Today was the annual muster and rally at the Quinn Fire Academy in Chicago. One of the highlights was a 1923 Ahrens Fox fire engine from the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago.
When I photograph an antique rig, I grab some overall shots of the rig and then I concentrate on some detail closeups.
One of the most important aspects of the closeup is a shallow depth of field. You want to isolate the detail from everything else to increase be sure you draw the viewer right into the image.
I choose different areas, especially the name or data plates which are of interest.
The older plates are classic … much nicer in many cases than those on new apparatus today.
Just another image … because the engine so cool!
Additionally, I look for the human interest aspects of any event that I photograph. Here, a young boy sat on top of an engine … presumably with his father … and helped direct a master stream from one of the engines on display.
