7/31/2019 Oct2007 Seen on Scene Simple Ways to Obtain Macro Photography

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Seen on SceneSeen on SceneRobert K. Toth, IAAI-CFI®

Simple Way to ObtainMacro Photography

On September 24, 2006, I was dispatchedto a working residential fire, when I arrivedon scene the firefighters were in a defensiveoperation. The homeowner was out of townat the time of the fire; therefore, the firevented through the roof from the exterior of the home. It was too dangerous for thefirefighters to enter the interior, so a ladder truck and large size hand lines were used toextinguish the fire. The construction of the

home was wood framed, and consisted of a single level with a basement. By the timethe firefighters had the fire under control,the center portion of the roof either col-lapsed inward or burned away.

When I started conducting my investigationI founded electrical wiring in several sec-tions of the wall and attic that had beadingon the wiring. To document my findingsI needed to get a close up of the beadingso that I could show my findings to theelectrical engineer that was assisting mein my investigation. I wanted to protect

the wires as much as possible, but whenusing my Nikon D70s with an 18 to 70MM lens, I was unable to obtain the closeup photograph. During my investigation Iwas using a magnifying glass looking for arcing, beading and penciling. Withouthaving a macro lens I was not sure how I

was going to get the close photographs of the wiring to capture the condition of the

wiring.

The magnifying glass that I wasusing gave me the idea of put-ting it to the camera lens to see if I could get a clear close up shot.I tried several different shots ex-

 perimenting each time. I held themagnifying glass several inchesfrom my camera lens. (Figure1) The photograph turned out,

 but still lacked the close up thatI was looking for. I then put themagnifying glass against the

camera lens and was able to get afocused close up shot of the wir-ing. (Figure 2) The picture wasclear. This technique allowed meto get a close photo of the wiringcondition without potentially damage to thewire. In addition, there was a light switch

on the wall that powered someof the wiring. Iwanted to doc-ument the posi-tion of the lightswitch to see

if it was in theon or off posi-tion. Throughthe lens thes w i t c h a p -

 peared to be inthe on position.With the mag-nifying glass

 pressed againstthe lens, I was

Figure 1 - Picture shot through a magnifying glass.

Figure 2 - Picture shot with camera heldagainst the magnifying glass.

Figure 3 - Picture of switch with the magnifying glass pressedagainst the camera lens shows switch was in the on position.

 provided the opportunity to get a close upshowing the outlet was indeed in the “on”

 position at the time of the fire (Figure 3).

I experimented with a different compactflash card while taking the pictures usingdifferent focal lengths with the magnifyingglass. By using this technique, I was ableto get different shots of the beading onthe wiring as to the location orientation inwhich it was found.

Unfortunately, a full electrical analysis wasnot possible due to destruction of the electrical wiring. Therefore, the fire was classified as undetermined. The magnifying glass

that I used was approximately the same sizeas my camera lens (68mm). In the future iI need to take close up photography, I wilhave my magnifying glass close by.

Thank you David, as always, I wouldencourage all of you who have ideas, ortechniques that have worked for you in the

 past, to share them with the membership. have received a few (a very few) and hopeto highlight them in the future. You don’have to write an entire article, but just dropme an email with the idea or technique tofirecop@comcast.net . In order that myemail program does not immediately tossyou in the “junk mailbox” because it doesnot recognize your name, please place“Seen on Scene” in the Subject line of youremail. After reviewing the email and youidea, if I need additional information forthe article I will contact you.

[This edition of Seen on Scene is brought to us by David Zehring, Fire Investigator for the Town of Gilbert, Arizona.]