Forensic Photography

Photographing the Dead: Forensic Photography

Crime scene investigation is not a simple matter. While it is easily dramatized on television, true forensic investigation is a complicated issue involving numerous individuals, agencies and roles. While cases can be solved when all of these components come together, many cases are never solved, or when the cases do go to court, they end in an acquittal or a mistrial. Crime scene investigation is important for both understanding what happened, but also for collecting enough evidence to prove what happened; without this evidence, the guilty will leave as the innocent, and victims will never receiver their due justice.

While forensic chemistry and psychology are the more popular aspects of crime scene investigation, with the internal and external dramatics of intellectual theory argued across countless networks, forensic photography is equally important. In fact, without crime scene photographs, theories can never be proven or even developed. Forensic photography deals with both pictures of actual crime scenes, and pictures of recreated accidents, murders, rapes or burglary. Both of these techniques help to solve cases, to prove guilt and to provide restitution.

The Art of Still-Life

Forensic photography at the crime scene will often involve photographs of bodies, weapons, locations, broken machinery, car crashes or other damages. Recreations will involve the same subjects, just rebuilt and repositioned after the fact in an attempt to provide a realistic account of a crime that happened in the past, or a crime that provided no actual concrete evidence. The ultimate goal of forensic photography is to provide photographs that are fit for use as court evidence, are untampered and are a true record of the criminal events.

Consequently, forensic photography is a type of art; photographers must choose their lighting, lens angles and viewpoints correctly or the photographs may not hold up as evidence before a jury. The photographs must be clear, and they usually include scales to help visualize the size of different objects and subjects. A variety of viewpoints also helps to solve the problem of parallax. Crime scene photographs must also be untampered, meaning every individual who touches the picture must be recorded. This custody chain ensures that the photograph, from initial taking to exposure, is honest, original and unedited. These sources also help when one photograph becomes evidence in multiple cases, such as criminal trials and civil lawsuits.

Forensic photography is most often conducted in color to better create an honest image of the crime scene. Black and white is sometimes used, and both 35mm film and digital images are acceptable in most courts. Surveillance cameras and even mobile phones are used as evidence, especially when the photographs are taken by witnesses or bystanders at the time of the accident or crime. Forensic photography professionals will sort through these amateur pictures to find acceptable evidence.

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Flash Photography

Useful Tips for Flash Photography

Flash photography is nothing but the technique of using flash light attached to the camera in every possible situation where there is insufficient lighting arrangement. Most commonly flash photography is used to shoot group portraits, since sufficient light is not there to get a satisfactory outcome.

Flash photography is not only applicable when there is inadequate lighting arrangement, but also it is used in a variety of other situations such as – when the background is brighter than the foreground, lighting up inside of a room with better color contrast, focusing over a moving object in a dark background.

Indoor Situations

You can not take the benefit of adequate light supply when you are trying to shoot in a typical indoor setup. In that case, flash photography has no better alternative. Using the techniques of flash photography, you can take group portraits, architectural photograph, and many more. You may also throw lights on the objects that may otherwise look too dark for an appropriate exposure.

When the auto-exposure setting of your camera denotes that the required shuttering speed should be lower than 1/60 per second, you are not advised to hand-hold your camera, since it will produce a blurred image. This is because the shutter is allowed to stay open for long enough to grab any minor hand shaking to deform the desired composition.

In such a case, if you use tripod or faster film technique, it will solve the purpose successfully. However, carrying a tripod is not a regular choice for everyone. For the majority of photographers, flash photography is the only technique to be used for shooting in the indoor situations.

When you are shooting flash photography, you must not focus the camera directly on any glass or mirror, or else, it will produce lens flair enough to mess up the photo. Keep a close distance to the subject; say about 4' to 10', to have an effective flashing experience. Remember to keep your primary subject closer than subsidiary elements in your pictures, since closer objects will appear brighter than distant objects.

Fill Flash Conditions

Fill flash conditions are used in such types of situations when the pictures become too dark in normal lighting arrangements. This type of flash photography is ideal for casting light in the room having no windows. In particular, side-lit and back-lit conditions are perfect for flash photography.

In the back-lit condition, sufficient light is present in the background; however, the foreground lacks the adequate light supply. In normal condition, this will produce silhouette effect, however when you take the benefit of flash photography, it blends the photo nicely. But you need to be very careful about the flash range in order to effective implementation of flash photography.

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Fine Art Photography

Fine Art Photography Used As Expression Of Creativity

From the earliest days of photography there have been what became known as artists with cameras who used photography to express their personal views of life and the world around them. Like artists with paint and canvas, fine art photography was used as a means to express their personal visions and creativity. Also similar to many artists, their work was not necessarily accepted by others and it was not until the 1970's that some art galleries began showing their work alongside traditional artists.

Also referred to as simply art photography, fine art photography was usually black and white and while some later photographic artists used composition and lighting techniques in their work, many of the first photographers essentially took pictures and hoped something inspirational jumped out at them. For the most part, large format films were used in fine art photography but later developments of 35 mm film and today's digital cameras has relegated many of them to personal collections.

When many people consider fine art photography they remember the early nudes done in black and white, sometimes slightly out of focus to create intrigue with the image. Some critics often referred to fine art photography in the same vein as impressionist paintings, with the meaning of the image seen only by the photographer.

Limiting Production Increased Print's Value

Despite the fine art photography prints growing in size through the 20th century, many photographers made relatively few copies of the their prints, hoping to increase their value in the market. This may have served the purpose for some of the better-known names in fine art photography, but for new artists, without the support of major art galleries their craft may have been more of a hobby than a means of entering the art world.

Many of the early prints in fine art photography was small, delicate pictures, usually framed behind glass but today's photographers are producing many larger size prints. Larger than traditional poster-size pictures, they are also not always placed in a frame. Some of the larger fine art photography images are printed on canvas without borders and hung as large painting would normally be displayed.

Lake many images in the art world, the artist's vision and creative images are not attracted to many in the mainstream art world. Their fine art photography images are often understood by just a few of their followers, and with the use of digital photography and computer programs, they are able to create montages of their images, hoping to target a wider audience for their work.

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Fashion Photography

Fashion Photography: Learning the Basics

If you have expressed an interest in fashion photography, no doubt you want to know the ins and outs of this prestigious industry. Various reality television shows have shown some insight as to what the industry is all about, but have they shown you everything there is to know about fashion photography?

Fashion Photography: It is All About the Look

While this statement usually applies itself strictly to the fashion industry, you will find that sometimes fashion photography and fashion are completely blended together. After all, aside from runway shows, it is fashion photography that brings new fashions to the public.

When you look at fashion photography, no doubt you are amazed with the overall look of each picture. Not only is it the model and the clothing, but it is also the setting. Indeed, fashion photography takes photographers to locations, both popular and obscure, all over the world!

However, it is important to note that fashion photography is not all just about the clothes and the location. It is also about setting up the shoot to get the best out of the model and the clothing. For example, if the message you are trying to get across is that a certain line of clothing is seductive, you want the lighting to be just bright enough to show off the clothing, yet convey an alluring appeal.

Something else you had better be exceedingly versatile in is picking models for your beginning photo shoots. Sometimes you might be assigned the model and the rest is up to you, but usually that is only if you are a seasoned professional looking to do projects with a specific fashion line.

So, what are some things you should look for in a model when setting up a fashion photography shoot? Well, it all has to do with the kind of fashion you are shooting. For example, haute couture requires models to be very tall and (unfortunately) very thin. Lingerie models should be curvy, and so on.

If you would like to pursue a career in fashion photography, begin by taking classes for it at renowned photography institutes. Or, you can build a portfolio by photographing new models, and then showing your photography portfolio to various fashion and modeling agencies.

It is important to mention that it will take time, as well as money, to achieve your goals. However, one thing that you should always have in abundance is persistence, because that will most certainly make your photography dreams come true.

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Family Photography

Don't Be Scared Of Family Photography

Families themselves are far more terrifying than family photography. Getting everyone together for a portrait is usually one way of guaranteeing that you'll get some peace and quiet for a minute or two. You can go to a professional photographer to get a family portrait, but most families opt to try and do it themselves. Here is how family photography is usually done.

Find A Good Holiday

If you want to get a portrait of only your immediate family, then you don’t need to make any special schedules in order to force them to the shoot. But if you want to get as many family members as possible into the pictures, then you are best setting such family photography up around the holidays, not only when most people can get together, but are usually nicely dressed. The only other times your family gets together is for weddings and funerals.

Get A Tripod

Depending on how large your family is, you will need wither a tripod. Most cameras sold have a timer feature. If you can't drag some poor date of one of your family members to do the family photography, then you will have to use the timer. But the camera's lens needs to be level with (at least) the faces of the adult members of the family. For this, you need a tripod. It's also a good idea to know how your camera's timer works BEFORE everyone lines up for the picture taking.

Get A Ladder

If your family could fill an average movie theatre, then you don’t have a snowball's chance of getting them all in the same shot with a regular camera on a tripod. You need an aerial shot. If you have well over one hundred family members, just shell out for a professional photographer, because trying to do the family photography yourself will be laughable at best, pathetic at worst.

However, if there is only thirty or forty of you, then perhaps getting some schmuck up on a ladder to look down on the small crowd of family members will get everyone into the shot. You do have to be sure that your camera has a Panoramic lens or feature that can not only fit everyone in, but bring up details. After going through the trouble of setting up these shots, it's only fair that you should be able to recognize who is standing there like a store mannequin in them.

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Digital Photography Tips

Make the Transition Easier: Beginners' Digital Photography Tips

Although digital photography has been around for a while now, there are still some photographers who are intimidated by the prospect of giving up their beloved film cameras. It's no wonder, since much of the talk about digital photography tends to make it sound really difficult.

There are certainly some differences between film and digital photography, but once you learn to master the art of handling a digital camera, you will no doubt fall in love with its many features. Before you start shooting with your new digital camera, brush up on some beginning digital photography tips to help you get the most out of your digital photography.

Subtle Differences

For the most part, digital photography tips are the same as film photography tips. There aren't many differences in the way that you compose a shot, or the way that you choose a subject. The differences lie mostly in the way that you interact with the camera itself.

One of the best digital photography tips you will ever get is this: read your instruction manual. Read it before you begin shooting, read it while you are fiddling with the controls, read it before you go to bed if you must. Just be sure that you do read through it to familiarize yourself with the controls.

If you never read your instruction manual, the chances are that years down the road you'll discover that your camera could do something you never knew was possible. You'll probably end up kicking yourself for not knowing you could do that all along. It bears repeating: read your instruction manual.

Other digital photography tips that you may not have thought of involve how to keep your camera going at the most vital times. Always, always, always carry an extra memory card (or two) and at least one extra set of batteries. It's almost guaranteed that you will find something spectacular to shoot when you have no space left on your memory card, or that your batteries will die just before you can catch that once-in-a-lifetime perfect photograph. It's important to always be prepared for moments like these.

You may be tempted to shoot at a very low resolution to fit more pictures onto your memory card, but this is rarely worth the poor quality photographs that it will produce. Use at least a midway setting, and for photos that really matter – like portraits or special family moments – use the highest quality setting.

Once you get the hang of these very basic digital photography tips, you can begin shooting with confidence. Experimentation often yields the most learning potential, so don't be afraid to go out and just start taking photos of things that catch your interest. In no time, you'll be on your way to forgetting all about leaving your film camera behind.

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Digital Photography

Digital Photography Opens Field To Countless Amateurs

When taking pictures today with digital photography it is almost guaranteed that the picture will come out reasonable close to being technically correct. While composition and posing is still the task of the photographer, there is little left to chance with most of the automatic cameras in use. Additionally, with digital photography the picture can be viewed nearly instantaneously and if there is something wring with the exposure, it can be deleted from memory and shot again.

Digital photography has introduced a whole new generation to photography and took it out of the hands of the professional and put it into the hands of even the youngest and most inexperienced people. Between camera phones and digital cameras connected to home computers, the use of digital photography continues to explode. Instead of hauling about rolls or canisters of film, photographers can carry small memory chips that can hold as many pictures on a one-inch square disk as they could on about 30 rolls of film.

There is also no need to run to the drug store and wait for the pictures to be processed. The camera or memory storage device can be connected to the home computer and viewed immediately. There is no going back to the store for a refund for the prints that did not come out right, they can simply be deleted with a key stroke. With digital photography, the pictures can be easily enhanced and cropped on the computer before ever hitting the printer.

Determining The Real From The Manipulated

When film photography was at its peak, airbrushing was a popular and often time-consuming technique of enhancing pictures or in removing an unwanted element of a print. With today's digital photography, photo processing software can make an expert of nearly everyone at producing top quality pictures. It is often difficult to determine pictures that were manipulated on the computer with the real thing.

Digital photography has also made photo storage and sorting so much easier. Instead of spending weeks around a table with photo albums and tape or glue, photos can be sorted by name or event and filed into separate files on the home computer. At any time, these digital memories can be recalled an printed if and when needed.

It is also more fun to look at pictures from a digital photography album as it can be transferred to a compact disk with music added and viewed through most DVD players. Instead of one or two at a time looking at photo albums, the entire family can enjoy the digital photography albums played on the family TV.

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Black And White Photography

Black And White Photography Was A Good Learning Device

When taking pictures there are many effects that can be accomplished through lighting and composition and the use of color in pictures is the most common. However, some of the most dramatic effects as well as pictures with stark representations can be bettered rendered through black and white photography. While the term itself may be a misnomer due to the wide range of grey scale available black and white photography has lost a lot of its appeal except for a few true believers in producing their own effects.

Only 50 years ago black and white photography was the most common among amateur photographers and those just learning would use black and white film due to the drastic difference in price with color film. Many people that began a hobby in photography also processed their own negatives and prints and the three-step process for film and prints was inexpensive and easy, whereas color developing required many more resources than most hobbyists were will to commit.

When dealing in black and white photography, the film went through a three-step chemical process and the printing paper, once exposed in their darkroom also went through a similar three-step process, which many could quickly learn. they could also have a complete black and white photography darkroom in their own home for under a hundred dollars to get started.

Digital Formatting Offers Best of Both Colors

With the age of digital photography, there is no questioning black and white photography or color as the cameras are designed to capture every image in color. However, some cameras have the settings to take the pictures in black and white, despite most printer and photo editing software offer the option to print the color pictures in black and white as well. The pictures can then be saved in both formats and reprinted at will.

Many believe that black and white photography offers the ability to create a softer, more appealing image, especially in fine art prints or in nude photography. Others appreciate the vast contrasts available with black and white photography in nature pictures as well as in some landscape photographs.

When the hobby of black and white photography was at its peak in the middle of the 20th century, it was almost rare to see hobbyists using color film. Just 20 years ago, the price of color film and processing fell dramatically making the use of black and white photography more the exception than the rule. With digital photography, even the most inexperienced photographer can experiment with both.

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Beginning Photography Tips

Beginning Photography Tips For Everybody

Photography is both an art and a learned skill. You need to learn a lot about the way the camera works, how the camera should be taken care of and under what conditions you can best get the image you want. But it also required an art that is very hard to put into words and can only be learned over time. Beginning photography tips, therefore, tend to focus on the practical side of photography rather than the artistic side.

Be Patient With Yourself

Another beginning photography tip for everybody is that you must be patient in learning your new trade or hobby. You cannot learn to take good photographs overnight. You will have to go through a lot of mistakes, perhaps wasted rolls of film or digital cards, in order to learn the fundamentals of what you are doing. It's like learning how to walk – the only way to learn is after a series of falls.

You Can Never Learn It All

One of the great things about photography is that you can never learn it all. There is always something new to learn or experience with every shot you take. Another beginning photography tip you need to know is that no one is born with an edge when it comes to photography – we all start at the same place. And everyone learns at their own rate of speed.

Take Lots Of Photos

Have you ever seen a professional photographer at work? They go through rolls of film for just one portrait that makes the money. Although learning the basics of how to handle a camera and the lighting can greatly affect the photo, there are still subtle qualities that the camera can pick up that might not be apparent to the naked eye. It is only after developing the film do you see what the camera saw.

Another beginning photography tip, then, is to not be stingy with the photos you take if you are serious about learning the art and skill of photography. One of the advantages of digital cameras is that you can take thousands more images than a traditional camera – however, digital cameras cost a lot more than a traditional camera. Just work with what you can.

Have Fun

The best beginning photography tip you will ever hear is to have fun with photography. Because of the frustrations and amount of effort that goes into learning photography, there's no point in perusing it if you don’t have a passion for it.

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Architectural Photography

Natural Frames: Architectural Photography

When photographers set out to find the perfect picture, rarely do they simply focus on the subject. They aim for mood and atmosphere, ambiance and emotion; they aim for what surrounds the subject as much as the subject itself. However, architectural photography is a completely different discipline. When photographing pictures, the goal is to capture the feeling of being in or around a certain structure, not to capture an aesthetic feeling or ornate delight. In fact, if the building is old or decrepit, or elicits uncomfortable feelings, all the better; the photography may not be attractive, but it will definitely bring to life the true essence of the structure, even if that essence is negative. Architectural photography is an art of lines and design, of angles and planes: the building, in minute detail, is brought to life, and the rest of the world is forgotten.

Life from Lines

Architectural photography is as much a science as an art form. It takes an understanding of design and drafting, geometry and construction; in order to see an opportunity, the photographer must notice it first. Most amateur photographers will take pictures around buildings, or delegate them to the background; in architectural photography, the structure is the picture, nothing else. There are a few tips to keep in mind when photographing buildings, as the style and composition is such an inverse from typical photography. A picture of a building can bring to life the soul of the building, but also the heart of the photographer, the feelings of being in the presence of such structures, and the relationship between the big and the small.

While newer, more modern structures can be photographed in detail, architectural photography actually focuses on bits and pieces of the overall building, older barns and houses should be photographed from a distance. In this case, the context of space, the relationship to the environment, is necessary in understanding the age and mystique of these ancient structures. Usually, however, buildings will be photographed so that the structure is the middle, top, bottom and sides of the picture; it is the picture, and nothing else is present to deflect focus. Telephoto lenses are perfect for creating composition and perspective; the distance, compressed into a single spot of focus, creates patterns and contrasts otherwise lost to the naked eye. Telephoto lenses bring abstraction to life and challenge the mind; with architectural photography, the sums of the parts are often larger than the whole.

Weather and fences, shadows and sunlight can add elements to architectural photography without changing the focus of the images. The structure will still remain the central figure, but the environment, changing around the building, will also affect the building and, consequently, the photograph. In other words, even though architectural photography often does not include anything beyond the borders of the building, the unseen can still directly influence the finished product. A single building photographed in different seasons, at different times, in different eras, can produce an endless amount of different pictures.

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Amateur Photography

Amateur Photography: The Foundation of Professional Photography

It is not very unusual that every amateur photographer has the dream to become a professional photographer in time. Amateur photography serves the purpose of a great hobby. No matter how far you have developed yourself as a photographer, a wide number of excellent photography is actually a wise contribution of amateur photography.

The General Trend

When you are practicing amateur photography, odds are there that you like to show people your expertise in almost every special occasions like birthday party, or while visiting nearby gateway. Not only showing expertise, but also you may like to capture the wonderful event and store it to the cabinet of ever-lasting memory.

But what about those amateurs who dream to sell their photographs? Is there any possibility of doing the same? The answer is of course 'Yes'. However, shifting from amateur photography to a professional one is not a simple task to accomplish. In addition to a pair of good eyes for detailing, you need to have marketing skills along with patience and a clear understanding about your own ability.

Quality Matters, Not Quantity

When you are practicing amateur photography and planning to sell it in the marketplace, you must care for good quality pictures. So, you don’t have to wait till your collection boxes become overflowed with hundreds of photographs. Even if you have taken 20-25 good quality images, you can start off selling.

Online Portfolio

As we know, Internet is the best place to reach to the global spectators, so creating an online portfolio always gives you an extra mileage. For doing this, you can count on personal website enabled with credit card facility. With the help of credit card facility, the visitors will be able to buy directly from your website. In your website, you will be able to display photographs of your interest.

Submission of Photographs

This is important step that you have to take while shifting from amateur photography to professional ones. You need to submit your photographs and portfolio details to various companies who are interested to buy photographs for different purposes, ranging from calendar display to designing company brochure, etc. You may also contact your local advertising companies and newspapers.

Fear of Rejection

When you are practicing photography at amateur level, you can not probably escape from the fear of rejection. In general, any amateur photographers suffer from this fear of rejection and hate the situation when they see a rejection slip is knocking at their door. However, you should take it with a spirit, if occurs. You need not lose your confidence. If you consider those pictures good enough, you must re-submit them to other companies.

Remember, it is very unlikely to not to receive any rejection letter during the entire professional career. But the rejection letter does not mean the end of the world. You must act on with more confidence. If you are confident enough with your talent, you must reach the peak of success one day.

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Aerial Photography

Aerial Photography is a Whole New Ballgame for Photographers

Aerial photography refers to photographs that are taken from above while the photographer is in an aircraft such as a plane or helicopter. This type of photography is most often used by the real estate industry to take photographs of land or buildings that will explain the layout and value of the property.

If you are new to aerial photography, there is a substantial learning curve. You'll need to learn how to frame your shots in an entirely new way, get the shot at just the right time of day, and add depth to a type of photography that is prone to looking very flat and featureless.

Aerial photography creates a whole new set of conditions to work around, from significant motion blur and vibration of the aircraft to choosing appropriate lenses and angles for unconventional photography situations. Lenses with image stabilization are always wise investments if you plan to make aerial photography a lucrative enterprise.

However, the results of aerial photography are often stunning when executed well. Real estate is just one industry that uses aerial photography; you can also use this method to photograph locations for travel guides or books, art photography, or even government contracts.

How to Get Airborne

Obviously, not everyone will have an airplane or helicopter waiting in their back yard to take them out on an aerial photography mission. So how do you get access to an aircraft? The least expensive way is to ride along with someone who does have access to an aircraft.

If that isn't possible, you can try flight schools. They may have special allowances that will make it possible for you to ride along with an experienced pilot for a per-hour charge. This charge will be too hefty for most casual photographers, but depending on how many good-quality photographs you get out of the session, it could very well be worth the charge.

You may also want to try less conventional methods of getting yourself and your camera high up in the sky. Aerial photography can be accomplished with great success from a hot air balloon. The balloon moves slowly enough to make capturing the shots you want possible. The drawback is that they are not as controllable as a helicopter or airplane.

With modern technology, you don't even need to be present to get great aerial photography results! Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be operated remotely to get you stunning aerial photography shots that you might not otherwise be able to get due to flight altitude restrictions on manned vehicles.

If aerial photography is something you're interested in pursuing, it can turn out to be a fun and profitable adventure. You can actually get paid to do two things you love: fly, and take photographs. Work doesn't get much better than that!

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Abstract Photography

Abstract Photography: New Concepts Happen All the Time!

When people think about photography, chances are that it is only in reference to the specific kinds of photography one might see in a photo album. The debate over whether photography is, in fact, an art form has been fought over for years. However, one would be more inclined to think that photography is an art form when they see abstract photography.

Abstract Photography: Recording Symbolism

When you look at something in your everyday life, you probably take it for face value. For example, a glass of water is just that: a glass of water. Have you ever thought to look at that glass of water as more than just that? This is where abstract photography has its roots: in looking past the obvious and looking at something based on its symbolic merits.

So, what is an example of abstract photography? There is no one answer to that question, because abstract photography can encompass many different perspectives. However, something that this kind of photography does like to do is place an emphasis on geometric appearances. Specifically this is in reference to lines and curves.

For example, say you are looking at a photograph of a single chair on the side of the highway. Some people might take it just as a random picture and dismiss it. However, abstract photography would mean looking at the line segments of the photo: the chair juxtaposed with the highway.

Indeed, abstract photography is just like abstract art, in that it might seem very unpleasing to the eye at first, but then a deeper meaning can be found. Not only does abstract photography place an emphasis on geometric appearance, but it also emphasizes patterns and textures.

The trick is to make your abstract work appealing to a general audience. The key in this is emphasizing color (as in the case of either black and white or color) or doing extreme close-ups of textures. Additionally, you can parlay your abstract photography into a collage format.

For more information on abstract photography, take a photography class on the subject. There you be introduced to photographic examples that can give you some of your own ideas. Another thing that you can do is go out and just start taking pictures of the things that interest you. Use digital editing software to cut and paste various aspects of the things that you take pictures of, and the result will be a fascinating piece of art!

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