There is a wide range of reasons why photos are taken at incidents...some have been mentioned here so far.....
Perhaps the most obvious (at least to those on forums like this!) is to publicise the service to others via websites & other forms of printed media.
But the photos that appear in that sort of medium are only a small portion of the photos taken.
Brigades use photos to remind themselves of jobs they have been to or to show other members what they missed.
Then there's photos that can be used for training purposes later on - often within the brigade / group.
And then there's what I will call history type photos......the pics that people take at special brigade events, like the arrival of a new appliance, pics of the founding members who have come back to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the brigade etc....
I have been working on info for a history website - and coming across photos that people have taken over the last 40 years of CFS makes research so much easier!!! Without "Happy Snappers" pictorial history of brigades would be few & far between...
In taking photos, it became very clear, very early on, that no one wants their photo taken, but everyone wants a good photo of themselves doing their CFS stuff.....
It is important however, that photos are taken with some common sense in mind - and within some suitable guidelines - especially about not getting in the way of the incident activities, not making a nuisance of yourself, taking appropriate photos, and using them in an appropriate manner.
And remember, the photo you take today, is tomorrows history.
Pip
