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Burn Piles
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Burn Piles



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Member of AmeriCorps NCCC in Crown King, AZ assisting with burn piles.

Member of AmeriCorps NCCC in Crown King, AZ assisting with burn piles.
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cameraNIKON D70s

settings Aperture f/4.0 Shutter 10/80000 

upload_dateNov, 2014

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11 Comments |
Remraf
 
Remraf April 23, 2015
Great shot!
Frogfish
 
Frogfish November 27, 2015
Top quality.
pamelaglen
 
pamelaglen December 03, 2015
I absolutely love this photo! Well done!
lauraedoerrie
 
lauraedoerrie December 12, 2015
This reminds me of my husband! It's a beautiful shot and speaks so loud with no explanation!
RuthJollyphoto PRO+
 
RuthJollyphoto January 25, 2016
All over one in a million shot.
rpdhjja PRO+
 
rpdhjja June 22, 2016
Very very good.....
JDLifeshots
 
JDLifeshots January 09, 2017
Beautiful capture of nature in trouble. Congrats!
JayneBug Ultimate
 
JayneBug March 18, 2017
The feeling is so powerful. Beautiful capture.
marzenego PRO+
 
marzenego February 19, 2018
Amazing shot. Rave.
RamyDelariarte
 
RamyDelariarte May 14, 2018
Awesome
Pamelabole PRO
 
Pamelabole July 05, 2018
Beautiful, and wonderful tribute to our hard working and amazing fire fighters!! :) Congrats!

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken up in the mountains of Crown King, AZ where I was serving alongside the Crown King Fire Department with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). My team was assisting in creating a fire-wise community through slash and burn operations to clear underbrush on properties surrounding the town.

Time

This photo was taken near the end of the workday (late afternoon) back in February of 2011. I captured the image of a teammate as we were making sure all the burn piles were completely extinguished before hiking out of the area.

Lighting

To be completely honest, I didn't know what I was doing with my camera at the time. I had recently started pursuing photography and saw the natural sunlight coming through the trees and smoke. This was the first image that I shot, and immediately thought that it was underexposed, so I took several more. It wasn't until I got it onto my computer that I realized the lighting was perfect the first time. I do remember that it was a beautiful day (it had snowed the couple days before) and it was a clear blue sky. The sun was just about to fade behind the peaks of the mountain. And everything just fell into place.

Equipment

I shot this image with my old Nikon D70. I'm pretty sure I was using my Nikkor 18-105mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens, but I could be wrong. It was shot hand-held with no other equipment.

Inspiration

During my years in AmeriCorps my goal was to capture the life of a Corps Member and the adventures that we found ourselves on. I got to do some amazing things throughout my adventures, from fighting wildfires and participating in prescribed fire operations to responding to natural disasters like the Joplin tornado and SuperStorm Sandy. Photography was, and still is, a way for me to share these experiences with family and friends back home and to bring awareness to the work that is being done behind the scenes.

Editing

At the time, I didn't know what I was doing (or at least it feels like it now). I shot this image in .JPEG and there was minimal post-processing involved (cropping and that's about it).

In my camera bag

I now carry around a Nikon D7000 and still use the Nikkor 18-105mm 1:3.5-5.6 lens, but my primary lens is my fixed 50mm 1:1.4. I also have a 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 that has the capability of Macro. Sometimes I'll also carry around a small waterproof Olympus Stylus point and shoot, my GoPro, and/or a monopod, tripod, or Joby Gorilla-pod depending on where I plan to be. I don't have any specialized lighting equipment, so I must rely on natural light that is available. Most of the times, I just end up grabbing the camera and stuffing it in my day pack before I set off on an adventure.

Feedback

Always have your camera close at hand. No matter where you are, there is an adventure worth capturing. Learn about the images you are seeking after. If your passion is to capture images of wildfires, or conservation, or disaster response, become involved in those fields and your photographs will have so much more meaning behind them. Explore the world around you and find the beauty in everyday moments. Yes, there are times when scouting out a location and waiting for that perfect shot pays off, but never forget to be prepared for the moment you find yourself in right now. Be prepared. Be aware. And learn to see things differently. And a final word of advice: Learn from others around you. Ask questions. Have conversations with other photographers (both professionals and enthusiasts). Surround yourself with people who are willing to give constructive criticism. And don't ever be afraid of messing up.

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