most of my photographic work in the past year has had to do with fire. the destruction of the environment seems to be a media hot topic these days talking about the imminent loss of nature. less than a week ago, a wildfire/grass fire occurred the day before new years in the suburbs of denver, destroying nearly 1,000 homes and business locations with another 100+ structures damaged, but still standing. fires just don’t happen in denver here, yet this one did - in a year where the last six months in the denver metro area produced less moisture than death valley. i drove past the area the other day and the smell of smoke was still heavy in the air.

it seems…there is no hope.

but i argue there is, and that’s coming from a card-holding member of the international pessimists society. there has never been as much knowledge of climate change and acceptance by the public that it is indeed occurring and humans are playing a part in creating it - at least in the united states. there is a growing movement from, of all people, teenagers to acknowledge and do more to ward off the pending catastrophes of climate change. these are, of course, the people we’ll hand off this planet to, so they have much to fight for, and dare i say a good amount of resolve. many want to look to politicians for legislative actions to counter our actions contributing to climate change, but politicians aren’t stupid. as a movement builds momentum in the people voting in the politicians, that is when the legislative action will come. and the momentum continues to build. so there is, a ray of hope.

this is a scene i saw reflected in a lake outside vail, colorado as winter began to show her teeth. the reeds in the water were now devoid of color, the reflection was just a bit hazy, and the first light from the sun began to expose the upper-most peaks of the mountain range surrounding the lake.

i’ve intentionally explored and photographed destruction for most of my trips to the wilderness in the past year. we’re all surrounded by news of destruction on a daily basis. i often need reminders to change my perspective, and that’s what this image does for me.

as is the case with the prints of the month, the presentation options may or may not be limited, and they are for this piece. the presentation options listed here are the only presentations i’ll be offering for this particular print.