1142 replies to this topic

[Seluryar]

New fire vehicles for my city!!!!!
(clickable thumbnails)

[thossi69]

Oh my goodness, the Engine looks nice, but the Ambulance isn't that nice..

[Seluryar]

Oh my goodness, the Engine looks nice, but the Ambulance isn't that nice..

then how bout this ambulance?



here are more shots from this weekend:

[MikesPhotos]

UPDATED 10/11/2008: AHA08 LAPD Metro Swat, Horse, and Air Unit

Today's update is from the American Heroes Airshow back in July. To kick things off, I've added 55 new shots of LAPD's Rescue 3 Armored Vehicle, slicktop Crown Vic, SWAT Officers and their Gear, an Air Unit and Mounted Patrol officers. There is much, much, more to come, so Enjoy!

[Newfoundking]

Nice pictures Mike... Question, how many SWAT rescues does LAPD have?

[MikesPhotos]

Nice pictures Mike... Question, how many SWAT rescues does LAPD have?

Thanks, the LAPD has 2 Bearcats and 1 BEAR in service right now. All of the Cadillac Cage's have been retired due to age and mechanical issues.

Up next will be Federal Law Enforcement. ATF, FBI, Secret Service Limo, Border Patrol, DEA and more.

[emergency4freak]

Mike, how do you make the colours and what not in your photos so real. It's like you're actually in the photos! Do you edit them in photoshop? If you could either post here or PM me I would love to know the kind of gear your using. Excellent work!

[Bernt]

Fire dept. Aiport Schiphol Amsterdam.
And Training Centrum Amsterdam.
Pictures: Push
Movies: Push

[MikesPhotos]

UPDATED 10/13/2008: AHA08 Federal LEO

I found some free time and was able to crank out another batch of pics from the 08 airshow. This time it's a slew of Federal Law Enforcement pics from the ATF's Bomb Squad, DEA Medics and Air Unit, FBI's SWAT, Hazmat, ERT, Bomb Squad, MCC, US Border Patrol and Secret Service Limo. Enjoy!

Mike, how do you make the colours and what not in your photos so real. It's like you're actually in the photos! Do you edit them in photoshop? If you could either post here or PM me I would love to know the kind of gear your using. Excellent work!

One of the great things with digital photography is the exif info tells you the gear that a photographer uses. I shoot 90% of the photos on my website with a Canon EOS-1D MkII with either Canon or Leica lenses. Other pics are shot with a Leica R5 film camera or an Olympus C4040 compact digital.

As for the colors and composition, I shoot all of my photos in RAW format and have minimal post processing using Adobe Lightroom. Mostly dust spot removal and minimal cropping and such.

The biggest nag you hear from today's professional photographers (the ones making a living doing this) is that anyone with a cheap SLR or pocket cam all of a sudden thinks they're a great photographer! The next Ansel Adams or Wedding specialist. The grumblings are all over the net and the industry because the fact is that a camera is just a light tight box. Some of my greatest pics have been made with the small and cheap olympus C4040, and some of my worst have been with the Canon and Leicas. Equipment isn't what makes a photographer, good equipment in good hands will always make a good picture. Great equipment in poor hands will never come close. The key thing though is that in order to make a great picture versus a "snapshot" involves a mix of artistry and science in regards to knowing proper composition, shapes, angles, and what will stand out when captured vs what you see with your own eye. The science involved is knowing your gears limitations as well as the limitations of your medium, be it print or screen, and most of all, knowing the science of light itself. Photography is primarily a study in light and color. By understanding the two and the effects of the sun at different times of the day, you can make pictures that POP!! Where others who just point and shoot will just end up with something as interesting as dry mud. Case in point are Landscape and Nature photographers who are notorius for hiking out to a location and sitting there for days looking for just the right kind of light and after 2 or 3 days, and waking up at 4:30am to catch the first rays in the spot they finally decide upon, they'll come home with maybe one or two pictures total, but they got what they wanted! Photojournalism and action photography is different because you are not in control of your setting, time or area. By knowing the science of light and where to be and where not to be, what filters to use, and what auxiliary lighting to use, you can still make amazing pictures straight out of the camera and not rely on software to make up for your lack of skill and knowledge. Photoshop and Lightroom and all of the other programs out there will never make a bad picture good, that's why those who can make a great picture from the get go end up making the top dollar. You might just have a split second to grab that shot you want, but watch a professional and you'll see the mental calculations he is making in regards to exposing for the shadows or the highlights, shallow depth of field or deep, does he want a certain element in the composition, or what his priority is in regards to shutter speed or aperture. Included in all of that is a mental tally of each and every light source from the sun to reflections to the way the light is reacting off of elements in the shot. Reflective striping, chrome elements, and even tinted windshields can cause a great picture to come out crap, and all of that is taken into account immediately. I have the absolute greatest pleasure watching some of the photographers from the BBC, LA Times and Daily news as well as the fine men and women who are part of the LACoFD's photographer program. 5 of us can stand in the same exact spot with the same exact equipment, and you'll end up with 5 different amazing pictures.

Also on the subject of Color Space, one very important thing is your digital dark room. Color doesn't just matter when you are taking the pictures, but also when you are developing them too! The ambient light combined with the monitor itself can play tricks on your eyes. Do you have flourescent lights? Do you have light coming in from a window? If you edit a picture in the morning, does it look different at night? Does it look the same as what you print? Without calibration and effort, the answers are obvious. I have all of my monitors color calibrated using the Eye-one Monitor calibration tool and have specific profiles set up in lightroom for it as well as for my Epson printer based on the paper type and inks that I am using. I also edit the pictures in two different ways, one for screen and one for printing, with different sharpening and cropping for each medium.

It's great to see so many people getting interested in photography and I always enjoy seeing other peoples snapshots, but I also encourage everyone to take photography classes, read books and magazines on the subject, and learn about the science and art of photography and what it takes to move up to the next level.

Mike

[MikesPhotos]

UPDATED 10/15/2008: AHA08 Huge Update

Well the fires here in the LA area are finally quieting down and I've been cranking out the AHA pics during my break hoping to catch up a bit. I've currently got over 50k pics in my unsorted file, yes… that's correct, 50k! Today's update is a pretty good size one of over 100 pictures from the LA County Coroners Office, LAFD, LACoFD, CHP, Downey PD, LA GSD Police, and KTLA 5's helo. Enjoy!

[aleksanderwoods]

Nice picture Mike! What is LA GSD Police? mayby a dumb question.

[MikesPhotos]

Nice picture Mike! What is LA GSD Police? mayby a dumb question.

The Los Angeles General Services Division - Office of Public Safety is the LA City equivalent to the Los Angeles County Police Dept and Federal Protective Services. They protect and patrol all city owned property and were formed after combining various smaller departments like the Library Police, Housing Authority, and others. They can be found at all parks, city government buildings, and libraries, and areas like that. Think of them as the security officers for the city.

[aleksanderwoods]

Okey, thank you for answer

[emergency4freak]

Thanks for the info on your gear Mike. I am currently using a Rebel XTi with 2 Canon lenses (18-55mm and 70-300mm) and they work ok I suppose. I take it you are suggesting to use the RAW setting? I haven't used it yet because of the amount of space it takes up, but if I can get photos with the colours yours do, hell i'll switch it a thousand times over! Thanks for the info!

em4freak

[MikesPhotos]

UPDATED 10/21/2008: Living in the Fire Zone Expo

Last weekend LACoFD FS124 held a special Living in the Fire Zone Expo and invited vendors and various agencies to come out and talk to the citizens about fire safety and disaster preparedness. LASD, CHP, LACoFD, and others were on hand with apparatus and a great BBQ in addition to a Fire extinguisher demonstration where adults and kids alike could learn to use one. Here are 185 pics from the expo, including a walk around of CHP's new SMPV crown vic, one of LACoFD's new Type III OES engine, and detail shots of LACoFD's Dozer 4. Enjoy!

Okey, thank you for answer

You're welcome. It can be dizzying keeping track of every Law Enforcement and Fire Agency in the Los Angeles area alone.

Thanks for the info on your gear Mike. I am currently using a Rebel XTi with 2 Canon lenses (18-55mm and 70-300mm) and they work ok I suppose. I take it you are suggesting to use the RAW setting? I haven't used it yet because of the amount of space it takes up, but if I can get photos with the colours yours do, hell i'll switch it a thousand times over! Thanks for the info!

em4freak

My best suggestion is to see if your high school offers a photography class with a good text book that details composition, light and color science and workflow. Also if you are serious about photography, looking into the Scott Kelby lightroom for photographers book. JPG, RAW, or Film can all produce brilliant images, but its who is taking them and the knowledge and skill level of that person that matters most of all. Knowing what your tools can do, both in software, and the limitations of the camera and gear itself. It's a lot like playing a musical instrument or any other art. Its such a mix of personal talent and knowledge of the science behind it that produces the desired end result.

[aleksanderwoods]

Nice pictures!

[Tomyboy]

Here some photo's from my trip to Florida (almost al the pictures), they're from Chrismas 2007, some of them have been posted before (maybe), but here it is

Attached Files

•  photo__s_2.zip   832.08KB   18 downloads
•  photo__s_3.zip   474.74KB   19 downloads
•  photo__s_1.zip   825.14KB   24 downloads

[jab16]

Here some photo's from my trip to Florida (almost al the pictures), they're from Chrismas 2007, some of them have been posted before (maybe), but here it is

I did not take this picture but it is awesome.

Edited by MikesPhotos, 24 October 2008 - 11:28 AM.
Photo Removed For Violating Rules. Pictures MUST be taken by YOU! Post remains to remind others.

[Newfoundking]

Hmm, Jab, again, Catching you disobeying rules XD

the subtitle clearly states MUST BE TAKEN BY YOU!