Photography in Digital Image Forensics (Natasha Patel)

With Amido Black

Enhanced with Software

Berg, Erik C. "Legal Ramifications of Digital Imaging in Law Enforcement." FBI. FBI, 01 Mar. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/forensic-science-communications/fsc/oct2000/berg.htm/#Image%20Tampering

Digital Forensics can be thought of in many ways. "Modern software has made manipulation of photographs easier to carry out and harder to uncover than ever before,"(Farid, Hany), which makes it difficult to use photographs or images in legal cases. The above images are of a palm print belonging to a certain individual believed to have committed a murder in 1995. This palm print photograph was enhanced using software on a computer so that investigators could identify him. The case began with the discovery of Dawn Fehring's body "raped and strangled to death," (Kohn, David) in her apartment. The apartment was cleaned completely, so there was no evidence left behind. All that the investigators could find was a "bed sheet, with some bloody smudges on it, like someone had wiped his hands," (Kohn, David). Because of the software used to enhance the print, officers were able to make an arrest.

"Forensic Collection and Analysis." Barrister Digital Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.http://www.barristerdigital.com/services/forensic-collection-and-analysis/

Erik Berg is the forensic expert who helped during 1995 in the Fehring case. He has a passion for computers and because of this he was working on developing a software to enhance crime scene photos. "He used his computer to remove the extraneous patterns, and so make the fingerprint more apparent – enough for an expert to make a match," (Kohn, David). Because of this, they were able to identify Eric Hayden and arrested him for the murder of Dawn Fehring. Since this case,  technology has made its entry into the forensics world, and crimes have become both easier and harder to solve. Sometimes this technology has to be used to prove authenticity of images or it is used to identify people.

Beaujon, Andrew. "World Press Photo: ‘No Evidence of Significant Photo Manipulation’ in Award-winning Shot | Poynter." Poynter. N.p., 15 May 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/213411/world-press-photo-will-investigate-paul-hansens-award-winning-shot/

The above image is Paul Hansen's award winning shot of the year in the World Press Photo of the Year 2012. There was much debate on whether the image was authentic or not. Digital Image Forensics was used to help verify that. According to Dr. Hany Farid & Kevin Connor, they reviewed the RAW image that was provided and the published photograph and concluded that the photo was retouched but there is no evidence of photo manipulation, (nppa.org). Farid's process for finding changes in lighting in an image was most likely used here to detect what was changed about this image. Because of where image forensics is now, verifying any image is not an issue. A question that is raised however, is how 'expert' is the expert analyzing the image?

Ellison, Kaitlyn. "Designer Blog." Designer Blog RSS. N.p., 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2013/04/19/5-famous-copyright-infringement-cases/

Photography is also used for, "creating more heroic-looking poses," (Farid, Hany), in this case, for President Obama. The photo on the left was taken by AP Photographer Mannie Garcia, then later the image on the right is a changed version of the photograph done by Shepard Fairey. Fairey was sued by AP for using the photo by Mannie, claiming that they should get compensation for Fairey's use of the photo. The image to the right may or may not have been manipulated on a computer but it still represents digital image forensics, because it has to be verified for authenticity. This image poses questions about ownership of a photograph, photo manipulation, portraiture and its importance as well as photojournalism as art.  

Cheng, Roger. "Apple May Have Manipulated Images in Samsung Case." CNET News. CBS Interactive, 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20094830-94/apple-may-have-manipulated-images-in-samsung-case/

Last but definitely not least, is a case of digital image forensics between the companies Apple and Samsung. Recently there was a lawsuit from Apple against Samsung for using similar technologies in their new products. During the lawsuit, rumors had started that Apple went as far as manipulating images online so that the Samsung Galaxy S looked extremely similar to the Apple iPhone 3. Whether these claims came out to be true or not, one can see here that digital image forensics would be used to authenticate those images and use them in the lawsuit to try to possibly throw the case.

Works Cited

Beaujon, Andrew. "World Press Photo: ‘No Evidence of Significant Photo Manipulation’ in Award-winning Shot | Poynter." Poynter. N.p., 15 May 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

<http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/213411/world-press-photo-will-investigate-paul-hansens-award-winning-shot/>

Berg, Erik C. "Legal Ramifications of Digital Imaging in Law Enforcement." FBI. FBI, 01 Mar. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/forensic-science-communications/fsc/oct2000/berg.htm>

Cheng, Roger. "Apple May Have Manipulated Images in Samsung Case." CNET News. CBS Interactive, 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20094830-94/apple-may-have-manipulated-images-in-samsung-case/>

Ellison, Kaytlin. 99 Designs Designer Blog. 19 April 2013. 9 March 2014.

<http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2013/04/19/5-famous-copyright-infringement-cases/>

"Forensic Collection and Analysis." Barrister Digital Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://www.barristerdigital.com/services/forensic-collection-and-analysis/>

Farid, Hany. "Digital Forensics: How Experts Uncover Doctored Images." Scientific American, June 2008. Page 66. 

Kohn, David. "The Hidden Clue." CBS News. N.p., 19 Nov. 2002. Web. 08 Mar. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-hidden-clue/>

"World Press Photo Verifies Paul Hansen's Winning Picture." National Press Photographers Association. nppa.org., 14 May 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <https://nppa.org/news/world-press-photo-verifies-paul-hansens-winning-picture>