VICSES Stock Shoot

Officer, Victoria · 2026-06-28

Turbo 360 spent a full day in Officer, Victoria, photographing VICSES volunteers across sandbagging, land search, chainsaw, road crash rescue, working at heights, and studio portrait scenarios — delivering the full edited library within 24 hours.

Some of the most meaningful photography work we do at Turbo 360 involves the people who show up when things go wrong. On 28 June 2026, our two-photographer team headed out to Officer, Victoria, to spend a full day on location with VICSES — the Victoria State Emergency Service. The brief: build out a diverse, high-quality image library that captures real volunteers doing real work across a wide range of scenarios.

Two VICSES volunteers in orange high-visibility uniforms stacking sandbags inside an SES facility in Officer, Victoria — VICSES volunteers demonstrating sandbagging operations at the Officer facility

VICSES is Victoria's control agency for floods, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides, and operates the largest road crash rescue network in Australia across more than 150 units statewide. Over 93% of its workforce are volunteers — everyday Victorians who give their time to keep communities safe, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. With that scale of operation comes a constant need for strong, authentic imagery to support recruitment campaigns, media releases, training materials and public communications.

VICSES officer in dark navy uniform posing for an individual portrait against a white studio backdrop — Studio portrait of a VICSES officer — shot against the portable backdrop set up on site

Female VICSES volunteer in full orange rescue uniform and helmet holding gloves, individual portrait on white backdrop — Individual volunteer portrait — full operational kit, studio-quality result on location

What We Covered

The shoot was structured around a wide range of operational scenarios, giving VICSES a library they can draw from across multiple communications assets. Our photographers moved between indoor and outdoor settings throughout the day, covering:

Sandbagging operations
Land search scenarios in bushland
Road crash rescue
Chainsaw use and storm debris clearance
Working at heights with harness and rope systems
Vehicle and communications hub scenes
Individual and group team portraits

Two VICSES volunteers filling sandbags outdoors — one shovelling sand while the other holds the bag open — Sandbagging scenario — one of many practical skills captured across the day

VICSES volunteer in helmet reading a map inside a rescue vehicle during a land search scenario — Inside the rescue vehicle during a land search scenario

Turbo 360 photographer shooting a group of VICSES volunteers walking in formation across a car park at Officer — Behind the lens — one of our photographers capturing the VICSES team on the move

VICSES volunteer at a communications desk handling radio equipment inside an operations room — Communications and operations room — capturing the behind-the-scenes side of emergency response

For the individual and team portraits, we set up a portable studio backdrop on site. This let us deliver clean, consistent headshots and uniform portraits without needing to leave the facility — practical, efficient, and polished.

Turbo 360 portable studio backdrop and lighting set up inside an SES operations room for volunteer portrait photography — Our portable studio set up inside the VICSES facility — ready to run individual portraits between scenario shoots

Photographer framing a VICSES volunteer on a camera screen during a studio portrait session on white backdrop — Reviewing the framing during studio portraits — same-day feedback kept the session moving smoothly

Female VICSES volunteer operating a Stihl chainsaw in a bushland setting during a stock photography shoot — Chainsaw operations — one of VICSES's core skills captured in the field

VICSES volunteer cutting through a fallen log with a chainsaw in a forest, second volunteer standing by — Storm debris clearance — VICSES volunteers put chainsaw skills to work in the bush

Group of VICSES volunteers in orange uniforms working on a steep embankment in the bush during a land search scenario — Land search scenario — volunteers navigating rough terrain in the Officer bushland

Smiling VICSES female volunteer in full orange gear and hearing protection holding a pole saw in the bush — Moments of genuine energy — not staged smiles, just volunteers enjoying their work

Two VICSES volunteers in harnesses and helmets working at heights on a rooftop during a rescue scenario shoot — Working at heights — volunteers harnessed up for a rooftop rescue scenario

Turbo 360 photographer's POV shooting VICSES rescue volunteers walking through bushland during a land search scenario — On the ground with the team — our photographers moved through every scenario alongside the volunteers

Two VICSES volunteers in full rescue gear sitting on a fallen log in the bush, discussing a land search plan — Land search — a quiet planning moment captured between scenarios

VICSES rescue team assisting a simulated casualty in bushland during a land search photography scenario — Land search rescue scenario — volunteers attending to a simulated casualty in the field

Overhead view of VICSES crew leader and volunteers securing a simulated casualty to a Ferno stretcher in bushland — Overhead angle of the stretcher scenario — a perspective that gives the imagery real editorial impact

VICSES SES Commander and three volunteers reviewing a map on a vehicle bonnet in a bush command post setting — Command post planning — the SES Commander and crew in a land search coordination scene

Young VICSES volunteer in orange uniform looking out from inside a rescue vehicle during a road crash rescue scenario — Road crash rescue scenario — capturing the focus of a younger volunteer during a vehicle scene

Turbo 360 photographer framing VICSES volunteers practising working-at-heights rope rescue on a rooftop at dusk — End of day golden light — capturing the working-at-heights scenario alongside an SES rescue vehicle

Photographer shooting two young VICSES volunteers inside a rescue vehicle through the open window — Getting into position — our photographer working the vehicle interior angle

What We Delivered

The full edited gallery was delivered to VICSES within 24 hours of the shoot wrapping. Same-day editing meant the team could begin reviewing images almost immediately. The resulting library spans a genuine cross-section of VICSES operations and people — from gritty field work to clean studio portraits — giving their communications team flexible assets ready to go across print, digital and social platforms.

Group of eight VICSES volunteers in orange uniforms standing together and smiling in front of an SES rescue vehicle — The VICSES crew — a team portrait to round out the day's shoot

Turbo 360 photographer shooting a group of VICSES volunteers in full uniform for a team portrait outside Maranatha Christian School in Officer — Turbo 360 in action — group portrait session outside one of the Officer locations used across the shoot day

Turbo 360 two-photographer crew selfie with the full VICSES volunteer team at the end of a stock photography shoot day in Officer, Victoria — A great day's work — the Turbo 360 crew with the VICSES team at the end of the shoot

Working alongside the VICSES volunteers was a genuinely energising experience. These are people who train hard, show up without hesitation and care deeply about their communities. Getting to document that — even in a controlled stock shoot context — is a privilege. We're proud to have helped build a library that reflects the real depth and diversity of the people who make this organisation tick.

If your organisation needs a professional stock photography shoot — whether it's editorial imagery, team portraits or operational scenarios — we'd love to talk. Get in touch with the Turbo 360 team here.

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