Whittier Fire - Color
by wbanning

Comment by mariuca:
Interesting. I find the B&W more romantic. Here the acidity and saturation of the greens is perhaps too pronounced, even if this was the reality

Whittier Fire Burn Area 2 ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by wbanning:

Originally posted by marnet: Wouldn't this image have more impact in colour?

Remember my Side Challenge theme is Minimal B&W In-Camera. Although, I did process this one a bit for exposure. So... yep, it would have more impact, I think. When shooting for in camera .jpg, I alway use Raw+JPG settings. See below for a quick take of a color version:

Whittier Fire Burn Area 2 ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by MargaretNet:
Wouldn't this image have more impact in colour?

Whittier Fire Burn Area ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by digifotojo:
That's a beautiful minimalist-style capture. The clouds in the open sky frame the tree below that appears to be struggling to stand tall once again in spite of the high tension wires. I think this looks perfect in monotone.

Whittier Fire Burn Area 2 ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by digifotojo:
The rebirth of nature. It's amazing how nature reclaims things, it's part of life. I particularly like the designs in the trees overhead that appear to be waving in all directions as if to say, "we're still here!"

Whittier Fire Burn Area 2 ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by wbanning:

Originally posted by streetpigeon: ... My only quibble is that the vertical pipe on the left is a distraction.

Thanks for the nice comments on the set here. I'd definitely spend some time on it before sharing this as anything other than "minimal" processing. But, I've been so focused on the exposure and contrast results of these in-camera jpgs that I hadn't noticed the pipe.

Whittier Fire Burn Area 2 ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by streetpigeon:
This kind of reverses the order of your other image in that here there's only a patch of sky. The results, though, are the same -- another fine picture. Forest depictions can often be an indecipherable mass but here, with liberal spacing, the trees are easily distinguished and have twisty character. The lush, light undergrowth helps to set them apart. The sunlit patch of leaves on the left makes the picture. It's a enchanting focal point. I like how you can feel the terrain, the upward slope. My only quibble is that the vertical pipe on the left is a distraction.

Whittier Fire Burn Area ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by streetpigeon:
Can't see any evidence of fire, or don't know how to look, but I do see a sterling image. A thin strip of land under a vast sky, if done well, can give an awesome result, dramatic and expansive in several ways. This photograph succeeds admirably, not least because the landscape is so minimal. The central inclusion of the graceful telephone line is a bold and winning stroke, considering how detested they tend to be by photographers in most instances. The cloud that billows over the left horizon, and the more wispy cloud that nips below the upper right corner, leave a big open sky between them that adds to the overall minimalism. Black and white looks terrific here.

Whittier Fire Burn Area ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by roz:
thankyou Bill for the information .. :)

Whittier Fire Burn Area ("Fire Out" + 14 months)
by wbanning

Comment by wbanning:

Originally posted by roz: thats INSANE .. are you saying that the fire burned for over four months .. i shake my head .. thinking about the people who lived near that fire .. and the fear and worry .. i live near the bush .. and each summer .. depending on the rainfall .. i get anxious that we will be threatened by a fire coming out of the bush .. we have had three in the 25 years i have lived here when we had to be evacuated .. fortunately the fires missed us ... but one was a very near thing ..

The fire began in the backcounty of Santa Barbara County, near Cahuma Lake on July 8. 2017. Although it was officially contained on October 5, it wasn't declared "out" until Dec. 31. Sixteen homes and 30 other buildings were destroyed (lots of camp facilties in the area) but no one was killed. Southern California has always been prone to wildfires. The "season is typically late spring through November, but with almost a decade of drought and effects of climate change, the states' fire season is now considered to be year-round. The man-made lake here is the primary source of fresh water for the county. At the time of the fire, the lake was at less than 20% capacity. Today, as we are in the midst of a rainy season that has brought us to greater than average rainfall totals, the lake is pushing 80% capacity. If we continue to get rain through March and April, it may come closer to 100%.

What this photo (and the other) don't show is the strong regrowth of grass in the area (and throughout the state). We're experiencing a spring "super-bloom" of wildflowers. The cloud to this silver lining is that the extensive growth will create massive amounts of dry grass and brush as the spring fades to summer. Our beautiful rolling grasslands and hills will be rich with new fuel for the inevitable fires to come.