April 2024
I had my bike on the roof rack of my car and my typical gear packed in my Burton camera bag. I was prepared to shoot anything, but when I set out this morning on my trip to Wekiva Springs State Park I did not expect to be shooting an active forest fire.
Small trees wilted from the heat, in the wake of a raging fire.
As I approached the park I could see the giant plumes of smoke, although it was not clear where it was coming from, I had began to get concerned it was from the park and that the park may be closed due to the burn. However, as I entered the park it appeared open. I asked the attendant about the fire and he told me the trails are still open, just to avoid the active burn area for safety. I remember asking him to show me on the map where the active burn was, not mentioning my plans to go directly there. Once I parked, it was a short bike ride and I was met with no restrictions to the burn area, except a single piece of yellow caution tape.
I respect rules, but shooting from behind the tape was limiting my creativity. And anyway, I don't think it would hurt to go off trail and go around the tape... the land to the right side of the trail had been burnt a couple of weeks prior so it was mostly empty of vegetation. So I made my way past the tape and on the side of the trail that was not currently on fire. Searching for compositions in the trees, I began to isolate various trees that stuck out to me. Using the 70-200mm lens I was able to wait for the wind to push smoke across a particular area, which created new and very brief composition opportunities.
Picking out details within the choatic and everchanging environment, using the smoke as a way to isolate subjects and eliminate surrounding distractions - much like when shooting in fog.
Shooting the fire and surrounding landscape was an experience unlike any other. I had to be quick with my compositions as the wind and smoke dramatically changed the lighting in unpredictable ways. The fire itself was well controlled, so I was not concerned about getting into a dangerous scenario where I could get trapped. As I mentioned, the land I was walking on had almost no vegetation due to recent burns.
One of my favorite images from this shoot. The unique shape of the branches against the backdrop of vertical lines and separated by smoke make this composition particularly intriguing to me.
Sandhill ecosystems have evolved to depend on fire as part of the natural process. Longleaf pine, turkey oak, wiregrass... all of them evolved with fire as part of their life cycle. Without it, oaks take over, crowd out the grasses, and turn a vibrant open forest into a closed canopy mess.
The smoldering remains just minutes after the fire ran through.
Catching up with the fire and shooting as it relentlessly devoured anything in it's path was very exciting. I switched to my wide angle, but kept it at the long end (40mm) to keep a respectable distance from the blaze.
A "before and after" snapshot in time of where the fire has been and where it will very quickly go.
I should mention, a fire ranger did approach me on his 4x4. I felt a little guilty for straying past the caution tape about 60 yards back, but he was actually very cool about me being there. He told me I could stay and to just keep to the side of the path I was currently on, as the fire would not be able to jump over to that side.
Getting creative with some Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) technique.
This is the side of the trail that was burnt several weeks prior, already seeing lots of new growth.
Shooting the prescribed burn at Wekiva Springs State Park is a great reminder that you should always just go out and have no expectations, just show up. Too often I have felt like if it's not perfect conditions, or sunrise / sunset that it isn't "worth" it. Here is a prime example of when I would have no expectations of getting a great image based on the time of day and the location alone, but just showing up has resulted in an unforgettable experience and portfolio worthy images.