I took in a fire the other night in Island Lake (IL). I got there well over an hour after the initial units arrived, and not surprisingly, most of the fire had been extinguished. I took some shots around the scene and then went about photographing fire trucks working at night. Depending on the situation and the many variables found at the scene, the task of capturing well flattering images may be easy, complex, or virtually impossible.
The factors here were the smoke, water spray from the multiple lines, overall scene illumination, and the amount of colored emergency lights from the vehicles. I was fortunate the the smoke was blowing away from the trucks, there was good ambient light from street and parking lot lights, and I had ample room to stand and frame the shots that I was looking for.
Another plus for me with these images is the fact that the trucks are older and aren’t adorned with humungous reflective chevron striping. The only flare is from the small strips on the outriggers.
I found this last shot interesting with all of the hose lines going in every direction in addition to the fact that the engine is properly illuminated without excessive glare.
