Images can share a story without any words. That is pretty powerful in the human world. As I edited my photos and chose photos from Flickr, I kept that thought in mind. I wanted photos that would speak to firefighters and civilians. A story is in each of these images and I want that story to be told through my posts as well.

I took photos of bunker gear and gear racks and changed the coloring of the photo to make them look vintage and darker. I want an idea of sadness and loneliness to come across, almost like the gear is abandoned and needs someone to wear it. By creating a feeling of sadness, I feel I could push someone who is on the fence of being a volunteer firefighter to go for it. At the same time, the images could cause a person to volunteer as an auxiliary member and help with fundraising efforts or even donate to their local department.

The old siren and emergency sign I see potential for using in posts to help show different sides and aspects of firefighting. Firefighters do more than fight fires, they respond to medical assist calls, car accidents, hazardous materials incidents, search and rescue operations, and so much more. When choosing images from Flickr, I kept the job description in mind. I chose photos of more than just fires to be able to demonstrate in posts what volunteering is all about. I can point to the picture and explain what may be happening and why firefighters are involved.

The design principals of CRAP: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity aided in editing of my pictures. In the two photos of the empty gear racks, you notice the proximity of the camera from the rack. In the one photo its almost like a tunnel is formed and the rack seems much further away, almost unattainable. In the other empty gear rack photo, the proximity is closer, but the feeling of being distant is still there. With both photos present, the viewer gets a sense that they are being drawn closer to the rack and can fulfill its duty by getting a gear set to hang on it.

Contrast is seen in the reflective emergency sign. There is actually so much contrast with the sign and its background that the sign appears to be glowing. The glowing aspect makes the photo one of my favorites. The wording on the sign becomes more prominent, especially the word, “Emergency”. Making “Emergency”, stand out allows the viewer to make the connection that a shortage of volunteer firefighters is an emergency in its self, showing irony.

I plan on using these images throughout my blog post to really create a sense of urgency and appreciation in website visitors towards volunteers. I hope the images help draw a call to action to get communities involved in their local departments. By using text and visual representations, I can make my web page a success.