An awesome resource available to photographers is the Glossary of Digital Photography, a free resource from Rocky Nook. Check it out and you'll see just how helpful it is for prepping for court, writing reports, or just generally increasing your photography vocabulary. It's also available in book form.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Awesome photography resource
In light of Melendez-Diaz v Massachusetts, many folk are going to be spending a lot more time in court explaining themselves. For forensic photographers, it's going to be especially interesting. Many have never seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone testified. Questions may get specific to both technique and tools. It's the specifics where folks often get tripped up.
Camera Questions
I get a lot of camera questions in my inbox each day. Many folks are upgrading or getting a new piece of gear and want honest opinions before they drop a huge chunk of change. Some folks are brand loyal, but see a feature set on another company's product and want to make the jump, but have no experience with the company. Regardless of the reason, folks just want honest and accurate information on which to base their decision.
I've received a few requests for info on the Nikon D700. I'm not a Nikon guy. I've got a bag full of Fuji and Canon products. That's just me. There's nothing wrong with Nikon, I've just been using Fuji and Canon for my own reasons. As an example, our tests show that Fuji is the best at accurately reproducing blues and greens (and some of my largest clients feature those colours prominently - so I want to get it right).
If you are looking for Nikon info, your best source is the Nikonians. If you like your info in book form, check out Mastering the Nikon D700 by Darrell Young (Planet Nikon's DigitalDarrell) and James Johnson. The book is a joint venture between the Nikonians and Rocky Nook. It's a great book that goes way beyond the user's guide - even branching out into discussions on accessories.
If you want rich insight into the camera - with some crazy tips that you won't find anywhere else, combined with clear illustrations and to the point directions - then Mastering the Nikon D700 is the book for you. For me, I like the fact that the authors focus not only on the what, but also the how and the why of the product's features (you know I like all things what-how-why). A must if you are planning on using this camera for crime scene or forensic photography.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Cross-examination ruling's ripple effect
By Larry O'Dell - AP
Virginia courts are feeling the impact of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prosecutors must make forensic examiners available for defense cross-examination about lab reports on drugs, ballistics and other trial evidence.
Defense attorneys began citing the ruling soon after it was issued June 25, even though the attorney general's office contends that state courts are still bound by a somewhat different Virginia Supreme Court decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last month that lab reports are testimonial evidence and thus subject to the Constitution's confrontation clause. Virginia's highest court concluded last year that the state law satisfies that portion of the Sixth Amendment because it allows the defense to subpoena the lab scientists to testify.
In the case decided June 25, the U.S. justices ruled in favor of Luis Melendez-Diaz, who challenged a lab analysis that confirmed cocaine was in plastic bags found in the car in which he was riding. Massachusetts courts had rejected his claim that he should be allowed to question the lab scientist about testing methods and other issues.
Whether the Virginia law is constitutional after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts will be cleared up eventually. The nation's highest court agreed Monday to hear an appeal of the Virginia Supreme Court's decision. Until then, the situation in Virginia will remain unsettled.
Richmond defense attorney Elliott Bender said he used the Melendez argument for the first time in Hanover County General District Court. He argued that the Melendez ruling means Virginia improperly puts the onus on the defendant to make sure the examiner is available to testify. The judge has yet to rule.
"The defendant has no burden to put on any evidence," Bender said. "It's always been an obligation the government had to put on a case. It should always be their burden."
State Solicitor General Stephen McCullough said he doesn't dispute that the government has to make the case. However, he said it's permissible to require the defendant to take steps to preserve his confrontation clause rights. He said that's similar to other duties imposed on defendants, such as requiring them to notify prosecutors if they intend to present evidence of an alleged victim's sexual history in a sex-crime case.
Virginia's law requires the prosecution to submit any lab reports they plan to use as evidence a week before a hearing or trial. If the defendant doesn't demand that the examiner testify, he has waived his confrontation clause right.
McCullough said the Melendez ruling signaled that such "waiver-and-demand" statutes are permissible in concept, and "the next question for the Supreme Court is which types of these state laws are acceptable."
Read the rest of the article by clicking here.
Virginia courts are feeling the impact of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prosecutors must make forensic examiners available for defense cross-examination about lab reports on drugs, ballistics and other trial evidence.
Defense attorneys began citing the ruling soon after it was issued June 25, even though the attorney general's office contends that state courts are still bound by a somewhat different Virginia Supreme Court decision.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last month that lab reports are testimonial evidence and thus subject to the Constitution's confrontation clause. Virginia's highest court concluded last year that the state law satisfies that portion of the Sixth Amendment because it allows the defense to subpoena the lab scientists to testify.
In the case decided June 25, the U.S. justices ruled in favor of Luis Melendez-Diaz, who challenged a lab analysis that confirmed cocaine was in plastic bags found in the car in which he was riding. Massachusetts courts had rejected his claim that he should be allowed to question the lab scientist about testing methods and other issues.
Whether the Virginia law is constitutional after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts will be cleared up eventually. The nation's highest court agreed Monday to hear an appeal of the Virginia Supreme Court's decision. Until then, the situation in Virginia will remain unsettled.
Richmond defense attorney Elliott Bender said he used the Melendez argument for the first time in Hanover County General District Court. He argued that the Melendez ruling means Virginia improperly puts the onus on the defendant to make sure the examiner is available to testify. The judge has yet to rule.
"The defendant has no burden to put on any evidence," Bender said. "It's always been an obligation the government had to put on a case. It should always be their burden."
State Solicitor General Stephen McCullough said he doesn't dispute that the government has to make the case. However, he said it's permissible to require the defendant to take steps to preserve his confrontation clause rights. He said that's similar to other duties imposed on defendants, such as requiring them to notify prosecutors if they intend to present evidence of an alleged victim's sexual history in a sex-crime case.
Virginia's law requires the prosecution to submit any lab reports they plan to use as evidence a week before a hearing or trial. If the defendant doesn't demand that the examiner testify, he has waived his confrontation clause right.
McCullough said the Melendez ruling signaled that such "waiver-and-demand" statutes are permissible in concept, and "the next question for the Supreme Court is which types of these state laws are acceptable."
Read the rest of the article by clicking here.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Soundbooth CS4 for interview rooms
Suspects mumble and whisper. People sit too far from the hidden microphone. There are all sorts of reasons why interview room audio can need cleaning up. So ... here's a Sunday bonus ... a Soundbooth CS4 tip for quickly fixing interview room audio.
Equalize Volume Levels is a new feature in Soundbooth. With it, you fix these troublesome recordings automatically.
As you can see, you can access this feature from the Process menu or from the Volume Correction task panel.
And ... surprise ... it's automatic and it works fairly well. Try this function first, before you spend hours on manual adjustments in Audition.
According to Sven Duwenhorst from Adobe, "Equalize Volume Levels is different from normalizing an audio file. Normalizing will increase the amplification of the entire audio clip based on the highest peak value in the clip. In contrast, Equalize Volume calculates a reference volume level and amplifies or lowers the signal over the time to maintain this reference level throughout. This is similar to what happens when you use a compressor/limiter.
The Volume Correction task in Soundbooth CS4 also includes Match Volume, which adjusts volume levels across multiples audio files."
The Volume Correction task in Soundbooth CS4 also includes Match Volume, which adjusts volume levels across multiples audio files."
If I didn't know better, I'd say that the folks at Adobe wrote Soundbooth for law enforcement. Lots of "easy buttons" and one button fixes ...
Friday, July 10, 2009
Datacolor SpyderCube reviewed at the PPA
Pro Review: Datacolor SpyderCube
By Stan Sholik
I’m sure most professional photographers have some device in their camera bag to white balance their digital captures by now. The majority of these devices, ranging from an ExpoDisc to a coffee filter, provide a white balance by correcting the color temperature of the light before you begin shooting, saving it as a preset for the session.
While this approach yields excellent results for white balance, these devices do nothing to assist us in adjusting midtone brightness, shadow density and contrast to ensure we are taking full advantage of the dynamic range of the capture.
Datacolor, with the introduction of the $59 SpyderCube, takes a different approach to white balance and in doing so provides a device that addresses all of the visual elements we need to extract the maximum tonality from our images. Standing only a little over three inches tall, the SpyderCube is the Mighty Mouse of color balance.
Read more by clicking here.
By Stan Sholik
I’m sure most professional photographers have some device in their camera bag to white balance their digital captures by now. The majority of these devices, ranging from an ExpoDisc to a coffee filter, provide a white balance by correcting the color temperature of the light before you begin shooting, saving it as a preset for the session.
While this approach yields excellent results for white balance, these devices do nothing to assist us in adjusting midtone brightness, shadow density and contrast to ensure we are taking full advantage of the dynamic range of the capture.
Datacolor, with the introduction of the $59 SpyderCube, takes a different approach to white balance and in doing so provides a device that addresses all of the visual elements we need to extract the maximum tonality from our images. Standing only a little over three inches tall, the SpyderCube is the Mighty Mouse of color balance.
Read more by clicking here.
Sharing video files - please help
A reader sent off some video files (PSD) that he worked on (Photoshop CS4) to discovery. There was a big problem ... the video wasn't there when it arrived.
Photoshop CS4, like all applications that work with video, does not store a copy of the video in the working file (PSD) - it just stores the links to the video's location on the hard drive. So, in order to share your work, you'll want to render it out to a separate file (final) and send the PSD working copy and the originals.
If you've attended my classes, this should sound familiar. Send the 1:1 copies of the originals, the PSD working files, and the final copy of your work - along with your notes and CV for discovery. Package everything neatly, labeling the folders appropriately so that the attorneys and jurors don't have to guess at what you've done. Remember, the Supreme Court recently ruled (Melendez-Diaz v. Massachsetts) that forensic analysts must testify under the 6th Amendment's Confrontation Clause - granting defendants the right to confront witnesses against them.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Image Sequences won't open
A reader wants to open an image sequence and work with it as video, but the option is grayed out in the Open dialog box.
The clue to solving this puzzle is to see the Format choice that Photoshop CS4 has given, Photoshop Raw. In this case, the reader has exported a Tiff image sequence from Avid and wants to work with it in Photoshop. Fair enough ... no problem, right?
The problem has to do with the way the user configured Photoshop's Tiff image handling - he set it to prefer Adobe Camera Raw for Tiffs. With this, the Open dialog is looking to send the Tiffs to ACR, not directly into Photoshop. A simple change of settings in the Preferences fixes the problem.
Browsing again to the folder containing the image sequence and clicking on the first image in the sequence produced this result in the Open dialog.
The Format is now set to Tiff and the Image Sequence check box is available. All that's left to do is to check the box and click Open.
Then, set the Frame Rate and click OK.
And there you have it, you can now work with your image sequences as video in Photoshop CS4.
New for Video in Photoshop CS4
One of the cool new features (well, not exactly new ... but incredibly improved) in Photoshop CS4 is the use of shortcut keys when working with video. If you are like me, you've got the entire keyboard visualised in terms of the shortcut key combos ... thus speeding up your workflow. CS4 now extends that workflow enhancement to the video realm.
First off, you have to enable the functionality. From the Animation panel's fly-out menu, scroll to the bottom and select Enable Timeline Shortcut Keys.
Once enabled, you're in for a treat. The Space bar now starts playing the video (sound familiar). The Left Arrow takes you back one frame. The Right Arrow moves you forward one frame. Holding the Shift key down whilst clicking the Right Arrow moves you forward ten frames ... and so on.
Dedicated Micros CEO talks down IP CCTV
From SecureView.ie: Mike Newton, the chief executive officer of Dedicated Micros is rubbishing claims that IP network video recorders represent good value for money. He claims the ROI on these systems is far too low. What do you think? Watch the interview by clicking here.
DME at NATIA
Our good friend, Jeff Hunter of Salient Stills, will be hosting two training sessions at NATIA this year.
Digital Media: The Ins and Outs
Jeff Hunter, CTO Salient Stills
NATIA - Memphis, TN
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 5pm - 7pm
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 8am - 10am
Synopsis: More and more frequently forensic video specialists have to analyze video and audio that comes to them in the form of a digital video file. Sometimes these files can be easily imported into a forensic system; sometimes they refuse to import; sometimes they import on one machine and not another; and sometimes they import but look corrupted, slow the system down or cause the system to crash. Related issues arise for the specialist who wants to be able to export and share these or other video files. These files not only need to be of high quality but they also need to be compatible with the recipient's computer.
By considering how digital files look to and are dealt with by the computer, this session will offer the user insights that will help eliminate the guess work of deciding what to do in these situations. We will explore the digital representation of video and audio, video and audio codecs, media file formats and the facilities both within forensic applications and within the computer systems themselves that play a role in dealing with media data.
Digital Media: The Ins and Outs
Jeff Hunter, CTO Salient Stills
NATIA - Memphis, TN
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 5pm - 7pm
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 8am - 10am
Synopsis: More and more frequently forensic video specialists have to analyze video and audio that comes to them in the form of a digital video file. Sometimes these files can be easily imported into a forensic system; sometimes they refuse to import; sometimes they import on one machine and not another; and sometimes they import but look corrupted, slow the system down or cause the system to crash. Related issues arise for the specialist who wants to be able to export and share these or other video files. These files not only need to be of high quality but they also need to be compatible with the recipient's computer.
By considering how digital files look to and are dealt with by the computer, this session will offer the user insights that will help eliminate the guess work of deciding what to do in these situations. We will explore the digital representation of video and audio, video and audio codecs, media file formats and the facilities both within forensic applications and within the computer systems themselves that play a role in dealing with media data.
If you are going to NATIA's national conference this year, make sure that you stop in and see Jeff's presentation. Jeff's a good guy to know when it comes to questions about dodgy digital multimedia evidence.
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