Dick Warrington is a crime scene officer who works with traffic fatality, homicide, theft, assault, or any other kind of case. He strictly influences those who are at the crime scene of these events must capture an accurate record of the scene and the evidence collected. In order to provide a complete record of each scene, the photographer needs field notes and diagrams, along with relevant still photographs that correlate with those notes and diagrams. While you do not need to be a photography expert to take crime scene photographs or testify in court about these photographs, a photographer does need to have a solid understanding of the proper way to photograph a scene.
It is highly advised by Warrington to look for a camera that you can operate well and that can provide high quality pictures. Whether you choose a film or a digital camera, the photographer must remember that all pictures taken at the crime scene have to be accounted for. It’s easy to delete photos with a digital camera, but a photographer should never delete photos taken at a crime scene. If you delete photos at a scene, it can lead to a lot of controversy if your case goes to court.
In addition, when photographing a scene you have to realize you are trying to provide a permanent record of the scene and the evidence collected. This record will assist anyone who is not at the scene and can help if the case goes to trial. From detectives and prosecutors to members of the jury, any visual information is vital. As you create that record, Warrington asks you to, “…remember that the photographs you take should be relevant to what you are trying to depict. Basically, a photographer should only capture the scene and the surrounding areas that provide useful information, not the ‘extras.’ ”
3 comments:
There were three things that I found particularly interesting about this article. First off, I like the way that Meghan presented the fact that crime scene photographers don’t only need to take photos, but they also need field notes and accurate diagrams that correspond with the photos taken. I also like the way that she talked about what one needs to do in order to become an effective crime scene photographer. I also liked the use of quotes from experts throughout the article. I thoroughly enjoyed this review and it is difficult for me to pick two things that I would improve upon in this article. However if I had to pick, I would say that the review could have been longer and more detailed. I also think that it could have had a concluding paragraph. One thing that surprised me about this review is that I never thought about the fact that a crime scene photographer should not delete any pictures.
I thought this article was very informing about how photography is used during a crime scene. Three aspects of the review that were well presented were the description about how accuracy matters, how the photographer needs field notes and diagrams, and that you don’t need to be an expert in photography to take crime scene photos. Two suggestions that could’ve made the review better was explaining the process of how the photographs are being taken care of and go more in detail about the types of cameras that are used to take pictures at a crime scene. Overall, I think Megan did a good job of explaining to us how photography is an important aspect during a crime scene and how it is a great source for finding evidence.
3 Aspects presented well:
• I really enjoyed how she organized her current events summary, there’s a clear beginning, middle, and end
• The quote shows effort and helps pull together the ending
• Versus being simply an essay, it’s almost like a pamphlet on how to be a good Forensics scientist
2 Suggestions:
• Try not to use the pronoun “you”
• Talk a little more about the aspects in the article besides photography
1 Thing Learned:
• Forensics photographers are not looking for “extras”, they should resolve to photograph only the necessities
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