented the artifacts and scenes of hundreds of investigations and carried out complex human vision studies for almost 30 years. He also spent time performing Competitive Intelligence Analysis, being corporate librarian, then graphic artist, marketing specialist, and corporate historian. He is an expert in photo-lab management and all aspects of photographic chemical processing and was in charge of the Packer Engineering Photo Laboratory for over 17 years. Mr. Weiss has a B.S. degree in management from National Louis University. He has taught in many venues and on many levels for over 30 years, from government agencies to Universities. He is regularly published on forensic photography in national periodicals, including Evidence Technology Magazine. In 2003 Mr. Weiss received the R. C. Hakanson, Evidence Photographer of the Year Award from EPIC, in 2005 the Nikon Evidence Photographer of the Year Award, then in 2006 he was presented the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in forensic photography from Nikon USA, one of the world’s leading companies in Professional Photographic Products and Technologies. When he began his career in forensic photography, he was a beginner and the options for learning the craft were limited. In his case the on the job training consisted of watching, talking, asking, and mostly concentrating on the problems he was tasked. He quickly learned there were similarities in all projects and experience was a great teacher. He learned, one must have a passion for figuring out how to most accurately document evidence photographically. To be successful in this work, any other person must have that passion, too. Since 2009 he has been the Principal of Sandy Weiss Forensic Photography Consulting. From 2010 to 2016 he taught accredited online courses in forensic Photography for the University of California Davis Extension Service.

1. Forensic Photography: The Purpose. 2. Fair and Accurate Representation. 3. Development of Agency Standard Operating Procedures. 4. Getting Ready to Go. 4A. Using a Tripod. 4B. Mirrors and Go-Kits. 5. Visual Storytelling. 6. Digital Processing of Evidentiary Photography. 6A. Impression and Pattern Evidence. 7. Necessary Hardware: Operating, Holding, and Focusing. 7A. Light Metering for Exposure. 7B. High Dynamic Range (HDR). 8. Photography in Technical Investigations. 9. Three-Dimensional Photography and Its Applications. 10. Human Vision and Low-Light Photography. 10A. Existing Light Photography. 10B. Painting Evidence with Light. 10C. Dealing with Retroreflective Light. 11. Macrophotography. 12. Image Rectification and Angular Correction. 13. Firearms and Toolmarks. 13A. Bullet Trajectory Laser Photography. 14. Questioned Documents. 14A. Photography and Human Vision. 15. Clandestine or Surveillance Photography. 16. Videography. 17. Surveillance Videos Capture the Path of a Killer (Forensic Analysis). 18. Working the Field/Accident Scene. 19. Laser Scanning. 20. Large Scene Investigation. 21. Photographing Crime Scenes. 21A. Public and Private Scene Investigations: Fire, Crash, and Crime Scenes. 21B. Crime Scene Photogrammetry. 21C. Single-Photo Perpective Photogrammetry. 22. Aerial Coverage from Light Planes and Helicopters. 23. Drone Photography. 24. Inspection for Auditing Conditions. 25. Water and Underwater Photography. 26. Forensic Fire and Explosion Photography. 27. Injury Photography. 28. Documenting Findings in Interpersonal Violence. 29. Autopsy Photography. 30. Entomological Photograph Protocols. 31. Forensic Odontology. 32. Photography and Forensic Archaeology. 33. Forensic Anthropology and Photography. 33A. Forensic Facial Analysis. 33B. Forensic Age Progression. 33C. Forensic Facial Reconstruction and Postpartum Depiction. 34. Photography for Publication. 35. The Role of the Forensic Scientist as Expert Witness in Court. 36. Technology for Courtroom Displays and Demonstrative Presentations.and Expert Witness. 37. Teaching Forensic Photography in the 21st Century.