Eugene Liscio, the founder and mastermind of the virtual International Forensic Photography Symposium (FPS), has asked me to teach one of the inaugural Short Courses at FPS 2025 from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon EST on January 20, 2025. It’s only US$75!!
I’ve been honored to have presented at all three previous FPS events. I have also attended every session of every symposium—even those about areas I will never have to deal with. I always learn something new, and have benefitted from seeing how others address issues they’ve encountered, regardless of their forensic photography genre.
My short course will be Using Flash in Forensic Photography. As I’ve discovered during my 43 years of consulting and forensic photography—and especially since 2018 when I started teaching my three-day automotive forensic photography class for SAE International—that many people fear using flash. That fear is not unfounded. You can’t see how or where your flash will add light to your subject until after the image has been made. But actually, as this short course will demonstrate, flash—even with multiple flashes—is straightforward, and even easy!
One or more flashes simply add light where it’s needed. We’ll see when and how to use ambient light, fill flash (ambient with localized flash), and full flash (where the image would otherwise just be solid black). We’ll also discuss using flash on sunny days outdoors to highlight details and fill in shadows.
We’ll learn when and how to use TTL (Through The Lens) versus Manual flash. There will be demonstrations of bringing out textures, when and how to use different types of flashes, and how and when to use reflectors or other modifiers.
Since capturing accurate colors can be critical in forensic images, we’ll see how to set the proper white balance when using flash. We’ll also see the effects that the color of the background—along with the effects of the color of any surface a flash is bounced off of—can have.
For more information, including a short introductory video, and to register, please use this link: https://www.ai2-3d.com/fps-courses.
To get credit for the course, you’ll have to take a short quiz (all answers will be covered during the workshop) and complete quick, easy hands-on assignments to show you can use flashes as described. All assignments will be specifically demonstrated during the workshop, so this will be easy, too. These assignments should be as much fun as they are useful. My goal is not just to get you to incorporate flash in your daily shooting, but to actually enjoy using it.
If you have any questions about the short course, please contact me through one of the methods on this page of this website: https://vadnaisengineering.com/home/.