In addition to being a graphic designer here at Crutchfield, I’m also a volunteer firefighter. I often help my department with recruitment and fund raising efforts, and obtaining content for the station’s website. As pictures show what we do so much more effectively than words, I’m often looking through the view finder of my camera snapping shots while on the scenes.

A typical duty shift for our volunteers runs through the night. That makes reflective objects tricky to shoot because the object can bounce too much of the flash back to the camera, washing out detail in the rest of the frame. Fire engines are especially difficult as they’re equipped with Scotchlight™, a highly reflective striping.

   Here is an example with flash (on left), and the same view without flash (on the right)

While this is a great safety device for the firefighters and EMTs working the scene, it poses an interesting challenge for photographers. Do you use the flash and run the risk of the reflection bouncing light back to the camera, or do you work without the flash and possibly get grainy images from the lack of light?

Bounce flash can sometimes be an option, but it requires a surface to bounce the light off of, and it often results in the same reflective issues. The best alternative I’ve found is to turn off the flash and try to hold the camera steady while shooting. At low light levels, this can add some grain to the picture, but it also gets more information of the scene and surrounding area.

In this comparison you can see the difference of the flash (top) and without (bottom)

A camera with image stabilization helps you with this but you can also try to find something to brace the camera against to keep it still. When lighting is really low, I’ll use a post, sign or even the side of another vehicle to steady the camera and keep shake to a minimum. Then I’ll turn off the flash and take my shot.

  With flash (top), you can't see the building, but you can without flash (bottom)

As you can see from my examples, I still end up with some graininess, however I also get more of the surrounding scenery­—and shots that are worth more than 1000 words!