The forensic nursing course that lasted a year scared the living hell out of me. Thinking that I wanted to become a CSI took the course enthusiastically. Since solving puzzles was a hobby of mine, I thought this line of work would fascinate me, as I could help solve mysteries surrounding unusual deaths.

The course had a semester on photographing the crime scene. From that instruction, we learned how to not only photograph the entire area, as if, we were the investigator and the jury, but also, as if, we were the perpetrator. And, seeing a crime scene before it happened, as a criminal, took intuitive work.

Before the end of the semester, I started taking my camera with me everywhere. I imagined that places were crime scenes to enhance my skills.

So, the first step in photographing a crime scene was to see the place/residence from outside on the street in front, on all sides and rear. Photographing, from an angle on the street and all perspectives, involved the photographer concentrating on the all entrances. Starting  from the street to a gate or to a yard/courtyard, doors, gardens, knockers, sidewalks, dogs, and etc. It is imperative for the jury to have pictures that show the story before entering a crime scene. The photographer must produce an image story  that is easy for jury members to understand. The photographs become a visual witness.

There would be 360 degrees of photographs from every aspect involved. The actual assault pictures are placed last, in the order of photographs. Not all pictures are selected for a trial, but the best ones, that tell the most accurate story, are used.

To become a witness, one must become emotionally attached to the situation and that can become a draining experience. Witnesses bare a huge responsibility because they are the ones telling a story that could change history for many people.

The 1966 movie Blow Up is a story about a photographer who accidentally photographs a crime/murder. Although the 1966 movie was sexually provocative for that time, it was also captivating. One photograph would reveal a face of an assassin who was hiding in the bushes. The story revolves around the witness, the camera and its photographer.  I chose this video because Daniel Ammeter did a fine job recreating the scene which was at the same location 40 years later.

BLOW UP (1966) – FILM LOCATION DOCUMENTARY -YouTube

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