Many of the twists and reveals in The Sinner rely on photos and videos as evidence of events. These are often misleading, even though they are not doctored. Sin discovers James’s abuses through photos on James’s phone, and similar photos later appear in Liam’s office. However, these photos expose only a portion of the abuse Elli faced as a child. Later in the story, Sin realizes that someone must have taken the photos of James and Elli, which leads him to discover that Liam was involved in the abuse. Chance shows Amelia a video of Lincoln and James abusing Elli, which Amelia misinterprets as a sign that Elli was willingly having sex with both men. In each case, the photos of the abuse fail to expose the full story of Elli’s trauma. They even mislead the characters into believing that all the abusers are dead, that Elli was complicit in her abuse, and that the evidence of abuse is limited to tangible representations.

Photos and videos represent the limits of physical evidence. For example, Amelia shows Elli and Kira a video in which Sin ties her to a bed. Elli and Kira conclude that Sin slept with Amelia and that Corbin has been showing other Lords videos of him and Kira having sex. Later, they discover that neither conclusion is accurate, as Sin tied Amelia to the bed for Chance to have sex with her, and Corbin has not broken Kira’s trust. The video appears to be reliable evidence, but it masks the reality of the situation. This reflects the secrecy of the Lords society. Characters often note that things are not always what they seem, with photos and videos becoming a physical representation of this fact.