An Evaluation of Resolution Requirements for Feature Identification and Comparison in Forensic Photography
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Mc Cann, Kerry
- Area of Honors:
- Forensic Science
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Ralph R Ristenbatt, III, Thesis Supervisor
Mitchell Mark Holland, Thesis Honors Advisor
Stewart M Hung, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Forensic Science
Photography
Comparison Photography
Feature Identification Photography
Resolution
Resolution Requirements
Forensic Photography - Abstract:
- Resolution is a measurement used to evaluate the ability to distinguish two aspects of an image from one another and can be used to evaluate the resolution of photographs resulting from the settings used to take said photograph. Photography is an integral part of forensic science, but there is a lack of information and guidelines within the field on best practices and ideal settings to use to take photographs with a high enough resolution to be used in comparison and feature identification. The goal of this study was to create a foundation for continued research on camera settings and the direct effects on the resolution of the resulting photograph for use in forensic science. To do this, 390 photographs of two resolution test charts were taken with five different cameras. The two resolution test charts of focus in this study were the I3A/ISO12233 Resolution Test Chart and the USAF 1951 Resolution Test Chart and the five cameras used in this study were the Nikon D810, Nikon D5600, Nikon D750, Nikon D850, and Apple iPhone 13 Pro. Once the settings that resulted in the highest and lowest resolution values for each camera with each test chart were determined, those settings were used to take photographs of either an exemplar footwear mark or an exemplar fingermark. After reviewing these exemplar photographs, it was clear that the ability to identify and distinguish key features used in comparison/feature identification in forensic science for both the footwear mark and the fingermark were greater in the photographs with the highest resolution settings compared to the photographs with the lowest resolution settings.