(a) In a criminal proceeding or a children's court proceeding involving the wrongful taking or damaging of property, photographs of the property are competent evidence of the property and are admissible in the proceeding to the same extent as if the property had been introduced as evidence.
(b) Photographs of property that are to be introduced as evidence under this section shall be accompanied by a written description of the property, the name of the owner of the property, the location where the alleged crime occurred, the name of the investigating peace officer, the date the photograph was taken, and the name and signature of the photographer. The written description shall be signed by the investigating peace officer under penalty of perjury under AS 09.63.020.
(c) In a prosecution for a violation of AS 11.46.120 - 11.46.150 in which the property is commercial fishing gear as defined in AS 16.43.990, the gear shall be returned to the owner as soon as possible. The prosecutor may obtain photographs of the gear for use as evidence in accordance with (a) and (b) of this section.