This Beauty in the Burn series is inspired by the Alder Creek Fire that started July 8th, 2021, and burned throughout the summer until mid-September 2021. The fire burned 571,450 acres. Butte, where I live, was blanketed in smoke for most of that summer. I first visited the burn on a rainy day in June 2022 and it opened my eyes to discover the beauty found in burn areas. What initially seemed to be a place of loss became a source of inspiration.
Beauty in the Burn
While I document the burn’s regrowth – I hope it also shows you new perspectives and challenges conventional ideas of beauty and transformation. The contrast between destruction and recovery, darkness and light, color and black and white – fuels this creative exploration. It invites a deeper understanding of nature’s cycles. Through this series, I seek to capture the evolving interplay of devastation and rebirth, finding elegance and hope in spaces where life returns, often stronger and more vibrant than before.
