When things happen that do not usually happen we have an opportunity to get images we cannot usually get. So when there are strange weather (keep your gear and your person safe), dust storms (keep your gear safe from dust), fire (be safe), etc. (did I mention to be safe yet?) we need to get out to shoot. A lot of smoke in the air may give you an interesting sunset. So we do not necessarily need to shoot the actual fire to benefit from its impact. In the aftermath of such events and disasters we can also benefit from some amazing images. These images can be very emotional images.

          Right after a Yosemite fire I went to Yosemite to see what I can find. The image on view today does not show Yosemite per se even though it was taken in Yosemite. Here is an example from that shoot:

After Fire, Yosemite, California

I choose to make this shot black and white because I think it fits the scene and there was not much color in the image anyway. There were lots of smoke in the air. I shot into the sun. Notice that the light is brighter on the left rule of thirds line (see my blog on composition). This draws the viewer's eye there. It pulls the viewer's eye into the image to help create depth. There were many trees to shoot, so why choose this shot? I did not want all the trees to just be level. The left leaning tree makes the shot more dynamic and adds interest.

          I don't know if this shot speaks to you or not. It might not be the sort of thing that you hang in your home, but it tells a story and makes the viewer ask questions. We want viewers to wonder when they look at our images.

          The main lesson today it simply to be out and shooting when others are not (just be safe). Look for events that do not happen regularly.