Emergency Services Vehicles

This could easily have been a rather mundane image, but the editing has elevated it to a much higher plane. The vehicles themselves are very imposing and the HDR treatment has not been overdone, but has brought out all the detail in the shadows and highlights and imparted a gritty reality to the scene. The steam or smoke has certainly added to the atmosphere. The colours are rich but not over-saturated. The boots and overalls raise the question as to whether they have just returned, or are about to go on a 'shout'.

Good dynamic image of a fast-moving Police bike. The angle of the bike and the motion blur on the tyres is good. The fact that it is heading straight for the camera limits the amount of motion blur in its environment, but that's unavoidable. The 'blues' are bright, clear and symmetrical. The low viewpoint also helps, along with the negative space on the left of the image. A nice shot of a bike cop enjoying himself.

This could have been so ordinary. In many ways it is, but the image-taking and the editing have elevated it. Most of the vehicle and the crew are in quite sharp focus. Most of the rest of the image is not. Together with a subtle vignette, the image carries off an almost 3D quality. The use of a long lens has isolated the main subject and flattened the perspective. I think this is a well-observed image. I like the quite subtle reflections of the headlights on the road, the fact that there is some space around the main subject and the colours are not over-saturated.

It is easy to overdo HDR editing and this comes pretty close to the limit. The low, wide-angle view has made the vehicle look imposing and prominent, to the extent of dominating the image, in a good way. Unusually, the building's converging verticals add, rather than subtract, from the image. A dramatic view of the fire appliance. I would have liked to see the tyres a bit darker and the top of the image by the building turret has gone a bit awry, but it is still an image that grabs one's attention for the right reasons.

Great image. Plenty of movement in the helicopter rotors with an enormously brave shutter speed of 1/30th! This has also translated into the spray being whipped up by the downdraught, the heat distortion from the exhaust and the wake of the boats. The triangular composition of the three main elements is either well captured or well-cropped, clearly with the rule of thirds in mind. The lowest possible ISO value has resulted in great saturation without being overdone. To top it off, plenty of detail in the sky and the land. Really very nice.

This ambulance or lifeboat looks like it was built for seriously awful weather and sea conditions. It's a good capture and although a slower shutter speed would have captured more movement, it is clear that it's moving fast. The image has not suffered from the relatively high ISO value. It looks as though it was taken in the Lofoten Islands. A lower viewpoint would have caught more of the very impressive backdrop, but you were where you were! The late (or early) sun was clearly low in the sky, catching only the higher slopes of the snow-covered mountains, leaving the light levels relatively low for your subject.

Great dynamic image, with plenty of movement due to the slow shutter speed, but the headlights of the bike are absolutely crisp and sharp. I can almost feel the grin on the rider's face as he opens her up around some bends in a country road. The image is beautifully framed and the motion blur, as well as the angle of the bike, is all the viewer needs to know. A well captured shot without any unnecessary distractions.

I'm guessing that you were lucky to witness this but you have made the best of your luck. There is movement in the helicopter rotor blades, although it would have been nice for a bit more. The shadows, the angle, the environment tell us the story and tell it well. It looks like a full range of tones in the image and the snow has come out properly white, but without the appearance of 'blown' highlights.

This goes to show what can be done even when the elements are well against the photographer. A misty day in the Channel off Dungeness, isn't an inviting prospect for many. There is a dynamic quality to this image which shouts purposeful urgency. Despite the fast shutter speed, there is movement in the water and the mist is enhanced by the spray from both boats.

Nice image of a Canadair CL-415, sometimes called the 'Super-Scooper', this one operated by the French Securite Civile. It's been pictured doing what it's most well-known for; dumping a lot of water in a very short time. The props have been well blurred and the timing of the shot could hardly have been better. The shot has been well-edited with detail in the sky and the water has good definition whilst still keeping the obvious motion. I don't think the border adds anything to the image but despite that, it's a good picture.

Another rare example where HDR has enhanced the image. The detail brought out makes this a good shot and the smoke looks particularly well-captured, along with a nice selection of different emergency service vehicles. This is an image that tells a clear story and tells it well.

This image manages to pack of lot of things into the frame, all of which are on brief. Clearly a posed shot, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that. I don't know whether it was a spur of the moment capture, or whether it had been planned that way, but it gives an excellent illustration of an often overlooked - largely volunteer - emergency service The importance of the Blood Bikes can't be overstated.