JPG Magazine: Photos: "Griffth Fire" by Andrew Hara

Griffth Fire

By Andrew Hara

On 31 March 2008

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The Griffth Fire was one of the many fires in Los Angeles during some incredibly dry months in Los Angeles. These fires were caused by the effects of global warming, causing an immense drought period that made most of the Southern Californian area a big piece of tinder. As a new urban dweller in Los Angeles, I cannot believe the amount of pollution there is saturating every crevice of the city. You cannot even drink the tap water or breathe the air without being affected by contaminants because of how we treat the environment.

When I was across the I-5 highway photographing the fire, I met this gentleman who was crying because he could hear some of the animals running and some screaming from across the highway. He said that this was a visual cue of armaggedon- this is what the world would look like if we did not start changing our perspectives on how we impact the world.

Some of the design and technical aspects of the photograph:

There were several helicopters struggling to control the fire, which are shown as the streaks in the sky. The two bursts at the ends of the streaks were the helicopters shining their spotlights directly at the camera at the time of the exposure. My silhouette was created by the sodium vapor lights along the Los Angeles River. Throughout the duration of the exposure, I attempted to stand still while I intermittently checked my metering to ensure that the foreground, background, and sky would expose properly.

In the story Please vote on my portfolio!.

47 Responses

On 31 March 2008 m s said:
You have my vote!
On 31 March 2008 Warren Mangione gave props:
Holey Moley! Cosmic event! I am speechless. I love it! I won't even ask how you did this.
On 31 March 2008 Adam Balkovic gave props:
Wow lots going on here.... insane!
On 31 March 2008 Michael Wesley gave props:
Wow, amazing!
On 31 March 2008 Andrew Hara said:
Hey guys! There are no tricks in this photograph, those are the real colors, the silhouette's color is from a flashlight that I gelled to balance the super warm temperature of the fire. Glad you guys like it!
On 31 March 2008 Timothy Schenck gave props:
wow, amazing work. definite vote from me.
On 31 March 2008 Jonas Lara said:
these are one of my favorite shots of yours . . .
On 1 April 2008 William Foley (Kreddible Trout) said:
the story about the man is heart wrenching. Even though I'm not religious & the whole Armageddon thing doesn't bother me, the thought of a man crying at the sound of panicked animals is a desperate enough image to make me agree. yes, Armageddon (in which ever sense) is not too far off unless we change our ways.
On 2 April 2008 Andrew Hara gave props:
Thank you for the comments, it was one of those really intense moments when the city came together, which is pratically unheard of in Los Angeles.
On 2 April 2008 Neall Mercado said:
I love the lights. Amazing photograph. You got my vote man.
On 3 April 2008 Andrew Hara gave props:
Thanks man! The lights were the helicopters attempting to douse the fire.
On 3 April 2008 Andrew Darlow gave props:
Really amazing photo and story. That was a terrible event for many people and animals.
On 4 April 2008 Matias Kritz gave props:
Your works is amazing and original!!!!!
On 7 April 2008 Ognjen Karabegović gave props:
Exelent!!!!
On 22 April 2008 Natalie Franco gave props:
I remember this. It was non stop sadness in LA !
On 22 April 2008 Sherry Davis Johnson gave props:
My heart skipped a beat when I saw this photo. I live in an area ravaged by fire in 1993. This is a magnificent stunning and capture that should be a part of our postcards that tourists collect. Brilliant.
On 23 April 2008 Travis Lowry gave props:
this is magnificent
On 25 April 2008 Joseph Kennedy gave props:
Awesome night shot!
On 30 April 2008 Bhasker gave props:
Gorgeous picture.... Perfect.
On 1 May 2008 Shannon Dagher gave props:
Amazing...technically & visually. :)
On 15 May 2008 Jeff Stein said:
Freaking incredible!!!
On 15 May 2008 Ciro Carreño said:
amazing amazing amazing!
On 19 May 2008 ! Slimeface said:
Great work!
On 27 May 2008 Christopher Smith gave props:
wow.
On 31 May 2008 Saltari Dario gave props:
This is a masterpiece...compliments! ;)
On 2 June 2008 Chance gave props:
great job! how long was the exposure?
On 2 June 2008 Darren Pearson gave props:
What an incredible shot.
On 3 June 2008 Sierra Smith said:
This photo is beautiful!
I lived in Southern California, San Diego to be exact; and i just wanted to say that those wildfires have nothing to do with Global Warming- Southern California is naturally dry as it is a mediterranean desert. I just wanted to clear up this misconception, and again, awesome shot! This really is a qork of art! Keep it up!
On 5 June 2008 Nicholas Pantages gave props:
great idea.
On 9 June 2008 jesse baker gave props:
so sad, eye opening, amazing... what more can i say... i love it, and i love that you shared it with the world!
On 10 June 2008 Arul Prakasam said:
What did you shoot this on Andrew?
On 12 June 2008 Mohamed Salem Korayem gave props:
this is EYE CANDY...nice story i may add
On 16 June 2008 Joseph Calvo gave props:
This is a crazy, awesome, amazing, superb and phantastical shot!!!
On 20 June 2008 Mohammad Taheri gave props:
amazing!!!!!!!!
On 26 June 2008 Robin Repo said:
Dramatic picture, good choise of shutter speed. The shadow also adds to the picture.
Not sure i agree 100% with the global warming argument but thats just my opinion. Great pic!
On 26 June 2008 siobhann bellinger gave props:
This is wild, frightening and beautiful.
On 26 June 2008 Michael Goermann gave props:
Very well done!
On 26 June 2008 nick lo said:
incredible shot!
On 30 June 2008 Nathan McNamara said:
I really love the mans shadow, standing in aw almost.
Great colors, glad this was published!
On 5 July 2008 Dilip Yarabothu gave props:
probably the best photo on this site so far!
On 8 July 2008 Meagan Miller gave props:
The description you added makes this photo in my opinion. It's beautiful on its own, but with the background info, it's gorgeous.
On 10 July 2008 Jacqueline Truong gave props:
This was a crazy fire. There's actual a photographer who was showcasing his work in a gallery in LA a few months ago about the animal skeletons made during the fire. It's so sad what the animals have to go through. I love the shot though.
On 10 July 2008 Dave Mangels gave props:
great story behind the shot! beautiful colors keep up the great work!
On 14 July 2008 Andrea Coan gave props:
this is soo amazing~
On 19 July 2008 Andrew Manley gave props:
truly a magnificant shot. from the flames, to the exposure, to the shadow and not to mention the beams in the sky... well deserved.
On 20 July 2008 Scott Baker said:
Awesome shot. I like your description of how you took the picture and explaination of some of the elements. Cool shot - sad story.
On 23 July 2008 Jenifer Nagle gave props:
Took my breath away! How long was the exposure?