I was tasked to photograph Iowa National Guard Soldiers demonstrating the first aid and lifesaving procedures  learned in the combat lifesaver course. This test is lovingly called the “Blood Lanes”.

The blood lanes is a mass casualty test, designed for individuals to fail. The only way to succeed and become certified, is to work together as a team. The teams have to go through the stages of casualty treatment in dark rooms riddled with fog. Soldiers are bombarded with simulated combat noises, and smells. (It smells horrible, I promise.)

As you can imagine, there’s a lot of yelling and movement. I had to be hyper aware and anticipate their movements as I took my photos on manual settings. The largest hurdle was staying as litters swung around.
I wanted to capture the collaboration between Soldiers as they helped each other succeed.