Faces of firemen after a fire

I took in a fire this afternoon in Niles (IL) and arrived after the fire had been extinguished. That left me with a few options for images … the overall scene, apparatus, the aftermath, and environmental portraits.

I actually chose to record all of these subjects, but I’m going to post several portraits showing various faces of firemen after a fire.

firefighter closeup
Though my preference is a long lens to be unobtrusive, I have to admit that this image was taken from just a few feet away as the chief turned his attention away from me to a firefighter. Larry Shapiro photo
firefighter closeup after a fire
Another shot taken from a distance with a shallow depth of field. Larry Shapiro photo
firefighter closeup after a fire
This was taken from a distance so as not to be intrusive. Larry Shapiro photo
firefighter closeup after a fire
A quick pan with the long lens as he was walking about 20 feet away gave me a tack sharp image with real separation from the truck in the distance. Larry Shapiro photo
firefighter portrait after a fire
This chief came over to talk with someone next to me, so again I used a shorter lens. The shallow depth of field is not as dramatic as with the longer lens due to the focal length. Larry Shapiro photo
firefighter portrait after a fire
The visual compression from the longer focal length and distance to subject creates a more dramatic blur in the background. Larry Shapiro photo