In almost every aspect of crime scene work, I've found "Did I get it and did it work" or variations close to it to be a good way to improve. First Responders that have an interest in investigative/crime scene work or that simply want to do the best job possible are always looking for ways to improve their skills.

But what it all comes down to is slowing down and reviewing your work. The scene is yours while you have it, so take the time to evaluate what you have done in relation to the documentation, preservation, and collection. You only have one opportunity to do it correctly. If you have to come back to it, once the scene has been released, it is a given the scene could have been changed. Review your images to see if they are sharp, in focus, and what you were hopeful to document is visible in the shot. Keep in mind this is very much like proof reading a supplemental report. People have a tendency to read a report they have just written and automatically and unintentionally input information they know, but is not articulated in the body of the supplement. You must take a moment to clear your thought about the case and then review it as if your work will tell you the story. This not only relates to Crime Scene Photography, but to Sketching, Latent Print Processing, and Evidence Collection, etc.

Being honest with yourself and/or with a partner is extremely tough to do. You or both of you have to be big enough to evaluate what you have done, your partner has done, or what could be done differently. What worked and what did not work they way you believed it should have? How could it be done differently to get a much better result?

Working with the Coroner's Office provided me the unique opportunity to be able to watch how other colleagues handled scenes and evidence. There were some aspects and techniques I liked and some I did not. What techniques work for some do not always work for others.

I've discussed in the Investigative Tips & Techniques sections: "The Value in Learning to Read the Scene", "Objective vs. Subjective", and "Telling a Complete Story with Photography".   Each individual technique or viewpoint has proven to me to be successful. Now try to combine the techniques together to take the work to the next level. With each technique individually and then combined, it is imperative to ensure "Did I get it and Did it Work"? If not. All was for not.