Last Wednesday, NC State instructor and retired forensic photographer Gary Knight delivered a fascinating lecture on forensic photography at the Crafts Center. In the main lobby, Knight spoke to an attentive audience of about 45 students, faculty and community members. The talk was not for the faint of heart — the subject matter was necessarily very grim at times and numerous unsettling graphic images were presented. For mature individuals, though, the talk was intriguing, and provided a whirlwind tour of the duties of a forensic photographer in about 90 minutes.
Knight, who retired from the City-County Bureau of Identification in 2004, has loved photography since his teens.
“My love for photography started back when I was shooting for my high school newspaper and yearbook,” Knight said. “That passion is as strong today as it was then.”
Knight is just as enthusiastic about the discipline of forensic photography as he is about photography as a whole.
“I think it’s one of the best jobs in photography,” Knight said. “I get into all the facets of photography.”
When asked in an interview what is most important for students to understand about forensic photography, Knight replied readily.
“It’s not all about photographing dead bodies,” Knight said. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I can go a month without seeing any bodies.”
Knight showed and described examples of the many different types of photography he has practiced over the course of his career in forensics. Crime scenes were, of course, a prominent part, but Knight has also made pictures for recruiting posters, school displays and public information pieces. He has photographed four presidents and taken official portraits of numerous police officials. His job has also included areas that might not immediately come to mind as police jurisdiction, such as photographing the sites of accidental fires and tornadoes.
Knight’s case, however, is relatively rare. In North Carolina, there are only five forensic photographers, because it takes a large department to be able to afford a full-time employee dedicated exclusively to taking pictures, according to Knight.
Knight also emphasized that his job, although one that he loved and never found dull, did not resemble the TV portrayals whatsoever. His primary objection to CSI-style versions of forensics is that they downplay the crucial importance of teamwork.
“In the TV program, you always have one person, and they do it all,” Knight said. “It’s not possible. You’ve really got to have an expert in each field.”
Knight’s lecture was more even more interesting when forensic photography is viewed as the crossroads of art, design, science and crime solving.
“I brought some students from my design thinking class to Gary Knight’s lecture because I want them to be exposed to many different ways of thinking, and to see connections between design and other fields of study and practice,” said Tania Allen, a professor of art and design. Design thinking classes are intended to equip students, primarily those in the College of Design and College of Textiles, with the skills to understand and tackle real-world problems — whether they relate to graphic design or forensics. “For instance, Knight talked about the importance of starting really broad, literally, and moving from the larger context of the crime scene to documenting the more specific details of the scene in small areas. That is really relevant to how designers think about design problems.”
Ultimately, Knight’s lecture was met with attentive interest from the audience, and several questions were asked during the Q & A portion of the evening. One, which drew a laugh from the audience, was “What is your favorite brand of camera?” Knight said he uses Nikon cameras but also likes Canons. Anyone with a curious mind and a strong stomach would doubtless gain insight and food for thought from attending one of Knight’s lectures, but again, many gory images were part of the presentation, and more sensitive individuals would probably be better off choosing other learning opportunities.
