are rarely the first to arrive at a crime scene. Under such circumstances, unofficial investigators that are located in the field at the time of commission of the abuses, may be in a better position to record crime scenes by means of photographic or video imagery than professional investigators arriving a long time later. The following sets out the basic principles of forensic photography. Following these guidelines will increase the likelihood that the images may be used as evidence in court but by no means guarantees this. When creating photographic or video images, unofficial investigators must adhere to the ethical practices set out in Chapter 2 at all times. This includes the principle to do no harm, always keeping the best interest of the victims and witnesses in mind. Unofficial investigators should not document victims or witnesses without obtaining their prior and informed consent and should never ask them to partially or fully undress or document them as such. For more information on ethical standards, see Chapter 2. Establishing and Close-Up Photography Criminal investigators distinguish between two types of forensic photographic images: • Establishing photographs; and • Close-up photographs. 93 Establishing photography records the entire crime scene exactly as the person first arriving encountered it. This entails a series of individual panoramic shots that are taken with sufficient overlap to provide an overview of the scene. This allows investigators/judges to reconstruct the circumstances of the crimes as accurately as possible. If possible, include a marker indicating which direction is north to record the geographical location of the scene as accurately as possible. 94 93 Brian Gestring, A FORENSIC SCIENTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOGRAPHY, 23 (2007), available at http://www.forensictv.net/Downloads/digital_imaging_and_photography/forensic_scientists_guide_to_phot ography_by_brian_gestring.pdf. 94 Marie Nystedt (Ed.), Christian Axboe Nielsen, Jann F. Kleffner, A Handbook On Assisting International Criminal Investigations, THE FOLKE BERNADOTTE ACADEMY, 65 (2011), available at http://folkebernadotteacademy.se/Documents/Kunskapsomr%C3%A5den/Rule%20of%20Law/A%20Hand book%20on%20Assisting%20International%20Criminal%20Investigations.pdf. 74