Examples from My SAE Automotive Forensic Photography Class C1729
In my previous post, I showed the difference in photographing tire marks at a wreck site with and without a polarizer. In this post, I’ll show nine more comparison pairs illustrating other subjects we’ll cover in my SAE C1729 Photography for Accident Reconstruction, Product Liability, and Testing class: https://www.sae.org/learn/content/c1729/.
Tracking a Vehicle During Testing
Tracking by panning with Nikon D800E with 300 mm f/2.8 lens at f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO 400. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Using Fill Flash to Show Details in Shadows
Both with Nikon D850 and ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens. Left side: No flash at f/10, 1/60 sec, ISO 64. Right side: Fill flash at f/11, 1/80 sec, ISO 64. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Showing Depths of Abrasions and Damage Using Two Flashes vs Ambient
Left side: Ambient only; Right side: One Profoto B1x strobe on either side of tread. Both with Nikon D850 with ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens at f/16, ISO 100, 4.0 sec left & 1/200 sec right. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Controlling Background Brightness while Keeping Flash the Same
Both made with Nikon D850 and ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens at f/14, ISO 64 with flash in hot shoe. Left side: 2.0 second exposure for bright background. Right side: 1/250 sec exposure for dark background. Background itself didn’t change. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Keeping Background Brightness the Same while Adding Fill Flash
Left side: Ambient light only. Right side: Same ambient light with added fill flash. Both with Nikon Z 8 with ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens at f/16, 1/25 sec, ISO 64. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Using Macro Flashes vs On-Camera Flash for Recessed Subjects
Left side: flash in hot shoe (Godox TT685IIN) with head tilted -7°; Right side: one small macro flash (Godox MF-12) on either side of lens—no light from hot shoe flash. Both with Nikon D850 with ZEISS Distagon 25 mm f/2 lens at f/16, 1/200 sec, ISO 64. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Unintended Deception from Camera Position, Even with Same Lens
Both made with Nikon D850 with ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens with fill flash. Left side: f/13, 1/40 sec, ISO 125. Right side: f/16, 1/30 sec, ISO 200. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Eliminating Glare on Plastic Evidence Bag Using Two Flashes
Both made with Nikon D850 with ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens. Left side: Ambient only (f/16, 1.0 sec, ISO 16). Right side: Ambient with one flash at right and one at left (f/16, 1/200 sec, ISO 64). [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Using Tripod, Manual Exposure, & Manual Flash to Ensure Consistent Images for Demonstrating Function of Subject
Using a tripod, manual exposure, and manual flash ensure consistency between images. Both made with Nikon D850 and ZEISS Milvus 50 mm f/2 macro lens at f/16, 1/40 sec, ISO 64 plus flash. [Click on image to enlarge, then click on back arrow to return to this post.]Some of you may have noticed that—except for the Explorer testing, the Trailblazer, and the onboard tire inflation system images—each pair of images had the same exact composition. Only the lighting changed. This was only possible by using a tripod. Tripod use will be another area of concentration and practice in the class. Hopefully, you’ll learn to love using your tripod like I love using mine.
I’ll post another set of photograph pairs later to illustrate additional areas we’ll cover in the class.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me by e-mail or phone if you have any questions or would like more information. I look forward to seeing you in Reston, VA, in December. Again, here is the link for the class: https://www.sae.org/learn/content/c1729/.
