§ Guides
When a photo has to hold up
What turns a photo, video or audio recording into evidence that stands up in a dispute — and what leaves it open to challenge. Practical guides, no jargon, no promises no tool can keep.
Does a photograph have legal value?
The honest answer is uncomfortable: it depends on how easy it is to challenge. A photo holds until someone raises a hand. The point is not taking a better picture — it is making i…
19 Jul 2026 Trusted dateA photo's date is not your phone's date
Changing the system date, taking the shot and setting it back takes thirty seconds. Here is why a date you gave yourself is not a fact — and how to get one that holds up against y…
18 Jul 2026 MetadataEXIF metadata: what it actually proves
EXIF is the first thing everyone checks and the last thing to lean on. It is text, rewritable in seconds with free tools: excellent as an indication, useless as a guarantee.
17 Jul 2026 IntegrityHow to prove a photograph has not been edited
Analysing pixels to catch a retouch is a race you lose. The approach that works is the opposite: do not look for the edit — make it impossible to hide.
16 Jul 2026 Chain of custodyChain of custody for photographic evidence
Chain of custody does not mean filling in a form. It means being able to show that between the event and the hearing, nobody could touch anything without leaving a trace.
15 Jul 2026 AuthenticityPhoto authenticity in the age of AI
Every month generators improve and detectors age. Anyone defending real evidence cannot chase — they need to prove where their image came from.
14 Jul 2026 VerifiabilityHow the opposing party verifies your evidence
Letting the other side check everything sounds counterintuitive. It is the only way to make evidence indisputable: if they can verify it and find nothing, they have nothing left t…
13 Jul 2026 Insurance surveyDamage surveys: how to stop the date being challenged
A survey is rarely challenged on the merits. It is challenged on the date, on integrity, and on what was left outside the frame. Three doors that close on site, not afterwards.
12 Jul 2026 ConstructionDocumenting a construction site defensibly
The problem with a building site is that what you document disappears under something else. When the dispute comes, your photo is the only possible access to how things really wer…
11 Jul 2026 InvestigationsDocumenting without exposing the content
Investigative material has two requirements in tension: it must be verifiable by third parties and must not end up in third parties' hands. The answer lies in separating what prov…
10 Jul 2026 StandardsStandards for forensic capture
Standards listed in a technical report are easy to name and hard to meet. This guide explains what each one requires and how to tell declared conformance from a badge on a website.
9 Jul 2026 VideoVideo and audio as evidence
With video the challenge is not retouching: it is the cut. Showing that a recording is continuous and unedited needs different measures from a photograph.
8 Jul 2026