Overview

Audience: Law Enforcement and Medicolegal Death Investigators Sponsor: OPOA & West Linn Police Department Wednesday November 27, 2024, from1:00pm - 4:00pm Overview: Practical Forensic Photography will highlight photography fundamentals associated with documentation of findings on bodies and scenes. Featured topics include: the importance of photodocumentation, common errors (and how to avoid them), camera types, camera settings, impacts of lighting, improving focus, supplemental equipment, and helpful hints. Case reviews and photographic examples are used throughout the class. An emphasis on practical applications is intended to promote high quality and valuable photodocumentation in spite of the challenges posed by limited agency resources or limited individual experience. Novice photographers can expect to obtain knowledge that will improve their confidence and competence with a camera. Experienced photographers will learn how to apply pre-existing knowledge to medicolegal settings. Instructor: Jennifer R. Snippen PhD MA BSN F-ABMDI Jennifer Snippen is an educator, consultant, and researcher with decades of experience participating in medicolegal investigations. She has been a board certified fellow in medicolegal death investigation since 2009 (F-ABMDI) and a registry diplomate since 2004 (D-ABMDI). Prior to becoming a death investigator, she was a trained as a first responder (EMT-I expired) and worked as nurse (RN BSN) in the emergency, critical care, flight, and corrections settings. Jennifer’s academic interests have focused on infant death investigation (MA) and US death investigation practices (PhD). She has been qualified as an expert witness for strangulation cases in numerous Oregon counties. She incorporates a lifelong interest in photography into her efforts to assist investigators and improve investigations. She is a regularly invited speaker on forensic photography and practical and accessible approach is acclaimed by law enforcement, medical professionals, and death investigators across the US.