Digital Photography for Traffic Crash Investigators

This course is designed for agency representatives who are currently active in photographing crash scenes. We will guide you through the proper use of your departmentally issued camera, using at least three different camera modes beyond the camera’s Auto mode. This training will be accomplished through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practical exercises.

You will gain knowledge and confidence in both daytime and nighttime scene documentation, as two of the five days will be dedicated to nighttime photography through demonstrations of flash photography techniques and the use of available light. We will spend one day at a local salvage yard, where you will apply the skills acquired in the classroom to simulate the post-crash vehicle inspection normally at the impound lot. You will also learn macro techniques for recording close-up evidence, including vehicle lamp photography.

You will leave this course with a confident working knowledge of techniques for photographically recording vehicles, vehicle damage, and vehicle-related evidence with your departmentally issued digital camera. The course requires full attendance of all scheduled instruction, completion of all planned projects assigned, and evaluation by the instructors.