WENTZVILLE, MISSOURI- This image is this year's 2008 EMS Expo Photo Contest Grand Prize winner.

St. Charles County Ambulance District paramedic Sherri Hercules (kneeling left) and Nicole Schumtz (right with blue turnout coat) are seen preparing to obtain vitals on a young boy who suffered injuries when his mother struck a deer in their mini-van. The impact was enough to deloy the van's air bags. A Wentzville Fire Protection District firefighter can be seen in the background.

The deer, injured and suffering, was shot to death by an on-scene policeman.

I like to shoot close (if possible) when photographing EMS to give my viewers the feel they are right along side with the medics. For this image I just sat right down on the floor of the ambulance to get to the same level as Sherri. My Nikon SB-800 speedlight was bounced off the white ceiling of the ambulance with the camera set to a slow-sync setting. I find this works best with the mixed ambient lighting of the ambulance and allows just enough flash to bring out the details of the foreground without making it too obvious that flash was used. I've used this technique for years and since the flash burst is so fast, the medics seldom notice the flash at all.


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