Course Description

Effective laboratory photography depends on more than having the right camera—it requires the ability to control, manipulate, and select light to reveal the details that matter. The Master Class in Lighting for Laboratory Photography provides an in-depth exploration of lighting techniques used to photograph evidence, examinations, and other challenging subjects in a controlled laboratory environment.

Designed for forensic photographers, laboratory personnel, evidence specialists, and forensic examiners, this advanced course focuses on the practical application of lighting techniques to improve image quality, enhance evidence detail, control reflections and contrast, and reveal characteristics that may be difficult or impossible to document using conventional illumination.

Participants will progress from foundational lighting principles through specialized techniques involving reflected, transmitted, polarized, ultraviolet, fluorescent, and infrared illumination. Emphasis is placed on understanding how light interacts with different surfaces, materials, shapes, and evidence types and how the photographer can use those interactions to produce accurate, informative, and professionally documented images.

Instructor

RS&A Instructor Erik Malz

Erik Malz serves as a forensic consultant and latent print examiner for Ron Smith and Associates Inc. He has been working in the field of forensics for over ten years, with experience in both crime scene investigation and latent print examination. He was formerly employed as an assistant supervisor and training officer for a law enforcement agency in Central Florida and is currently an instructor for the International Latent Print Examiner Training Academy. Erik is certified by the International Association for Identification as a Certified Latent Print Examiner, Certified Forensic Photographer, and Certified Crime Scene Analyst.

Course Modules

1. Introduction to Lighting for Laboratory Photography
 Establish the fundamental principles of photographic lighting and examine how the direction, intensity, quality, color, and angle of light influence the appearance and documentation of laboratory subjects.

2. Oblique Lighting
 Explore the use of low-angle illumination to emphasize surface texture, impressions, irregularities, and other three-dimensional characteristics that may be difficult to visualize under direct lighting.

3. Diffused Lighting
 Learn techniques for softening and distributing light to reduce harsh shadows, minimize unwanted reflections, and create more uniform illumination across challenging surfaces.

4. Bounce Lighting
 Examine methods for redirecting light from reflective surfaces to create softer, indirect illumination and improve the photographic appearance of evidence.

5. Backlighting / Transmitted Lighting
 Use illumination from behind or through a subject to document transparency, opacity, internal characteristics, edges, defects, and other features best visualized using transmitted light.

6. Direct Lighting of Cylindrical Objects
 Address the unique challenges associated with photographing curved and cylindrical objects while controlling glare, reflections, shadows, and uneven illumination.

7. Painting with Light
 Explore long-exposure techniques in which a movable light source is used to selectively illuminate different areas of a subject and create controlled, comprehensive photographic documentation.

8. Cross Polarization
 Learn how polarized illumination and lens filtration can work together to reduce surface glare and reflections while improving the visibility of underlying detail.

9. Hard Specular Illumination
 Examine highly directional illumination techniques used to exploit specular reflection and reveal subtle surface characteristics.

10. Direct Reflectance
 Explore lighting and camera positioning techniques that utilize reflected light to enhance specific characteristics and improve the visualization of surface detail.

11. Coaxial Illumination
 Learn how illumination aligned with the optical axis of the camera can be used to photograph reflective and challenging surfaces while revealing details that may not be visible using conventional lighting arrangements.

12. Color Filtration
 Examine the use of photographic filters and selected wavelengths to control contrast, suppress backgrounds, enhance evidence characteristics, and improve visualization.

13. Fluorescence
 Explore fluorescence photography using appropriate excitation sources and barrier filtration to document materials and evidence that emit visible light when exposed to selected wavelengths.

14. Reflected UV
 Examine reflected ultraviolet photography and its applications for documenting characteristics based on differences in ultraviolet absorption and reflection.

15. Infrared Light
 Explore infrared photographic techniques for visualizing and documenting information beyond the visible spectrum, including situations where infrared radiation can improve contrast or reveal otherwise obscured details.

Required Materials

Digital camera capable of manual exposure control

Macro lens or zoom lens (if no macro lens available)

Copy stand or tripod

Remote shutter release or camera timer function

White light source (flashlight, copy stand lights, or ALS capable of white light)

Alternate Light Source or UV flashlight

Fingerprint powder (black and fluorescent)

Sheet of copy paper or diffusion paper

Items to photograph

Photographic scales


Target Audience

This course is designed for forensic photographers, crime laboratory personnel, evidence technicians, crime scene investigators, latent print examiners, firearms and toolmark examiners, questioned document examiners, and other forensic professionals who photograph evidence or laboratory examinations.

Upon Completion:

Upon completion of this Master Class, participants should be better prepared to:

  • Select appropriate lighting techniques based on the physical and optical characteristics of the subject.
  • Control reflections, glare, shadows, contrast, and surface texture.
  • Apply oblique, diffused, bounce, transmitted, and specialized illumination techniques.
  • Photograph curved, cylindrical, reflective, and otherwise challenging objects.
  • Apply cross-polarization and specialized reflectance techniques.
  • Use color filtration and wavelength-specific illumination to improve evidence visualization.
  • Understand the photographic applications of fluorescence, ultraviolet, and infrared radiation.
  • Evaluate a difficult photographic subject and develop an effective lighting strategy rather than relying solely on standard lighting configurations.
  • Produce accurate, detailed, and professionally documented laboratory photographs.

Course Brochure PDF

Master Class in Lighting for Laboratory Photography - Course Brochure.pdf