County Medical Examiners Forensic Photography
Organs in situ, flashbulbs burst, it makes the still
life glisten
Immortalizing bisected innards meticulously dissected
apart
Tissue samples documented with a camera by the
proprietor
Of anatomical scientific photographic art
The forensic photographer preps the lighting as I
soften up his subject
The 35mm camera and ring flash will capture every
subtle textual nuance
The flash system uses shutter speeds of 1/250 to
eliminate
The reddish yellow tinge fluorescent overhead lights
tend to illuminate
Taking care to avoid reflective glare
And including wound marker measurement scales
Using ISO 64 Kodachrome® color temperature film
Duplicates the gory mess in wondrous detail
Tools of the trade: tripod, ring flash, and lens
Snapshots of grume: sanguineous celluloid to offend
The corpse holds its pose, each picture taken twice
One with and without an Autopsy ID Number plate
The forensic photographer shoots the results of each
slice
It's the cold end of life that his art imitates
Putrefactive apertures and fetid f-stops
Shutter speeds and scalpels, vignettes of viscous slop
As medical evidence presented in a court of law
The film is developed by officers of the court
Prints are circulated for trade medical journals
Negatives are housed and filed deep in the morgue
From the crime scene splashed with tissue and bone
To the autopsy suite, under saw, clippers, and knife
To the funeral home where the cadaver is shown
Bodies are photographed more in death than in life