Like Mike, I too Thank you Jamie for that video of the Late Tom Wanstall. I still have all three books of his. I still consider them to be some of the top classics in my collection.
Tom was an Excellent photographer during a time when taking pictures required a very special skill as well as various camera equipment such as flash equipment, and various speed film depending on the darkness. Taking fire ground photos was very difficult because of the various amount of light in the area. Distance and lens was another important factor.
I never got to meet Tom Wanstall, although his reputation was known by many buffs. These guys captured a time of some very heavy fire activity for many cities. The FDNY and Yonkers no exception of course. Those pictures tell of a different time when a different type of gear was worn. Or when a fire truck was painted another color other than red.
Tom Wanstall and others like him have played a very significant part in showing those before these years, how it was.
May he Rest in Peace and I thank him for his contribution to the Fire Service.
Thank you Jamie, "R1SmokeEater", for taking the time to post this video as well. I never met him but I heard a lot about him.
