Buren Foster.Not everyone who works for the FBI carries a gun and badge. Take Buren Foster, who joined the bureau in 1988 and carries something else that’s indispensable: a camera.Foster, who has loved photography since middle school, joined the FBI in an administrative role but became a full-time photographer in 2006 after being trained in forensic photography. His job is taking photos of crime scenes — a technically challenging job that can have an emotional impact.“I’ve seen my share of dead bodies,” he tells PEOPLE. “I see things people shouldn’t see — I see them in their raw state.“What keeps him going is his focus on getting justice for crime victims: “After you take it in the initial feelings, you get to work,” he says.Crime scenes have many aspects — it’s not just the bodies. Foster also photographs fingerprints, shoe impressions, tire impressions, blood evidence and bullet trajectories. Some types of photography he uses are high-resolution digital still photography, 360-degree spherical imaging, and aerial photography.He has worked everything from homicides, active shooter scenes, bomb sites and plane crashes, with investigations ranging from white collar to terrorism. Regardless of the situation, Foster’s mission is to document the scene in as pure a state as possible.Courtesy Buren Foster/FBICourtesy Buren Foster/FBIWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Sometimes, Foster is on site during FBI surveillance of a suspected criminal. He said he doesn’t get nervous in those situations — but they can be high-intensity. “There’s no ‘oops,'” he says. “You go through all the scenarios in your head to avoid any Murphy’s Law things from happening,“The high stakes of his work, and the trauma of being around crime scenes, can take its toll, he says. “I’ve worked my share of cases with murdered children. For most people this is probably the hardest. It is for me — and it doesn’t get any easier,” Foster says, adding that the FBI provides access to counseling when needed.It’s not just the crime scenes that are emotionally heavy. He recalls photographing the funeral of Special AgentLaura Schwartzenberger, one of two FBI agents murdered in Miami while serving a search warrant on a child pornography suspect.“I was responsible for how the families of those murdered agents would remember that day and I had to make sure it was perfect,” he says.Having to travel at a moment’s notice to wherever he’s needed means time away from his family. But, he says, “Family is everything” to him. “And the FBI understands and supports that.“Courtesy Buren Foster/FBIIn addition to his job with the FBI, Foster runs his own photography business — where he captures joyful events such as weddings and also takes senior portraits and family photos. He’s also skilled at sports and wildlife photography. Some of his most stunning photos are from an African safari trip he took with several other FBI photographers.In a career that is both challenging and rewarding, one thing is certain, he says: “It’s never boring.”
Buren Foster.
Not everyone who works for the FBI carries a gun and badge. Take Buren Foster, who joined the bureau in 1988 and carries something else that’s indispensable: a camera.Foster, who has loved photography since middle school, joined the FBI in an administrative role but became a full-time photographer in 2006 after being trained in forensic photography. His job is taking photos of crime scenes — a technically challenging job that can have an emotional impact.“I’ve seen my share of dead bodies,” he tells PEOPLE. “I see things people shouldn’t see — I see them in their raw state.“What keeps him going is his focus on getting justice for crime victims: “After you take it in the initial feelings, you get to work,” he says.Crime scenes have many aspects — it’s not just the bodies. Foster also photographs fingerprints, shoe impressions, tire impressions, blood evidence and bullet trajectories. Some types of photography he uses are high-resolution digital still photography, 360-degree spherical imaging, and aerial photography.He has worked everything from homicides, active shooter scenes, bomb sites and plane crashes, with investigations ranging from white collar to terrorism. Regardless of the situation, Foster’s mission is to document the scene in as pure a state as possible.Courtesy Buren Foster/FBICourtesy Buren Foster/FBIWant to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Sometimes, Foster is on site during FBI surveillance of a suspected criminal. He said he doesn’t get nervous in those situations — but they can be high-intensity. “There’s no ‘oops,'” he says. “You go through all the scenarios in your head to avoid any Murphy’s Law things from happening,“The high stakes of his work, and the trauma of being around crime scenes, can take its toll, he says. “I’ve worked my share of cases with murdered children. For most people this is probably the hardest. It is for me — and it doesn’t get any easier,” Foster says, adding that the FBI provides access to counseling when needed.It’s not just the crime scenes that are emotionally heavy. He recalls photographing the funeral of Special AgentLaura Schwartzenberger, one of two FBI agents murdered in Miami while serving a search warrant on a child pornography suspect.“I was responsible for how the families of those murdered agents would remember that day and I had to make sure it was perfect,” he says.Having to travel at a moment’s notice to wherever he’s needed means time away from his family. But, he says, “Family is everything” to him. “And the FBI understands and supports that.“Courtesy Buren Foster/FBIIn addition to his job with the FBI, Foster runs his own photography business — where he captures joyful events such as weddings and also takes senior portraits and family photos. He’s also skilled at sports and wildlife photography. Some of his most stunning photos are from an African safari trip he took with several other FBI photographers.In a career that is both challenging and rewarding, one thing is certain, he says: “It’s never boring.”
Not everyone who works for the FBI carries a gun and badge. Take Buren Foster, who joined the bureau in 1988 and carries something else that’s indispensable: a camera.
Foster, who has loved photography since middle school, joined the FBI in an administrative role but became a full-time photographer in 2006 after being trained in forensic photography. His job is taking photos of crime scenes — a technically challenging job that can have an emotional impact.
“I’ve seen my share of dead bodies,” he tells PEOPLE. “I see things people shouldn’t see — I see them in their raw state.”
What keeps him going is his focus on getting justice for crime victims: “After you take it in the initial feelings, you get to work,” he says.
Crime scenes have many aspects — it’s not just the bodies. Foster also photographs fingerprints, shoe impressions, tire impressions, blood evidence and bullet trajectories. Some types of photography he uses are high-resolution digital still photography, 360-degree spherical imaging, and aerial photography.
He has worked everything from homicides, active shooter scenes, bomb sites and plane crashes, with investigations ranging from white collar to terrorism. Regardless of the situation, Foster’s mission is to document the scene in as pure a state as possible.
Courtesy Buren Foster/FBI
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Sometimes, Foster is on site during FBI surveillance of a suspected criminal. He said he doesn’t get nervous in those situations — but they can be high-intensity. “There’s no ‘oops,'” he says. “You go through all the scenarios in your head to avoid any Murphy’s Law things from happening,”
The high stakes of his work, and the trauma of being around crime scenes, can take its toll, he says. “I’ve worked my share of cases with murdered children. For most people this is probably the hardest. It is for me — and it doesn’t get any easier,” Foster says, adding that the FBI provides access to counseling when needed.
It’s not just the crime scenes that are emotionally heavy. He recalls photographing the funeral of Special AgentLaura Schwartzenberger, one of two FBI agents murdered in Miami while serving a search warrant on a child pornography suspect.
“I was responsible for how the families of those murdered agents would remember that day and I had to make sure it was perfect,” he says.
Having to travel at a moment’s notice to wherever he’s needed means time away from his family. But, he says, “Family is everything” to him. “And the FBI understands and supports that.”
In addition to his job with the FBI, Foster runs his own photography business — where he captures joyful events such as weddings and also takes senior portraits and family photos. He’s also skilled at sports and wildlife photography. Some of his most stunning photos are from an African safari trip he took with several other FBI photographers.
In a career that is both challenging and rewarding, one thing is certain, he says: “It’s never boring.”
source: people.com
