Forensic Photographer Evidence Preservation & Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CFP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Forensic Photographer Evidence Preservation & Analysis flashcards as text
A memory card fails after documenting a major scene. Which prior practice best mitigates this loss?
Answer: Downloading and verifying images to secure storage as soon as practical, before reusing or transporting cards
Prompt, verified transfer to secure storage limits the window in which card failure can destroy irreplaceable scene images.
Which statement best describes the standard for admissibility of a forensic photograph?
Answer: It must be a fair and accurate representation of what it purports to depict
Courts admit photographs when a witness can testify they fairly and accurately represent the scene or object depicted.
When photographing fluorescing evidence under an alternate light source, what must be placed on the camera lens?
Answer: A barrier filter that blocks the excitation light while passing the fluorescence
A barrier filter (e.g., orange or yellow) blocks the intense excitation wavelength so only the evidence's fluorescence is recorded.
An analyst compares a questioned shoe to a photographed shoeprint. What in the photograph makes a reliable one-to-one comparison possible?
Answer: A calibrated scale in the same plane as the print and a distortion-free, perpendicular capture
A same-plane scale and perpendicular, distortion-free capture allow the image to be enlarged to natural size for direct comparison.
Why should working copies, not originals, be used for image analysis and enhancement?
Answer: So the original remains pristine as the authoritative reference if results are challenged
Preserving an untouched original allows any enhancement to be independently verified or repeated from the source.
During a night exterior scene, the photographer uses 'painting with light.' What does this technique involve?
Answer: A long exposure while moving a flash or light across the scene to illuminate large dark areas evenly
Painting with light uses an extended exposure during which supplemental light is swept across the scene to illuminate areas a single flash cannot cover.
A photographer notices their reflection appears in a glass surface within an evidence photo. Why should this be corrected and reshot?
Answer: Extraneous reflections can obscure evidence detail and undermine the image's accuracy
Reflections and other artifacts can hide detail and invite challenges that the image does not accurately depict the evidence.