Project Images
Gallery Overview
Individual Images
Image 1
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Image 3
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Image 6
Image 7
Project Description
This project touches me personally because I know that people in my community lost their homes while I made photographs. I feel their loss when I look at my photographs. I titled this project ‘end of days’ in tribute to their losses, their lives that are forever changed, their homes and possessions prematurely ended.
2020 was a horrific year for wildfires both nationwide and locally to my hometown of Boulder, Colorado, USA. Late in the afternoon of October 17, the Calwood Fire broke out in the Rocky Mountain foothills only a few miles from my home. Fueled by strong west winds and dry conditions, the fire grew at 1,000 acres per hour, necessitating evacuations as it consumed homes and structures. My own home was outside the projected path but the smoke towered overhead. I felt fear and uncertainty as I had never been as near to the path of a wildfire.
As the skies darkened, the light dimmed, and smoke rolled over the landscape at eye level and obscured visibility, my photography radar piqued and I foresaw a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity develop. Without any hesitation, I grabbed my camera gear and raced to a nearby wildlife habitat and nature preserve, a bit nervous and excited for what I might encounter.
I had been visiting the preserve for a couple years for both recreation and photography and knew it well. As a reclaimed gravel quarry, it hosts a mix of open meadows, forest stands, topographic mounds, ponds, and trails. The landscape had become familiar to me over the years and I anticipated interesting photography under unique conditions.
As the clock ticked toward sunset, the light transformed through a surreal spectrum of colors, the smoke descended to ground level, and the particulates of ash began to fall. I wished for goggles for my burning eyes. A spooky apocalyptic atmosphere surrounded me. I moved hurriedly through the dense smoke to an elevated mound and lost sight of distant features. I couldn’t have asked for anything more characteristically hellish without actual danger.
I composed various photographs of the unfolding scenes when, just before sunset, the sun began to drop below the belly of the overhead smoke cloud. It appeared as a glowing red dot, oddly dull and bright at the same time. With only minutes to work, I composed the leading image of this series to layer the landscape, filling the frame with the trees, dormant grasses, and dense smoke before the sun set.
According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the Calwood Fire burned 10,113 acres, had 26 structures lost or damaged, and took nearly a month to reach 100% containment. It caused the evacuation of 4,925 homes and structures, with evacuation warnings sent to another 4,773 contacts. Fortunately, there were no fatalities resulting from the fire. The cause of the fire is still undetermined.
Self Critique
I like that I successfully captured the smoke as it hung over the trees and that it diffuses the elements across the landscape.
I like that I gave the trees some space in some of the frames to enable the smoky atmosphere to show.
I wish I could have captured more variety during the peak of the dense smoke, but it was so fleeting. I’m happy I got what I got.
Creative Direction
I am aiming for a communication of the hazard of the smoke, the telling of the story of smoke on this landscape. It was an apocalyptic scene. I’m not sure I convey it sufficiently.
Specific Feedback
I would welcome any and all feedback on this project, including:
Aesthetic: Does the project convey the suffocating effect of the smoke and it’s connection to trees on fire?
Conceptual: Does the project convey a smoke-filled scene? Do any of the images fail to fit the theme of ‘Trees’ as described below in the first intent?
Technical: During image editing, I attempted to equalize the natural orange color of light across all images to unify the set, although minor deviations remain. Does that bother you or are you ok with the differences in color among the images?
Intent of the project
Gallery Exhibition
Additional Details: The intent with this set is multi-fold:
- I am selecting 3 of these for submission into a group show on the broad theme of ‘Trees.’ The exhibition prospectus didn’t offer much more to go on for selecting which images to submit, so which 3 would you select as artistic images and why? Which images do not fit the theme?
- In addition to a narrowly focused gallery submission on trees, I am also creating a pdf of this project on the broader theme of the fire to include more images not shown here.
- I may submit to a contemporary landscape photography publication.