On 6/18/13 there was a contractor who is not affiliated with VA Power (they stressed that) that cut down a tree and caused my neighborhood to lose power because it crashed into power lines.
As I was sitting in the dark watching the flicker of candles, fanning myself with a piece of cardboard, and listening to a battery operated radio - I found myself wondering why I don't have a laptop or a generator.
But I do have several flashlights!!
I always say on a crime scene that the flashlight is your friend. It not only illuminates the dark but can give you insight into shadowed nooks and crannies.
It is also a great enhancement tool. Try getting two pieces of paper and placing them on top of each other. Now write or print something on the top piece of paper. Now toss that top piece of paper away. If you use your flashlight and direct the beam directly on the second piece of paper, you light it up really well but you don't see much information. Now begin to lower the flashlight so that the beam skims across the paper The lower you go so that the beam hits the paper obliquely, you can begin to read the indented writing.
This works because the depth creates a shadow and allows you to see detail. It's great on latent fingerprints and finding hairs and other trace on floors too.
So, even though I didn't get a chance to watch any television, hopefully I allowed you a chance to 'light up your life' with a technique called cross, oblique, or skim lighting. Amazing, isn't it, how something so simple can work so well. Unlike electricity or contractors!!
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