Dmurphy73 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I posted this on the Texas list serv but no one replied.. you guys are a little more lively.. well dust is lively..lol so please help me out.. I have a question I figured I'd post on here to gather up some responses.. My shift is considering taking work related pictures (off duty and if possible on duty).. My question is we are familiar with all the "formal" poses, but we want some other ideas to help make these pictures more memorable... We have a professional photographer who is also our dispatcher, and we have obvious access to all our equipment and/or fire monkeys and blue canaries.. please feel free to post your replies here.. once we take them we will be sure to post them on here for all to see.. Thank you, Daniel Murphy EMT-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief1C Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 We can't even get people to stand in pictures for media events. Have to ask around to see if anyone is willing to wear a white shirt and smile for the camera. Not uncommon for only one person to be in a picture.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedoc5 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 I have just started to post pics on MySpace. What I've got there now isn't even a scratch in the tip of the iceberg of what pics I have. I'm having to post them as I find them. They are still packed away from our last move, but do have some envelopes of pics scattered around that I find occasionally. But if you are looking for "posed" pics at scenes or whatever, they may be hard to come by. Most of us, me included are not too fond of being in front of a camera. We don't want to appear to be in a "hero stance". Too many times a reporter may ask if they could get your pic at a scene and we turn them down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustdevil Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Too many times a reporter may ask if they could get your pic at a scene and we turn them down. ROFL! I'd tell you to kiss my arse. A reporter does not need your permission to take your picture, or to utilise it. You are a public employee, in a public place, performing a public function. You're fair game. If they actually respect your request, they're doing so simply because they respect you. So, in return, you should show them some respect and let them do their job. Respect goes both ways. You keep jerking them around like that, and then you can't be surprised when you have no friends in the news media next time you need them. My question is we are familiar with all the "formal" poses, but we want some other ideas to help make these pictures more memorable... We have a professional photographer who is also our dispatcher... If this is truly a "professional" photographer, then he/she should have plenty of ideas for you. There are too many people out there who buy a nice camera and then dub themselves a "professional photographer". Artistic vision and composition are the measures of a professional photographer, not their camera. If he/she doesn't blow you away with some awesome ideas, hire a real professional. You get what you pay for. Actual scene shots are almost always the best photos. We can all tell the difference between a real shot and a staged shot. If your shooter can spend enough time in the field to get them, that's a good way to go. Something I did with one organisation is that we did posed "action" shots of each medic. However, we did each from the perspective of a patient. Photos like looking up at a medic who is looking back at you and coming down with an O[sub:bae454105f]2[/sub:bae454105f] mask. A shot looking down your arm, where the medic is inserting an IV. A shot looking down your legs at a medic carrying the backboard you are on. A shot looking down your torso at a medic between your spread thighs, holding the head of a baby. Yeah, they're posed, and everyone knows it. But the perspective is unique and seems to be appreciated by the public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedoc5 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 ROFL! I'd tell you to kiss my arse. A reporter does not need your permission to take your picture, or to utilise it. You are a public employee, in a public place, performing a public function. You're fair game. If they actually respect your request, they're doing so simply because they respect you. So, in return, you should show them some respect and let them do their job. Respect goes both ways. You keep jerking them around like that, and then you can't be surprised when you have no friends in the news media next time you need them. . If they wanted to take pics as we worked or even ask us to show them how we did something, then we had no problem with it. But we had a few reporters that had the habit of asking the Officer in Charge if they could get a group pic of us, usually when we were mopping up. Or they might have stopped one or two of us and ask if they could get a pic of us doing something that was staged. They expected us to stop and drop what we were doing just so they could get a pic. That's where we drew the line. Sure if they came by the station and asked for a pic or two for whatever reason, sure, no problem. Personally I hated my pic took, and still do. But I would still do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief1C Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 from the perspective of a patient. That's actually a really good idea. Lay a tripod on the cot, cover the stilts with a sheet, and focus it up at the provider. A lot of companies will pay a nice fee for stock footage or pictures. Doesn't have to be an expensive process. I do something for sh*ts & giggles, that I titled 'through our eyes'. Any digital camera will work, no flash, no blinking lights. Put it in a small box, with a pencil sized hole in the top., open on one end. Leave it in a position where you can activate the self timer w/ something long and thin. afix an SCBA mask over the open side, and secure it. That's all. A fog machine works, but I used a smoke simulator. Set up a large hand light with some orange shrink wrap and cover it the end with a grey or white cloth. Nothing big, just enough to dull the reflection. Gives an idea of what we see in a fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyM83 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 It might be hard to get real candids of team members in the field, but you could probably get a bunch of good ones of them doings hands-on training scenarios, drills, etc. The patient might be fake, but the teamwork involved, stances, looks of concentration, interactions, etc would be real. If the backdrop looks real enough and everyone's in uniform, they might pass as real scene photos, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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