P#13: Photographing the Light From a Fire at Burney Falls

Fire on the Water

Jennifer Wu: This photograph was shot at Burney Falls in California. There had been all of these forest fires, and I didn't want to go up into the Sierras where it was very smoky.

I knew going in that I was going to have to take shots without any sky. The forest fires just make the sky very gray and very strange looking. I don't really care for that look too much, so I went up to Burney Falls and photographed just the waterfalls. (click the image for a larger version)

Even though the sky was an issue, the fires did provide something unique in this image. What happened was that there was interesting light from the forest fire.

The forest fire nearby created kind of this orange glow just as the sun came up and hit the waterfall there. That's what created the glow on the waterfall.

Audri Lanford: That looks like it's a long exposure.

Jennifer Wu: Yes, I used the 200mm telephoto lens and while I don't recall the exact exposure, I think it may have been 15 seconds. The longer exposures allows for that wispy look of the water.

Audri Lanford: I love the light. It is just so pretty.

Jennifer Wu: Yes, without the forest fire, it wouldn't have had that kind of strange orange glow to it.

In Summary

Sometimes what we're working against can actually work for us, as Jennifer Wu proved with this amazing photograph of Burney Falls.