Hi everyone, id like to know what the requirements and job prospects are for forensic photography?

It's already been mentioned that you probably will have to be a police officer. There are multiple reasons for that, not the least of which is cost and convenience to the police departments. They provide training in crime scene photography.

That is not the same as forensic photography whose photographers are asssociate to either a crime scene investigation team or the coroner's/medical examiner's office. I can tell you from recent personal experience that it is not a job for the squeamish. For the medical examiner jobs, it's a photograph and then bag and tag operation and the first tag is you - your it. I have seen a few jobs in the ME area advertised, mostly by subcontracting companies to the US Government providing services to military bases.

The photography skills are the same basic skills as you would expect from any pro applied in a manner that provides the best documentary evidence. There are special cameras, or specially modified cameras, that are often used covering both infrared and ultraviolet sensitivity and standardized techniques. Fuji makes a DSLR for the purpose. Creativity is not an asset!

The forensic work I was recently contracted for was to rephotograph the body of a young man who died in police custody just after it's release by the Coroner. Interesting, but not fun and finding a PA was also interesting.

The job prospects aren't good. There aren't that many positions, they aren't advertised widely and the people who do the work tend to keep the job.

The above is what most people think of as forensic photography, but the term forensic applies to the application of technical and scientific investigative procedures to provide information suitable for a court or other determining body to make judgements. Wherever photography can be applied in that service and when it is applied then you have forensic photography. There are industrial and other applications which would fall under that definition and they have their own requirements. Investigating art theft is one area, arson investigations are another.

Unlike Ace, I don't know any who shoot with view cameras. The question of the validity of digital has never been a practical problem since in criminal investigations the photos are part of a chain of evidence and similar chains of posession and certification of authenticiy have always been available in civil procedures. This is for photographs taken for forensic purposes.

It is not true for images not taken for another purpose, such as construction purposes, where there is no reasonable assumption that they haven't been modified.

Upshot, best bet is to join law enforement and be anal about record keeping and detail work.

You need an extensive background in photography (formal education and experience).

It would help if you had some medical photography background as well, so they know you have some experience is shooting using all the tools necessary to capture images using microscopes, macro lenses, copy-stands and of course plenty of darkroom experience and skill.

You will have to demonstrate you can shoot and develop specialty films like IR and others.

This is a really short list ... many times you will be called upon to use a view camera as well as 35mm and medium format cameras. While digital cameras are used from time to time, only recently have they been accepted by the courts with the advent of the "Image Authentication" feature on a few cameras

Be prepared to go through the associated law enforcement academy and be a rookie for a while. All the forensic photographers I know are also sworn officers.

first of all you have to go to a Police Academy

The Dade County Medical Examiner office offers a six month internship in their photo department.