Basic Photography Course

A typical caption should also identify the unit that

produced the photography and, if appropriate, contain a

file number. As an example, a typical caption may look
something like the following:

UNIT ID

DIVIN, MEDIA
CODE, FY, SEQUENCE
NUMBER; DATE OF
PHOTOGRAPHY

CAPTION TEXT

CREDIT LINE

PACIFIC FLEET
IMAGING COMMAND
SAN DIEGO, CA

N0108-SCN-93-00374
21 MAR 1993

Six-year-old Terry Thomas,
a victim of. . . . Brenda has
been doing . . .

Official U.S. Navy
Photograph by:

PH3 Jon T. Boat USN

Your skill as a caption writer, like any endeavor, will

improve with practice. When you write a caption, have
the photograph in front of you. This may help you recall

just what was taking place. Avoid phrases, such

as-"Shown above," "This is a picture of. . . ." or
"Posing for the camera . . . ." These phrases insult the
reader's intelligence.

When writing captions, you should always be alert

to point out interesting or important things in the
photograph that might escape the casual reader.
Remember to spell out the meaning of all unfamiliar
abbreviations. PHAA may mean Photographer's Mate
Airman Apprentice to you, but it may be meaningless to
the reader.

Finally, you must remember that the caption should

supplement the photograph, not duplicate with words
what is readily evident in the photograph.

Captions should always be typed, preferably double

spaced, on a separate sheet of paper, such as
"crack-and-peel" stickers or plain, white paper, and
affixed to the back of the photograph. When using plain,
white paper to prepare and attach a caption to a photo,
first type the caption on the bottom of a sheet of paper.
Cut off most of the unused portion and fold just above
the typing. Attach the caption to the back of the photo
with tape so the typed caption folds over the bottom and
lies against the face of the photo. When unfolded, the

caption is properly positioned at the bottom of the photo.

INVESTIGATION PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is a valuable tool used by the

master-at-arms, the Naval Investigative Service, and

other investigators to make visual records of crime
scenes, accidents, or other incidents. Evidence
(investigative or forensic) photography is used to show
particular items of evidence and their relationship to the
scene and to produce closeup pictures of significant
parts of the scene.

As a Photographer's Mate, you usually will be

working under the direction of an investigator when
producing forensic pictures. However, you should take
the initiative to learn all you can about the case you are
working on. With sufficient information, you can use
your judgment to assess the photography requirements,
angles of view, supplementary lighting, close-ups, and
other factors, such as camera, lens, and film choice.
Investigators, especially in crime cases, are often
reluctant to give the photographer any information.
They would rather you not ask questions and just follow
their specific directions of what to photograph. This is
often the case because they do not want information
leaks that could ruin their case. You must gain their
confidence and not discuss the case with anyone outside
of the investigative team. On many occasions,
investigative leads have been developed solely by
studying good forensic pictures provided by a
professional photographer.

When photographing any scene as part of an

investigation, it is important to make overall pictures of
the scene that can be related to the close-ups which you
must also take. These overall pictures are important and
cannot be sacrificed for any reason. Use wide-angle
lenses to obtain these views when you cannot move to
a vantage point where a normal lens can be used. When
making overall views of the scene, avoid having
extraneous elements, such as people and automobiles,
or other confusing elements included. Extraneous
elements only serve to mislead people viewing the
photographs and may obscure important details.
Investigators will normally cooperate by clearing the
scene for the overall views.

Never take it upon yourself to recreate the scene if

it has changed before your arrival. Repositioning
elements within the scene or having someone assume
the position of a body that has been removed will not be
of any help. There is no way of assuring accurate
repositioning, and the photographs become suspect as
being "contrived" and made up. You should always
photograph the scene as you find it. If the investigator
wants to recreate the scene, that is his business. You
should not offer to help.

Closeup views of scene elements should be made of

any evidence, weapons, aircraft damage, body wounds,
and so on, before the evidence is moved. If, for example,
a closeup shot is needed of a gun that was thrown under

6-15

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Basic Photography Course

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DOFMaster for Windows On-line Depth of Field Calculator DOFMaster for Mobile Devices On-line Depth of Field Table Hyperfocal Distance Chart Articles FAQ Recommended Books Support Contact Links Home As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.	contents <- previous page next page -> A typical caption should also identify the unit that produced the photography and, if appropriate, contain a file number. As an example, a typical caption may look something like the following: UNIT ID DIVIN, MEDIA CODE, FY, SEQUENCE NUMBER; DATE OF PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTION TEXT CREDIT LINE PACIFIC FLEET IMAGING COMMAND SAN DIEGO, CA N0108-SCN-93-00374 21 MAR 1993 Six-year-old Terry Thomas, a victim of. . . . Brenda has been doing . . . Official U.S. Navy Photograph by: PH3 Jon T. Boat USN Your skill as a caption writer, like any endeavor, will improve with practice. When you write a caption, have the photograph in front of you. This may help you recall just what was taking place. Avoid phrases, such as-"Shown above," "This is a picture of. . . ." or "Posing for the camera . . . ." These phrases insult the reader's intelligence. When writing captions, you should always be alert to point out interesting or important things in the photograph that might escape the casual reader. Remember to spell out the meaning of all unfamiliar abbreviations. PHAA may mean Photographer's Mate Airman Apprentice to you, but it may be meaningless to the reader. Finally, you must remember that the caption should supplement the photograph, not duplicate with words what is readily evident in the photograph. Captions should always be typed, preferably double spaced, on a separate sheet of paper, such as "crack-and-peel" stickers or plain, white paper, and affixed to the back of the photograph. When using plain, white paper to prepare and attach a caption to a photo, first type the caption on the bottom of a sheet of paper. Cut off most of the unused portion and fold just above the typing. Attach the caption to the back of the photo with tape so the typed caption folds over the bottom and lies against the face of the photo. When unfolded, the caption is properly positioned at the bottom of the photo. INVESTIGATION PHOTOGRAPHY Photography is a valuable tool used by the master-at-arms, the Naval Investigative Service, and other investigators to make visual records of crime scenes, accidents, or other incidents. Evidence (investigative or forensic) photography is used to show particular items of evidence and their relationship to the scene and to produce closeup pictures of significant parts of the scene. As a Photographer's Mate, you usually will be working under the direction of an investigator when producing forensic pictures. However, you should take the initiative to learn all you can about the case you are working on. With sufficient information, you can use your judgment to assess the photography requirements, angles of view, supplementary lighting, close-ups, and other factors, such as camera, lens, and film choice. Investigators, especially in crime cases, are often reluctant to give the photographer any information. They would rather you not ask questions and just follow their specific directions of what to photograph. This is often the case because they do not want information leaks that could ruin their case. You must gain their confidence and not discuss the case with anyone outside of the investigative team. On many occasions, investigative leads have been developed solely by studying good forensic pictures provided by a professional photographer. When photographing any scene as part of an investigation, it is important to make overall pictures of the scene that can be related to the close-ups which you must also take. These overall pictures are important and cannot be sacrificed for any reason. Use wide-angle lenses to obtain these views when you cannot move to a vantage point where a normal lens can be used. When making overall views of the scene, avoid having extraneous elements, such as people and automobiles, or other confusing elements included. Extraneous elements only serve to mislead people viewing the photographs and may obscure important details. Investigators will normally cooperate by clearing the scene for the overall views. Never take it upon yourself to recreate the scene if it has changed before your arrival. Repositioning elements within the scene or having someone assume the position of a body that has been removed will not be of any help. There is no way of assuring accurate repositioning, and the photographs become suspect as being "contrived" and made up. You should always photograph the scene as you find it. If the investigator wants to recreate the scene, that is his business. You should not offer to help. Closeup views of scene elements should be made of any evidence, weapons, aircraft damage, body wounds, and so on, before the evidence is moved. If, for example, a closeup shot is needed of a gun that was thrown under 6-15 contents Basic Photography Course <- previous page next page ->	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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