So the Canon Powershot9000 or whatever it was that I’d had was stolen from me at work sometime in the middle of 2006, and it was replaced, as another Christmas gift, at the end of 2006.

The Panasonic that replaced my Canon was an extremely considerate gift, but the image quality always seemed “off” with this camera, and no matter how I adjusted the settings the photos seemed to have more noise than they should. I think, objectively, this camera was not as nice as the Canon I’d had before it, but I always felt as if I didn’t appreciate it enough, since I found its inferiority frustrating to work with. I always felt a little guilt for finding fault with it, considering my mom had done the best she could as someone who wasn’t keeping up with the ins and outs of photography.

Anyway, a camera is a camera and I was resolved to use it in more or less the style I’d developed at the time, which was this weird sort of documentarian/paparazzi/candid-shot-taker, so when the riverbed caught on fire about a mile away, I decided to capture what I could, and the next day I went down to check it out. This is one of several trips I took out to get shots of burn zones. They have an eerie quality that feels unsettling and post-apocalyptic and I enjoy how alien and strange it feels in these areas.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t do anything I did. Do not go seeking out fires to look at them or take photos, you will impede emergency crews and people who have to evacuate. Also, do not explore burn zones until at least a week later, because fires continue burning underground, but can be covered by ash and appear to be safe. I did do these things because I was young and dumb and now I’m no longer young so I implore you not to do what I did.