Station 8 Introduction

Since I first picked up a camera in high school, photography has allowed me to artistically express how I see the world. For instance, the small forest my parents created in their backyard continues to inspire my photography. Regardless of the season, the yard flourishes with textures, colors, and asymmetries in ever-changing combinations that always appear interesting and inviting. This is one of the many reasons why my camera remains with me at all times.

Currently, I am in pursuit of something beyond just the aesthetic form in my photography. The immediacy, rawness, and empathetic potential of photography provides one with a powerful tool for exploring the human narrative, something we all long to better understand. When done properly and at its best, photojournalism requires no words. This is not an easy feat to accomplish, but one worthy of exploring.

Fortunately, last fall AltDaily requested help from local photographers and soon I found myself accepting my first photojournalism assignment: photographing a typical shift at a local fire station. After a few months of waiting for approval, I was finally granted permission by the Virginia Beach Fire Department to spend one shift with the Station 8 Ladder. An odd mix of excitement and nerves followed me till the day of the shift.

I arrived a little after 8am, at the end of shift change. I was given a tour of the station and introduced to everyone working the shift. After dropping off some equipment at my bunk, I walked around the station photographing everyone working on their Saturday duties and absorbing all the great imagery around me. I had no idea what the rest of the shift had in store; I don’t remember letting go of my camera the entire shift.

Until the shift at Station 8, I think I had the same one dimensional view of fire fighters that most of us obtain in our youth. Brave men and women who, without hesitation, run into smoking buildings while everyone else frantically runs out. I quickly dispelled this unrealistic view when I witnessed the unglamorous, but necessary and vital, supporting tasks such as routine maintenance, cleaning, administrative tasks, et cetera that allow fire fighters to safely perform rescues of the unimaginable kind. We should recognize their extensive knowledge and thoroughness as much as we admire their heroism. 

What follows are a few select photographs from my time at Station 8. I’m realistic about what they will accomplish. They won’t cover all aspects of the fire fighter's working life nor provide deeper insight into the lives of firefighters nor contain the flames of an actual fire. What I hope they will accomplish, if even for a moment, is provide a glimpse into an ordinary day of our fellow neighbors, family members, and citizens who decide every shift to put their lives at risk in order to save and protect ours.