elle weems updates

An easy weekend

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:24:08 -0400

My weekend was rather subdued. Saturday was spent with some spring cleaning and laundry. I shuffled the pictures on the wall and cleared up the long livingroom wall so we can put the projector there. We put new locks on the refridgerator and cabinets to keep Tommy out. So far it's been working.

This morning, I replaced a cache in Myakkahatchee Creek Nature Park with Gary's wife, Linda, and shot a few portraits of C Shift and the Battalion Chief at CCFEMS Station 12. The chief gave me a good tour of the Technical Rescue. Station 12 is down the road from San Antonio Catholic Church and it looks like the church is done with their new sanctuary.

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PGFD Training + Bailey's Art Exhibit

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:40:46 -0400

PGFD - Live Fire Training - Lit up

I had a lot of fun shooting PGFD Live Fire Training exercises and it was great experience. Everyone was very gracious and friendly. Afterwards, I made the stops I needed to make and got my final shots on the remainder of the firehouses. See 72 of the pictures on the PGFD Live Fire Training 4/30/08 set.

Artists run in my family.

Bailey's artwork has been chosen by her art teacher to be included in an art exhibit at the Charlotte County Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda! I'm so proud of her!!!

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Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 12 and Station 7

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:05:01 -0400

I visited Stations 5, 7 and 12 today. 7 and 12 were very cooperative and friendly. I have nothing but good things to say about B Shift for both of those Stations.

Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 7 - E7 and crew

Lt. Brad Wasmus is an old friend of Tom's. I had been out to Station 7 before on C Shift and even earlier today but had missed him. I was worried about the afternoon and whether rain would come in but the sky cleared up and the sun came out! It was nice to meet him and be able to photograph his crew. If he's interested, I'd be more than happy to provide a portrait on the house. Station 7 has an engine, plus the two airport vehicles: the rescue and the crash truck.

Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 12 - Squad 12 and crew

Station 12 was another great crew. Lt. Jim Wilcox had a positive attitude and the great energy of the guys made this a fun shoot. Station 12 has an engine, a truck, a rescue, a technical rescue, a hazmat and the black sheep.

Tom's going on a MCSE boot camp starting on Sunday and will be home the evening of April 27th. I have to get as much work done as possible since I don't photograph with children in tow. While it's hard to explain why I'm doing this project. I'm not doing it for the money. I'm not doing it to sell to the papers or magazines. If that happens, I certainly won't baulk, but my intent is really PR. It's good for them and it's good for me. They really need photos that are available to them, not promises of "year"books that are painfully delayed after firefighters have already paid for them. It gets my name out there more, and Google can certainly confirm that it's out there. I also learn more about the apparatus which is important for emergency scene photography. I need to know what I'm shooting.

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Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 16 - Take two!

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:19:23 -0400

Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 16 - FF Gary Wilcher

After stopping by my attorney's office this morning in regards to my stupid ex being stupid, I went over to Station 16 for another shoot. This was one of the stations where I lost the majority of the images in a technical malfunction while transferring from the camera to the USB stick. I'm pleased with the results. Go to the Charlotte County Fire/EMS Station 16 set on my Flickr to see some of those photos. Below are a few more:

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Rensselaer Day 5

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:08:25 -0400

Rensselaer Volunteer Fire Department - Aerial 1 and crew

I met Assistant Chief Kenneth "Kenny" Haun, Jr. at the station. By his lonesome, he pulled out Engine (Pumper) 1 and Aerial 1 for me to photograph. It was another gorgeous clear, but cold, day. I also photographed the interior of the station with the multitude of photographs, memoriabilia, trophies, artwork and honours adorning the walls.

The original fire station was located in the two-story section of the City Hall. The upper level was an apartment for a volunteer firefighter. Whoever resided in that apartment would be responsible for calling the other volunteers to a fire and hooking up the horses to the fire carriage, getting it ready to go. Kenny's uncle was that firefighter. Now, by Kenny's day, the horses were no longer in use but the apparatus was still kept in front of the building along Van Rensselaer, across from the Jasper County Courthouse. The fire station didn't move until 1976, when the new building along Cullen was constructed, but it's still in the Courthouse square vicinity. Since firefighting with the Rensselaer Volunteer Fire Department is literally in his blood, the Assistant Chief had a lot of information to share.

Rensselaer Fire Department - Storage Warehouse - old E1

Kenny brought me to the warehouse by the water tower, where the antique apparatus, as well as numerous other items that they've squirrelled away, are kept. I photographed the carriage, their first gasoline-powered engine, and many other antique items.

Rensselaer Fire Department - Mitchell Training Facility - burn room

After appreciating the old, he took me to see the new: the Mitchell Training Facility. It's mentioned on the Fire Department's page of the City of Rensselaer website. The Assistant Chief had a major role in the design and construction of the live fire training facility and all the volunteers are constantly brainstorming to create simulations of different fire and rescue situations. The department does not provide Emergency Medical Service, but it does provide rescue when needed. Currently under construction is a training tower that ought to be ready to burn in a few more weeks.

Rensselaer Fire Department - Mitchell Training Facility - dedication plaque

The property for the Mitchell Training Facility was donated by a Chicago firefighter's widow and hometown resident of Rensselaer. She had six lots and sold them to the department for $1 under the condition that the property only be used for fire department-related activity. It was this generous gift that allowed the department to build their training facility, which they had been fundraising hard for. The training facility is named after this good-hearted widow and her departed husband.

I really could not have asked for a better tour guide than Kenny Haun.

Later in the day, I stopped into City Hall for a photo op of the Mayor and also to pick up Kenny's business card. Since the Mayor of Rensselaer is the most open and friendly public official I have met - and this includes the previous leader of the category, Florida's Lee County Commissioner Bob Janes - getting his portrait was no problem... once we got him to stand still. He has more energy than my eight year-old! Kenny, who is also the City's Building Commissioner, invited me to a meeting at the fire house this evening. He said that it would be a good opportunity to take more photographs, especially of the men in gear.

Rensselaer Volunteer Fire Department - Aerial 1 and crew

He was right on all counts except for the light. Dusk was harsh tonight because of the approaching rain. The cloud cover brought darkness before it should have so my light was compromised. I still got good shots of the crew in front of Aerial 1. I got done in record time. I did have more ideas but they will have to wait for another time... hopefully with better light (and a warmer season!). I knew I was welcome to stay for the meeting but I thought it was better to grab some dinner and talk to Michael and Eddie back at the hotel.

I returned to the hotel, ate dinner, tended to my photos and spoke to my boys. Tomorrow they should be brought back to my parents' house and then brought here to Rensselaer. Weather permitting, I will take them down to see the Lourdes Grotto at St. Joseph's College and then we're on our way back to Florida.

I do have a telephone appointment with someone from the Historical Society in the morning. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to go to the hospital or just call her room. I think I'm going to call her room to ask my questions. I'm really not comfortable bothering someone when they're laid up in the hospital, even though I know hospitals can be so boring that an interview isn't an intrusion. Still, I'm not a reporter. I'm a photographer and curious person.

Here are some of the shots from today, more is available on my Flickr:

Rensselaer Mayor Herbert Arihood

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North Port Fire Rescue Stations 81, 82 and 83

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:15:21 -0400

North Port Fire Rescue Station 81 - R81 front

I tried to retake a capture of the North Port City Hall. Apparently, they hadn't considered the aesthetic benefits of keeping the median clear because now there's a gigantic tree blocking the view of the building from the center of the median. The shot doesn't work, the symmetry of the building is lost and there's no point. So, I went to North Port Fire Rescue Station 81 to take some daytime photos. The last time I was there, it was dusk. I had a lot of fun, but my light was limited. I had a good time today shooting R81, R83, an old engine, the MCI trailor and an off-road 4x4 cart.

North Port Fire Rescue Station 82 - bunker gear

North Port Fire Rescue Station 82 was next. I hadn't been there, yet and it's next door to where the old City Hall used to be. Again, I received lots of cooperation and got to shoot Truck 82, R82, two brush trucks and the technical rescue trailor. It was a popular station for visitors today with a number of people just stopping by to look at vehicles and get little tours for their children. I don't take pictures of other people's children without expressed permission so I had to be careful of where I was taking my pictures.

North Port Fire Rescue Station 83 - E83 view from the monitor

I went back to North Port Fire Rescue Station 83 to retake some photos. My first run just had too many sunflares. Morning is a bad time to shoot this house. The lieutenant was very accommodating and I was even able to climb up to the monitor. I got it all in before the rain started.

Something the firefighters keep bringing up is a calendar. Now, for firefighters to participate in a calendar, it must have the Chief's approval. There have been incidents with some departments elsewhere that have gone ahead with unauthourised calendars and gotten into serious trouble for it. I'm not adverse to doing a calendar for them but I don't think it is something that would ever, ever happen. I think it's bizarre that a calendar is the first thing that they think of when someone comes around with a camera to photograph the house and the vehicles. Even more bizarre is that, with all their talk, every one of them runs from the camera the minute they think it's pointed at them.

I still have a number of stations to go. It's been fun and I'm glad I've stepped away from landscapes to do this project.

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Punta Gorda Fire Department Station 3 and Ladder 1

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:30:41 -0400

Punta Gorda Fire Department Station 3 - Ladder 1 crew

The crew for Ladder 1 was accommodating and kind when they pulled into Punta Gorda Fire Department Station 3 while I was taking photos in a desperate race against the sunset. They posed for pictures, let me photograph the truck and gave me a tour of the truck and its equipment. I'm pleased at the number of shots that turned out since the time spent photographing the truck and speaking with the firefighters far exceeded my available light.

Here's some more photos:

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North Port Fire and Rescue Station 81

nobody@vox.com(yapidka) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:23:51 -0400

North Port Fire Rescue Station 81 - front view

As twilight approached, I decided to get some practice on Station 81, North Port Fire and Rescue's headquarters. As with Station 83, I received a positive welcome and was able to take as many photos as I wanted before I lost light. I will get to replace the cheap, uneven photos on the waymark (WMMBW) with some quality captures of the firehouse exterior and some of the vehicles. I've also geotagged these photos on my flickr. I'm still very slow on pulling out the business cards, which is something I seriously have to work on because I got these things for the sole purpose of answering questions.

Here are more photos of Station 81 and the vehicles:

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