This is what a typical day of a police photographer looks like

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to be a police photographer? If you have, then this video by Auckland Police will answer some of the questions you might have about this type of job. It follows a police photographer named Rhonda as she takes you through a typical day of the Police Photography Section in Auckland, New Zealand.

In the video, Rhonda shows what it looks like to work in the Photo department, both in the office and out of it. The Auckland police photographers work mostly with Canon 5D cameras at the moment, and some of them use Mark III or Mark IV, but they’re “the lucky ones,” as Rhonda calls them. She adds that they should always be prepared for every situation because you never know what can happen.

Along with cameras and lenses, police photographers always have a reflective vest packed, which can come in handy especially when photographing traffic accidents. Rhonda also points out that she always uses a tripod, even during the day.

While days on the job can look different, in this particular video, you can see what it looks like to photograph a scene of an assault. Rhonda takes photos of the location, which will help the police see the relations between the objects on the scene. She also takes a ride on the helicopter to photograph a few addresses from the air, again, to help with the investigation. The part of job sure seems exciting, but not everything is like that.

Rhonda also photographs a car crash in the video, and these photos serve to show the marks on the road and any details that could help with the investigation. In cases like this, I believe that her job can be stressful and difficult.

As you can probably imagine, not every day is the same if you’re a police photographer. But generally speaking, they’re always called to the scene if the case requires some investigation. Their job is responsible and important because the photos can help the police with the investigation and they’re useful material for solving different kinds of cases.

[A Day in the Life: Police Photographer via ISO 1200]