Post Card Series. My lifelong career as a photojournalist made this assignment a perfect fit. Starfall.com commissioned me to photograph a Los Angeles fire fighter for one of their childrens day in the life books. I spent about 14 hours with the men and women of Station 4, located near downtown LA.
Riding the rigs on emergency runs thru downtown LA traffic was a total rush. The looks on people’s faces who weren’t paying attention (ie-talking on cell phones, sipping coffee, etc) was truly priceless. When they finally looked up to see the large red fire truck with lights flashing and siren wailing right in front of them, I’m sure some car seat clean-up was needed.
In addition to the customary beginning, middle, and ending photographs needed for a successful photo story, I had to be sure the images weren’t too graphic for a young elementary school aged audience. The 2 images chosen for this promotional post card fit this criteria.
How did I get this cool gig in LA? It’s one of those small world stories. Years ago I photographed the founders of well-known publishing company Blue Mountain Arts for a story in People Magazine. Susan and Steve Schutz liked the photographs so much that they commissioned me to provide additional photography for their personal needs over the years. Since Starfall is part of their company I became their photographer of choice for this job.
Yes, the firefighters invited me to stay for dinner: a fabulous Italian meal. No, I wasn’t able to slide down the pole.
