We had just rolled into town and found the crew right in the middle of a burn. We had barely gotten out of the car and saw a wall of fire and we knew this was going to be a wild couple of days.
We caught up with the wildland fire crew at one of their burns just to touch base and get the plan together for the following days. While we were waiting for them I saw a wall of fire 25 feet high and one of the guys setting fire with the drip can in front of it guiding the line of the fire. This was just the scout, but I’ve learned that sometimes the scouting part of the job can still create some great images. I grabbed a camera and captured a few frames. We all knew after that it was going to be a fun few days.
The next day was go time. Hundreds of acres on the docket to burn and there’s only one chance to capture it all. There is so much prep that goes into a job like this, for both us and the crew doing the work. Then you see things come together and before you know it, the fire is dancing over the landscape. It was poetry in motion as the chaos of it all created its own beauty and it was our job to capture it all.
No acting or posing here, this was all real.
One of the best parts of my job is I get these little glimpses into people's worlds. I’ve worked with enough nursing educators to know the pressure nursing students face when studying for the NCLEX. I learned how prescribed fires work and why they are so beneficial to the environment. I’ve learned more about agriculture and international finance and trade sitting in the combine with a farmer than anywhere else. I’ve also learned that paramedics have some of the craziest stories and a rare sense of humor that comes from years on the job. I get to be the fly on the wall and hear from so many different people that most don’t ever get to see.
For the work we specialize in, we need the actual people doing the work, not an actor or model.
Now for most productions, things happen the other way around. Think of a truck commercial. A young, mid-20’s to 30 year old couple in the backcountry of the southwest in a beautiful location and the new generation of a truck that is the star of the show. Yes there are the people there using this truck for their adventures, but they aren’t the star of the show, it’s all about the truck. In this case you have to hire pro talent, because at the end of the day you need them to help sell the story, the adventure and most importantly, that brand new truck.
Our work is different. We still have products to help sell for our clients but we are working with first responders, farmers, military, and people in the trades. These people are the story and there’s no faking it. You can’t take a model who has never been near a fire and expect them to know what they are doing and definitely don’t put someone in a military uniform and expect them to know how to properly cuff their pants or roll their sleeves to specifications.
Now there is a real tradeoff, and anytime I get to work with real talent, I appreciate the skill and talent they bring to the table. Once you work with a great model who understands how to interact with the camera you get spoiled, especially when the next day you are working with someone who has never been on camera. But…the tradeoff is worth it when you are working with someone who actually knows how to run a construction site, operate a combine, or run through a training drill in a firehouse. The scenario changes from capturing a look to capturing a real moment.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a client tell me after a shoot, “Thanks for skipping the models”, but I have heard something way better. When you get feedback from a client that has spent 25 years in ag, grew up on a farm, and tell you the images you made felt real and what this life really is, you know you nailed it. Authentic and beautiful, that’s the goal.
Our clients' customers are the people doing the work and they know right away if the talent on screen is real or just a stand-in model. Our clients also know this because they live it everyday. Yes we lose a bit of polish that comes from pro talent, but in the end we get back something the audience can believe in.
It’s our job to capture it all.