Focus on Arts and Ecology

By Whitney Johnson, Director of Visual and Immersive Experiences, 

Friday, September 11, 2020 

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOAH BERGER, AP PHOTO

The apocalyptic skies across Northern California are just the latest sign of California’s struggles.

“I’ve never seen a fire forecast this bad and this large … it looks dire,” photographer Stuart Palley wrote to his photo editor this week. (Above, a hillside ablaze next to the Bidwell Bar Bridge in Oroville.)

And on Wednesday, as the skies grew strange, photography best told this story. (Below, Palley’s image of the Bear Fires near Oroville and the Plumas National Forest.)

PHOTOGRAPH BY STUART PALLEY

For photo editor Dominque Hildebrand, who covers the environment, it was important to make clear that this event was more than a freak occurrence. She pulled strong images by Gabrielle Lurie (below) and Scott Strazzante that “showcased both the normalcy of daily life and the foreboding impacts of climate change.” PHOTOGRAPHS BY GABRIELLE LURIE, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/GETTY IMAGES And Dominique included a few images that “just really speak to the power and scale of the fires.” Below, smoke from the wildfires bathes Sausalito’s Marin Headlands in a deep red glow as Thomas Spratley (right) and Paulo Santos visit. PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT STRAZZANTE, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/GETTY IMAGES As citizens marveled at the orange skies overhead, Stuart was heading north to the frontlines—and the fast-moving Berry Creek fire (below). Not only has Stuart spent the past eight years documenting California’s increasingly severe wildfires—more than 100 fires by his count. He’s also a qualified base-level wildland firefighter. He’s witnessed the destruction, followed by rebuilding and more and more Californians moving into fire-prone and climate-vulnerable areas. The same patterns have followed in hard-hit Oregon and Washington State. On a check-in call, Stuart said he was making a quick stop to pick up a chainsaw in case of downed trees. Dominique emphasized the importance of working with such a pro: “He can read the fire forecast charts. He knows what he needs to be safe. And he is quick on his feet to adapt and adjust.” Dominque’s biggest takeaway, after seeing the images of California’s biggest single wildfire, as well as other windswept blazes that have charred more than 2.5 million acres in the state. “How compounding our impact—human impact—on the planet is,” she wrote. “I worry about the photographers’ safety—protecting them from COVID-19, heat stress, air pollution, and fires all at once feels a bit wild.” Wildfires are just a part of the job. Rising sea levels. Increasing hurricanes. Worsening air pollution. As the planet warms, we need photography more than ever to give insight to the ways in which the Earth is changing our lives. Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, sign up here or forward to a friend. PHOTOGRAPH BY STUART PALLEY