Chapter 4 - Sketching and Drawing for Investigative Photography

A photography sketch should be created at the same time photographs are taken for an investigation as part of the process of taking the photographs. A sketch or drawing developed as a reference for photographs of a scene can be critical to the success of an investigation. An accurate and complete scene sketch is another tool that can show where evidence was collected. It will establish references for the entire site and will lessen the potential for confusion. This chapter will review sketching and drawing techniques that will help you to standardize investigative photography documentation and presentation during legal proceedings.

The U.S. Army’s pamphlet, Army Accident Reporting: Accident Reporting and Records, underscores the importance of scene sketches by requiring that the scene be documented with a photographic record and a wreckage distribution (accident site) diagram (Army Accident Reporting, 1994, ch. 2-5, 10). The manual encourages the use of photographs and sketches for witness interviews and requires cross-referencing of witness statements to photographs and sketches. Each sketch is to be created using a field compass, measuring tape, protractor, ruler, inclinometer, and necessary writing materials. With a detailed sketch in progress, adding the locations in which photographs are taken is a simple step that links the sketch of evidence to the photographic evidence. Figure 4.1 is a sample of the Army Accident Investigation Report Form for scene sketches.

ELEMENTS OF A SCENE SKETCH

The objective of a photography sketch is to show, for each photograph, the approximate location of the photographer and the direction