My first whip: Two-alarm fire at 27 5th Ave. in Haverhill, MA

[Pixoul]

I'm a Whipping Post virgin so let me have it! :rofl

This photo is one of my favorites from the gallery I posted in Field & Street (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=57743) last night. It was shot in January of 2006 but it still gives me the shivers every time I see it. I seem to be drawn more towards the human element of accident scenes and fires than shooting the action. Details below photo.

http://photos.pixoul.com/photos/139835526-L.jpg (http://photos.pixoul.com/gallery/2646053/3/139835526)
Kit: Canon EOS 300D, EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Exposure: f/2.0, 1/50, ISO 1600

For any of you fire geeks out there here's the TAC9 paging system report:

2ND ALARM HAVERHILL, MA. 27 FIFTH AVENUE. CAR 2 REPORTS
HEAVY SMOKE & FIRE IN A 3 STORY WOOD FRAME STRUCTURE, CALL
BACKS TO MAN THE RESERVE CO'S. *154.3625* C33 [TAC9-C101]. 3:50p.m.

U/D 4TH ALARM MILTON, MA 11 BLUE HILL AVE 3 STY WDFM LIGHT/MODERATE
SMOKE SHOWING 6 LINES OPERATING 3 STICKS TO THE ROOF HEAVY FIRE
K/D CO'S OVERHAULING *483.5125* C257 O/S [TAC9-C103]. 3:50p.m.

[SloYerRoll]

I can see why it would affect you that way since you were there. This doesn't affect me the same way since I wasn't there though. Seems like a shot of two firefighters just standing there. No action in the shot conveying the horible power of a fire.

Looks like your focus system locked on the siren of the truck and not the subjects you intended it to. Even that looks a tad soft. This is probably due to jpeg madness and the high ISO combo though.

Might want to crop out the top of the shot. I would have said to work on composition. But I don't know if there were barricades there and it looks like you were using your nifty fifty.

Try composing a shot like this w/ the fire in the background. Expose for the fire, then use a flash (speedlight at 45deg up w/ a wide throw if you have one) to balance the rest of the shot. Make sure to chimp since the reflectors on those uniforms usually blow out very easily w/ a strobe.


-Jon

[Pixoul]

I can see why it would affect you that way since you were there. This doesn't affect me the same way since I wasn't there though. Seems like a shot of two firefighters just standing there. No action in the shot conveying the horible power of a fire.

Looks like your focus system locked on the siren of the truck and not the subjects you intended it to. Even that looks a tad soft. This is probably due to jpeg madness and the high ISO combo though.

The surreal and soft look is actually what gives me the shivers. The shot right out of the camera looks almost like the effect that the Fake Model Photography (http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorial/Fake-Model-Photography/12504) tutorial achieves.

As far as the focus point, I was using the center focus so either I or the subjects moved. :wink I did some noise reduction but no blur was introduced during the process. The surreal soft effect was right out of the camera.

But I know exactly what you're saying; sometimes a photo doesn't tell a story unless you were there.

Might want to crop out the top of the shot. I would have said to work on composition. But I don't know if there were barricades there and it looks like you were using your nifty fifty.

Try composing a shot like this w/ the fire in the background. Expose for the fire, then use a flash (speedlight at 45deg up w/ a wide throw if you have one) to balance the rest of the shot. Make sure to chimp since the reflectors on those uniforms usually blow out very easily w/ a strobe.

Although I was only shooting with a 50mm prime I did have full access to the scene. But my tact and etiquette is what allows me to shoot in so many places that most photographers would get kicked out of. Shooting with available light meant that there were no flashes to annoy or distract the emergency personnel. I have no credentials that state I'm allowed behind the police tape or fire line; the emergency personnel have simply gotten to know me as one of the rare photographers that stays out of the way even when shooting up close and personal. :wink

So I agree 100% that reframing and using a flash would have achieved an interesting dramatic effect but it would have impeded my ability to get the shot at all. Had a flash gone off inside the fire line I guarantee that I would have been immediately ejected from the scene. :rofl Remember that sometimes you have time to set up angles and lighting, and sometimes you shoot from the hip at ISO 1600 and hope you don't piss off a cop when you're standing less than 30' from the house that was on fire. :wink

As far as cropping, I took the same shot three seconds later in landscape and framed out the ladder. I also tried cropping the original shot and it just didn't look right to me. With the top of the frame chopped off it doesn't look like they're actually looking up at anything.

http://photos.pixoul.com/photos/139835636-M.jpg (http://photos.pixoul.com/gallery/2646053/3/139835636)

Thanks muchly for the suggestions; if I were shooting under more controlled conditions I'd try the technique! :D