“It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!”, “Need an assistant?!” “Need someone to hose them down?!” I am hearing it all 🙂  Orange County Fire Charities is producing it’s first Fireman calendar  since the 1990’s and I have the privilege of photographing it! From their website:

Originally founded in the 1990’s, the Professional Firefighter Calendar has been out of production for several years.    The calendar consists of firefighters that are currently employed in central Florida and will have been chosen by local celebrity judges.  The goal of the calendar is to support the community in which they serve, and to help bring awareness to a growing issue of cancer within the Fire Service.  By providing a donation towards  a calendar, you are not only showing support for your local heroes, but you are also helping programs like the Firefighter Cancer Support Network bring some much needed support and relief to firefighters and their families that are battling the disease while still serving their community.

So, I traveled over to Orlando yesterday on what has GOT to be the HOTTEST day of the year so far to scout out a perfect location for the 1st firefighter I was to photograph.  Drank a bottle of water, sat in the AC and waited for Lt. Thomas Veal and fireman David Garcia to arrive. They showed up right on time, I set up the lights and we got to work! Beautiful, gritty, graffiti art provided the urban backdrop we were looking for and David set the bar high as the first fireman to be photographed for the calendar!  Digital is so awesome because it gives immediate feedback not only to the photographer, but to the model as well. David had been preparing for the shoot–a diet regime of body builders that was specific for ensuring that all of the muscle and vascular tissue was at it’s optimum.  Congratulations, David—it worked 🙂  What do you think?!

Calendars are pre selling now… get yours HERE!