Appendix C

Photography Guidelines for Maximum Results

The following guidelines provide a list to review before taking photographs. 1. Log and document every photograph. Trying to reconstruct or remember what the photograph is of and why it was taken after a period has elapsed is difficult. 2. Promptness is critical in order to minimize disturbing the data; however, in no case should emergency medical treatment or emergency response activities be delayed by any photographic activity. 3. Begin with overall views of the general area from multiple directions. This will help show perspective of distance and relative locations of items of interest. 4. Taking multiple exposures is a technique of professional commercial photographers. Most of the exposures actually shot by the professionals are never actually used. It would be unrealistic to expect nonprofessional photographers (such as incident investigation team members) to outperform professionals in this aspect. It is therefore wise to take multiple exposures of essential shots from several angles at various settings. 5. Every shot should include an item of measurable scale as a size reference. It is common to include a ruler/scale or some other object of known size in any close-up view (3 feet or less, 1 meter or less). Tape measures can also be used to show the size of objects and the distance of objects from each other. The orientation of the tape measure can also be used to show the orientation of the photograph. 6. Flash units and motor drives are potential ignition sources. In many cases, a gas test and hot work permit will be required before using a flash unit, motor drive, or video camera. Each specific use of flash devices may require authorization. Infrared gas detectors may also be set off by flash units. When using a flash even with permission, it is a good practice to take the time to warn and alert all personnel who could see the flash (or a reflection of the flash). This will pre361

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Guidelines for Investigating Chemical Process Incidents

7.

8.

9.

10.

11. 12. 13.

vent startled response actions, and could prevent an injury (due to fall or other response). It is also a sign of courtesy and respect. Consider the location of the sun and the accompanying glare, reflections, and shadows generated during outside shots. Sometimes a specially timed series of photographs is taken to document the approximate lighting conditions at the time of the incident. If more than several weeks have passed, the relative position of the sun may have changed enough to make a significant difference. One disadvantage of an autofocus camera is that the camera does not always focus on the desired object. If the object of interest to the photographer is in the background and another object is in the foreground, then the camera may select and focus on the closer object. A familiar example is the out-of-focus picture where the camera has focused on some background object in the gap between two people. Most autofocus cameras are now equipped with a selectable feature to overcome this limitation. A common avoidable mistake is to expect the camera to duplicate the human eye in low light conditions such as dusk or heavy shade. The performance specifications for normally available 35-mm films and digital cameras represent a compromise of several factors. These include lighting conditions, technical quality, and image resolution. Special low light level and extended wide range speed films are available for 35-mm cameras at additional costs. The camera/ film systems are designed to perform in a specific envelope. Operating near or beyond the edge of these specifications will produce correspondingly lower performance. Camera battery life can be unpredictable! A fresh and complete spare set is a necessity rather than a luxury. In many modern 35-mm camera systems, functioning batteries are required for a simple task such as loading film. If the camera is part of a seldom used supply kit, special attention is needed to ensure fresh primary and spare batteries are available and that the film has not passed its expiration date. Some type of portable background is often desirable when shooting data in the field. A light colored pastel cloth will usually give better results than black or white. When documenting a witness statement, the photograph should be taken from as close as possible to the actual viewpoint used by the witness. Film (exposed or not), will be adversely affected by heat and moisture. The temperatures inside vehicles can easily exceed 100F (40C). Some protective lens coatings will melt and distort from the excess temperatures found inside closed vehicles. A common prac-

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Photography Guidelines for Maximum Results

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14.

15.

16.

17.

tice is to store film in a refrigerator. Be sure to rotate your stock of unused film to avoid the use of expired film. The possible damage to underdeveloped film caused by airport security X-ray machines has been extensively debated. The Investigative Photography guide published by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers clearly states that all unexposed film is affected by these X-rays.(1) Each time the film goes through the machine, a light fog is deposited on the film. This can be significant for multiple passes. There is no easy solution, yet the degradation caused by a single pass through the machine is tolerable in almost all cases. X-rays affect higher speed films more than lower speed films. Backlighting can cause major problems, especially when using an automatic or semiautomatic exposure control camera. Backlighting is the condition where the subject of interest (in the foreground) is in relative darkness caused by a brighter background. The camera will sense the bright background and thus produce a photograph in which the desired object in the foreground appears to be in a shadow. Examples of this occur often when shooting in an upward direction in an attempt to capture some detail on an overhead pipe rack. Older (manual) cameras and many of the newer (automatic and semiautomatic) models have a feature that can be activated to help this situation. A common mistake is to expect the camera to do the thinking for the investigator.(1) Some investigators have used the approach of taking a general barrage of pictures in the hope that somewhere in the large pile will be a gold nugget with the key to the investigation. Each shot should have an intended purpose. Planned shots have better results than random shots do. Test plans (discussed above) and the analysis techniques in this guideline will help to guide the investigation team to take the appropriate photos. Professional photographers anticipate the instantaneous temporary shadow created by the flash itself and use various diffusers and backgrounds. These devices are also helpful for close-up shots of items. Special flash units that fit around the lens of some 35-mm SLR cameras are available to eliminate these shadows.

1. Berrin, E. Investigative Photography. Report 83-1. Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Boston, MA: Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 1982.