EXPLORE GETTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHY IN CRIMINAL

INVESTIGATION

Activity No. 2 READING ACTIVITY

Instruction: Read and thoroughly understand the topics below.

Functions of Photography in Investigative Work

1. Identification

a. Criminal
b. Missing Person
c. Lost and stolen Properties
d. Civilian

2. Communication and Microfilm Files

a. Transmission of photos (wire or radio photo)

b. Investigative report files

3. Evidence

a. Recording and Preserving

1. Crime Scenes
2. Vehicular Accidents
3. Homicide or Murder
4. Robbery Cases
5. Fires or Arson
6. Object of Evidence
7. Evidential Traces

b. Discovering and Proving

 1. By Contrast Control ( light, film and paper, filter)
2. By magnification (Photomicrography, Photomacrography)
3. By invisible radiation (infra-red, ultra-violet, X-ray)

4. Action of Offenders

a. Surveillance
b. Burglary Traps
c. Confession
d. Re-enactment of crime

5. Court Exhibits

a. Demonstration Enlargement
b. Individual Photos
c. Projection Slides
d. Motion Pictures

6. Crime or Fire Prevention

a. Security Clearance
b. Picture of Hazardous fire condition taken when fire prevention are made

7. Public Relation

8. Police Training

a. Prepared training films (police tactics, investigation techniques)

b. Traffic Studies
c. Documentaries (riots and mob control, disasters, prison disorder)

9. Reproduction and copying

 a. Photographs
b. Official Records

Different Photographic Rays:

1. X-rays radiation – having a wavelength between 1 – 30 nenometer or milli-microns. They

are produced by passing an electric current through a special type of vacuum
tubes.

2. Ultra-Violet rays – radiation having wavelength of 30 – 400 millimicrons. It is used to pho

tograph fingerprints on multi-colored background, documents that are altered
chemically, over writings, and detection of secret writings.

3. Visible Light Rays – having a wavelength of 400 – 700 millimicrons.

4. Infra-red Rays – radiation having a wavelength of 700 – 1000 millimicrons. It is used in

taking photographs of obliterated writings, burnt documents, dirty documents or
blackout photography.

Types of Lighting Condition

1. Natural (Sunlight)

a. Bright – object in open space casts a deep and uniform shadow

b. Hazy – objects in open space casts a transparent shadow
c. Dull – objects in open space casts no shadow

2. Artificial

a. Continuous Radiation – incandescent lamps, florenscent lamps, etc . .

b. Short Duration – chemical flash (flash bulb) electronic flash.

Types of Film According to Spectral Sensitivity

 The most important characteristics of a film is its variation in response to the different
wavelength source is called spectral sensitivity.

1. Blue Sensitive – sensitive only to ultra-violet rays and blue color only

2. Orthochomatic – sensitive to ultra-violet rays, blue, and green color. It is not

sensitive to red color
3. Panchromatic – sensitive to ultra-violet rays, blue, green, and red color

4. Infra – red – sensitive to ultra-violet rays, to all colors, and infra-red rays

Emulsion Speed – the extent to which an emulsion is sensitive to light. It has three general
types
of speed rating:

1. ASA ( American Standards Association ) Rating - this is expressed in arithmetical

value
system. A film with an arithmetical value of 400 is four times faster as one with a
speed of 100.

2. DIN ( Deutche Industri Normen ) Rating – this is expressed in logarithmic value syste

3. ISO ( International Standard Organization ) Rating – this is expressed by the combina

tion of ASA and DIN rating.

Types of Photographic Papers:

1. According to Chemical Content – chloride papers, bromide papers, chloride-bromide

papers.

2. According to Contrast - #0, #1, #2, #3 etc…

 3. According to Physical Characteristics – weight (single, double), surface ( glossy,
semi-
matte), matte, color white

Methods of Image Formation

1. Pinhole Method – is a smaller or tiny which produces an image entirely free from distor-
tion but its image is so dim that it is impractically long even if the fastest film is
used. It is also not impractical to enlarge the hole for more light because the
larger the hole, the more blurred is the image.

2. Shadow Method – image formed by this method is simply the shadow of an object. The
chief application of this method is in X-ray photography.

3. Lens Method – the best method of image formation because it is capable of forming a
shar
image even with a large opening so it is suited for cameras. Lens is a
transparent medium either converge or diverge light rays passing through it to
form an image. Generally, there are two types of lenses:

a. The Convergent or Positive or Convex Lens – always thicker at the center

and thinner at the sides. Light passing through it are bended toward each
other on the side of the lens meeting at a point. It is produces a real image
on the opposite side of the lens or where light is coming from.

b. The Divergent or Negative or Concave Lens – always thinner at the center

and thicker at the sides. Light passing through it are bended away from each
other as if coming from a point. It produces a virtual image on the same side
of the lens or where light is coming from.

Inherent Lens Defects or Aberration

 The ideal lens for forensic photography would be capable of producing critically sharp
and distortion free image. Some other lenses are unfit for the preparation of photographic
evidence because they have optical defects known as aberration. These are the common lens
defects:

1. Spherical Aberration – when light passing through near the central part of a converging
lens are bended more sharply than those rays falling the edge, thus the rays
coming from the edges are focused on a plane nearer the lens than those coming
from the central part.

Manufacturer of lenses tried to reduce this defect to a neligible quantity by using

lenses of different curvatures.

2. Coma – another form of spherical aberration but is concerned with the light rays entering
the lens obliquely. The defect is noticeable only on the outer edges and not on
the central part of the lens. If lens has coma, circular objects reproduces at the
corners of the negative like comet form. Just like in spherical aberration, it is
reduced by combination of lenses of different curvatures.

3. Curvature of Field – a kind of defect where the image formed by lens comes to a
sharper
focus in curved surface than a flat surface. The correction of this defect is similar
to spherical aberration and come.

4. Distortion – a lens with distortion is incapable of rendering straight lines correctly’ either
horizontal or vertical lines in an object. This is caused by the placement of the
diaphragm. If the diaphragm is place in front of the lens, straight lines near the
edges of the object tends to bulge outside. This is known as barrel distortion. If
the diaphragm is place behind of the lens, straight lines near the edges tends to
bend inward. This is known as pincushion distortion. Distortion is remedied by
placing the diaphragm in between the lens component and the two opposite
distortions will neutralized each other.
1. Chromatic Aberration – this defect is the inability of the lens to bring photographic rays
of different wavelengths to the same focus. Ultraviolet rays are bent the most,
while infra-red rays are bent the least when they pass through the lens. Visible
light comes to a focus at varying distances.

This defect is reduced by utilizing compound lenses made up of single lens that
made up of glasses of different curvatures.

2. Astigmatism – with this defect, a single point from a subject falling near the margin of
the negative will be imaged not as a point but as a two perpendicular short lines.
One of which is always be out of focus while the other is sharp.

This defect is lessened by combining lenses of special kind of glass having a

correct combinations of spherical surfaces.

Focal Length

A fundamental characteristics of a lens is its focal length. This will determine the size of
an image of an object at a given distance, and the area of coverage of the lens.

Focal length – is the distance measured from the optical center of the lens to the film plane
when
the lens is set or focused at infinity position or far distance. The focal length of a
lens is normally indicated in the lens mount or barrel of a camera, usually in
millimeter (mm) or in centimeter (cm).

Types of Lenses According to Focal Length:

1. Wide Angle Lens – a lens with a focal length of less than the diagonal of its negative
ma
terial. This lens will have a wide area of coverage but produces a small image
size. This is usually used in taking pictures indoor or inside a small room. It is
also used to get a panoramic view of a scene.
 2. Normal Lens – is a lens with a focal length approximately equal or more but not more
than twice the diagonal of its negative material. It is referred to as normal
because its coverage corresponds to nearly the coverage of the human eye.

3. Telephoto Lens – is a lens with a focal length of more than twice the diagonal of its
nega
tive material. This lens produces a bigger image of objects at far distance but its
area of coverage is smaller.

4. Zoom Lens – is a lens with variable focal length.

Lens Diaphragm – a metal diaphragm in between the lens component which can be expanded
or constricted by moving a turning ring on the lens mount or barrel. The size of the
opening is indicated be markings of F-numbers.

Each F-number represents the ration of the focal length of the lens and the diameter of
the opening. The common series of F-numbers are 1.8, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22.
There are some cameras whose f-numbers starts at 1.4 or 1.2, or 1.1 and the lowest
numerical f-number was the 1.09 fitted on a Canon 7 camera

These F-numbers indicate in succession decrease by on-half of light intensity as the

number increases. This means that an aperture of f1.8 will admit twice more light than f2
and so on. Conversely, light intensity will decrease by one half as the numerical value
increases. This also means that f8 will admit twice less light than f5.6

The diaphragm serves as controller of speed, depth of field and definitions.

1. Diaphragm as controller of speed – by expanding or constricting the diaphragm, it is

possible to regulate the amount of light passing through the lens. The diaphragm
serves as speed throttle. In the series of f-numbers, the lowest number is widest
opening, or the one that give the most amount of light. And conversely, the
 highest the number is the smallest the opening, or the one that give the least
amount of light.

2. Diaphragm as controller of depth of field

Depth of Field – is the distance between the nearest and the farthest object in
apparent sharp focus when the lens is set or focused on a given distance.

In actual practice, in any given lens objects that are nearer or father than the
object focused upon will be reasonable sharp.

There are influencing factor of depth of field:

a. The size of the diaphragm opening

The general rule governing this factor is : the smaller the opening, the
longer of the depth of field. Conversely, the wider the opening, the shorter is
the depth of field.

b. The focal length of the lens

The general rule is: the shorter the focal length, the wider or longer is the
depth of field and vice versa, the longer is the focal length, the shorter is the
depth of field.

c. Circle of confusion – refers to the small circle which is seen by the eye, not
as a circle but a dot or point.

d. Hyper focal Distance - this is the nearest distance at which a lens is focused
with a given particular diaphragm opening which will give the
maximum depth of field.

3. Diaphragm as controller of definition

 Definition – is the ability of the lens to form a clear image of fine details.

Shutters – is a devise that opens to uncover the film to make an exposure for an
accurately timed intervals then closes automatically. Most shutters are
spring-powered and are controlled by mechanical linkages.
The action of the shutter is expressed in the different shutter speeds which
corresponds to the length of time or duration of the opening to the closing of the
shutter.

The different shutter speeds are:

B – for bulb or brief

1
2
4
8
15
30
60
125
250
500
1000

The B setting is an exposure setting for more than one second. 1 – is for one
second, 2 – is one-half second, 4 – is for one-fourth of a second, and all succeeding
numbers are also fractions of a second. Since except for B, and no.1, all numbers
are fractions of second, the higher the number, the faster is the shutter speed and
will admit less light and the lower the number, the slower is the shutter speed and will
admit more light. The series of shutter speeds will show that one shutter speed is
twice faster than the next shutter speed.