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Forensic photography

Definition

Photography conducted to evidentiary standards, producing images that can be authenticated as accurate representations of a finding at a specific time, with scale indicators, orientation, and documented chain of custody for the image files.

Related terms

Colposcope
A binocular optical device with bright coaxial illumination and variable magnification (typically 4x-40x), originally designed for cervical examination but widely adopted in...
EXIF metadata
Exchangeable Image File Format data embedded in a digital image by the camera. Includes date, time, camera model, exposure settings, and GPS...
Photographic log
A written record, kept on site alongside the context records, that logs each photograph with its file name, date, time, photographer, subject...
Scale bar
A physical ruler or L-shaped measuring device placed in the field of view before a photograph is taken. It provides a known...
Toluidine blue
A nuclear dye applied to anogenital skin that is taken up by nucleated cells exposed by micro-lacerations. It stains micro-tears dark blue,...

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