Montana

My fiancee Whitney Hall and I first saw this fire around the time it started, shortly after 3:00pm Friday while shopping at Cashman’s Nursery. On the drive back to our home in Four Corners, we noticed the flames were getting huge fast. We got home, grabbed my cameras, and headed back out to document the fire that afternoon.<br />
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We went back out again that evening around 10pm to check on the progress. Finding a great vantage point to photograph from, it was shocking to see how much the fire had grown. I thought of the people who might be in harm’s way, and of those trying to fight this fire to protect lives and homes. It was concerning seeing the height of the flames through my lens as I tried to create an image that spoke of the intensity and power of this fire that evening.<br />
<br />
With the help of moonlight lighting up the foreground and Bridgers, I took a 10-minute exposure showcasing not only the fire but the vast sky above filled with stars above the smoke layer. Ten minutes in time for a single photo, but a much longer time for those directly or indirectly impacted by this. I wanted to create an element of beauty in this photo which at the time the fire was greatly affecting those in its path.

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My fiancee Whitney Hall and I first saw this fire around the time it started, shortly after 3:00pm Friday while shopping at Cashman’s Nursery. On the drive back to our home in Four Corners, we noticed the flames were getting huge fast. We got home, grabbed my cameras, and headed back out to document the fire that afternoon.

We went back out again that evening around 10pm to check on the progress. Finding a great vantage point to photograph from, it was shocking to see how much the fire had grown. I thought of the people who might be in harm’s way, and of those trying to fight this fire to protect lives and homes. It was concerning seeing the height of the flames through my lens as I tried to create an image that spoke of the intensity and power of this fire that evening.

With the help of moonlight lighting up the foreground and Bridgers, I took a 10-minute exposure showcasing not only the fire but the vast sky above filled with stars above the smoke layer. Ten minutes in time for a single photo, but a much longer time for those directly or indirectly impacted by this. I wanted to create an element of beauty in this photo which at the time the fire was greatly affecting those in its path.

Bozeman Bridger Range Montana fire forest fire long exposure night sky nightscape star trails stars the M

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