F.D.N.Y.

[npfd801]

Gorgeous stuff. I'm in awe of what so many of you guys can do with a camera.

[FDNY 10-75]

Fantastic shots as always Mike!

[Guest]

Great shots Mike!

[Guest]

Nice!! Can't wait to get back to NY, sadly probably won't be this year. How do you go about getting posed shots in NY, I know you have the power of running FDNYtrucks.com but most times I tried to arrange some posed shots in NYC it was quickly shot down as being too difficult although I never met a rude crew, all gave amazing hospitality just short of posing the rigs. Some houses managed it but not many!



Also I notice you said film costs, are you still shooting film or do you simply mean printing costs. If you're still shooting film any reason why or just because you are comfortable with it? Nothing wrong either way I am just curious.

[e290l103]

running my site gives me no power at all, but some guys do know of it, which sometimes makes a difference. I make calls and do alot of work to make something happen, but sometimes they dont... sometimes its a matter of waiting around for them to go out, either for the meal or on a run, then they might meet up with us somewhere, but it is time critical. its not like 95% of the places in the country where you can go anytime and it doesnt matter because there is space to turn the rig one way or the other. Manhattan is very difficult. believe it or not, it takes a lot of prep work to do anything. everything is time critical because of sun angles, ASP parking, everything, events going on... since there is almost no open space on the whole island, you have to do alot of scouting for spots to put the rigs. I spend hours sometimes on google earth, finding spots, then zooming on on street signs looking for parking info, etc. then you have to figure if parking is allowed there or not, because if it is when you scout it, it wont be when you get the company back there. and that sucks... in the past year, they reconfigured the parking along the curbs and the street flow where we used to do the 9th Battalion rigs, now forget about the whole area. That sucks because it was the only place to go in their area. places you used to be able to take companies are not there anymore, because either they built a building there and there are now cars parked on both sides of the street, or because they built a building a block over that is so tall it casts a shadow over where you went before. Trees. there used to be no trees on the streets, now 20 years later the trees that were little cast a shadow on the whole block. Wirefarms in the air... all these formerly vacant buildings now have tons of wires going into them. Along the Hudson River. used to be a ghost town on weekends, not anymore. thousands of people all over the place, cabs and cars everywhere... no more places to go. used to be nobody had a car in the city, now everyone does. you used to be able to shoot E23 in the front of the house in the summer on a weekend around 10am, the sun would come down the street, and you could angle the rig across the street and it would be a great and very easy shot, and you wouldnt see anyone on the street and there was no traffic. we waited for them to get back from a run the other morning. it was like Grand Central Station at rush hour. we must have seen 500 joggers in packs like wolverines, bicyclists, bumper to bumper traffic. very difficult to get that shot again... As it was where we took E23 was not the spot we originally intended to go. we intended to be midblock on W58th St, it was in full sun when we looked, by the time we got there the shadow from the building two blocks away covered the block. fortunately, the end of the street was still in full sun and we could do it there. I fully expect a building to be built at 12th and 58th in the next year or so, then that will be it, because the street will no longer have any sun at all on it once that happens. Lower Manhattan used to be a ghost town on weekends, literally. no more... upper Manhattan, poor people didnt have cars, now everyone does...



I still shoot with 3 cameras, print, slide and digital. I still like that little piece of cardboard and celluloid.

[kieferfire]

GREAT FDNY update ! I can imagine that shooting in Manhattan is a challenge.



Juergen

[Guest]

[quote name='FDNYTRUCKS.com' timestamp='1331652754' post='477370']

running my site gives me no power at all, but some guys do know of it, which sometimes makes a difference. I make calls and do alot of work to make something happen, but sometimes they dont... sometimes its a matter of waiting around for them to go out, either for the meal or on a run, then they might meet up with us somewhere, but it is time critical. its not like 95% of the places in the country where you can go anytime and it doesnt matter because there is space to turn the rig one way or the other. Manhattan is very difficult. believe it or not, it takes a lot of prep work to do anything. everything is time critical because of sun angles, ASP parking, everything, events going on... since there is almost no open space on the whole island, you have to do alot of scouting for spots to put the rigs. I spend hours sometimes on google earth, finding spots, then zooming on on street signs looking for parking info, etc. then you have to figure if parking is allowed there or not, because if it is when you scout it, it wont be when you get the company back there. and that sucks... in the past year, they reconfigured the parking along the curbs and the street flow where we used to do the 9th Battalion rigs, now forget about the whole area. That sucks because it was the only place to go in their area. places you used to be able to take companies are not there anymore, because either they built a building there and there are now cars parked on both sides of the street, or because they built a building a block over that is so tall it casts a shadow over where you went before. Trees. there used to be no trees on the streets, now 20 years later the trees that were little cast a shadow on the whole block. Wirefarms in the air... all these formerly vacant buildings now have tons of wires going into them. Along the Hudson River. used to be a ghost town on weekends, not anymore. thousands of people all over the place, cabs and cars everywhere... no more places to go. used to be nobody had a car in the city, now everyone does. you used to be able to shoot E23 in the front of the house in the summer on a weekend around 10am, the sun would come down the street, and you could angle the rig across the street and it would be a great and very easy shot, and you wouldnt see anyone on the street and there was no traffic. we waited for them to get back from a run the other morning. it was like Grand Central Station at rush hour. we must have seen 500 joggers in packs like wolverines, bicyclists, bumper to bumper traffic. very difficult to get that shot again... As it was where we took E23 was not the spot we originally intended to go. we intended to be midblock on W58th St, it was in full sun when we looked, by the time we got there the shadow from the building two blocks away covered the block. fortunately, the end of the street was still in full sun and we could do it there. I fully expect a building to be built at 12th and 58th in the next year or so, then that will be it, because the street will no longer have any sun at all on it once that happens. Lower Manhattan used to be a ghost town on weekends, literally. no more... upper Manhattan, poor people didnt have cars, now everyone does...



I still shoot with 3 cameras, print, slide and digital. I still like that little piece of cardboard and celluloid.

[/quote]



Take a deep breath Mike!!

[Guest]

Great explanation Mike, I fully accept how tough NY can be to shoot.

[Guest]

[quote name='grc063' timestamp='1331663207' post='477376']

Take a deep breath Mike!!

[/quote]



Why should he? Thanks Mike for what you do! Your website is awesome, and I know that most of the Brothers @ FDNY appreciate your work!

[Guest]

Mike - your shots and site are great. I have heard through a friend you have the collection of Lou Ketler... Any chance that you will add these to your site for the history of the companies???

Thanks again for what you do!

[Juice]

What are the small chrome, what appear to be lights, behind the headlights on the Battalion Units? It appears they are on the ambulanes as well?



Trav!

[129k]

[quote name='Juice' timestamp='1331752257' post='477453']

What are the small chrome, what appear to be lights, behind the headlights on the Battalion Units? It appears they are on the ambulanes as well?



Trav!

[/quote]



LED intersection lights

[Juice]

I thought that might have been what they were... these:

[url="http://www.sirennet.com/wh0s-0--cr.html"]http://www.sirennet.com/wh0s-0--cr.html[/url]



Thanks,

Trav!

[Guest]

Those lights are actually the Whelen Vertex series I believe. For their size, they are bright.

[url="http://www.sirennet.com/whvtx609.html"]http://www.sirennet.com/whvtx609.html[/url]

[Roto-Ray]

T-Bone is correct, they're Vertexs (Vertii?) with chrome flanges. We run them on our battalion buggies as well.

[Juice]

Thanks guys, I've seen them in several photos, but no vids. yet.



Trav!

[e290l103]

I do have some of Kelter's collection. selling it off on ebay. I wont be putting them on my site though, still only using my stuff there, but I am considering other options.

[Guest]

Thought that might have been your thoughts. I know you cover a large amount of FDNY's History as it is. Would just love to see more of the war years. Again Mike - you have a great site... Glad SOMEONE did it!

[Frank B]

[quote name='FDNYTRUCKS.com' timestamp='1331520144' post='477240']

got out last week and this week in NYC. NYC is the toughest place on earth to shoot rigs. bar none...

first up L41

[/quote]

You got it! Good photos!

[smketrfdny]

Joe Pinto had tons of photos of F.D.N.Y. rigs from the 'War Years" when Mike was probably riding his bike (or trike) across the GWB to get his. <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Mike has awesome pictures (and I did get my Mack thanks to Mike), I NEVER tire of his site. Of course, I am never working when he takes his pics, but maybe once before I retire...



Stay safe,Brothers.