A new rig for standardized craniofacial photography put to the test

This article describes and tests a photography rig that has been built at the University of Melbourne, Australia, specifically for the purpose of taking rapid and highly standardized craniofacial photographs, in simultaneous views of front and profile. The rig uses a novel projected light range-finding system that has been designed for easy and accurate positioning of subjects, in the natural head position, at precise distances from the frontal camera. Results of experiments examining the intraobserver error of multiple photographs taken on the rig indicate that high-quality, repeatable photographs can be taken after a reasonably large amount of time has lapsed between photography sessions (e.g., 30 days). This study also indicates that some variability remains between photographs even when highly standardized protocols are followed. Consequently, it is expected that the variation between photographs with limited standardization is much larger and more likely to cause significant errors in any comparisons.