TERRA FLAMMA: WILDFIRES AT NIGHT ARTISTS STATEMENT:
Terra Flamma is a visual essay documenting the acute effects of climate change, land management, human development, and their collision course across California. Originally conceived as a documentation of California’s 2013-2017 drought, the project has evolved to encompass forest management, wildfire itself, the aftermath, and the impacts on civilians and firefighters affected by wildfires in California. Over the last 3 years California's largest, deadliest, and most destructive wildfires have occurred. The majority of California’s 10 worst fires have occurred in the last decade.
The intersection of where and how we build homes and infrastructure, forest management, historic fire suppression, more hot and dry days per year conducive for large fire behavior collides to form a disastrous recipe for wildfire. Severe wildfires are now an annual global occurrence in places like Australia, Chile, and the Amazon. These fires are sometimes literally in our own backyards, and I attempt to create visual order and beauty out of chaos to show the viewer both the destructive power and alluring nature of fire.
Wildfire is integral to most ecosystems in California, and in many ways it's beneficial and regenerative, a natural force in motion. At the same time, fire has the power to destroy lives, homes, and dreams, taking a terrible human toll. In that way, fire is its own irony, and I seek to capture that tension in the images and create discussion around wildfire, climate change, and what it means for our future on earth. -SP
20% of net proceeds will be donated to the Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters*
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Click below for a BTS video on the making of Terra Flamma:
Terrra Flamma: Wildfires at Night BTS
“Stuart Palley charges into California wildfires, taking stunning long-exposure photos of the blaze.
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About Stuart:
Over the past 8 years, Stuart has photographed over 100 wildfires in California. In 2018, he published his first book, a collection of his wildfire photographs entitled Terra Flamma: Wildfires at Night. Born and raised in Southern California, Palley is a contributor toNational Geographic Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TIME and many other publications. His wildfire work has been featured in TIME Magazine, WIRED, New York Magazine, and resides in private and public collections across the country. His work was recently exhibited in the Facing Fire exhibition at the California Museum of Photography in Riverside, CA.
He is a wildfire photography call-when-needed contractor for the US Forest Service and Palley has formal wildland fire training, carrying the same protective equipment firefighters do in the field, putting safety first. He holds a Master’s Degree in Photojournalism from the University of Missouri and works on a broad range of environmental issues in the American West during the fire off-season. During his free time Stuart enjoys road trips, camping, hiking with his rescue dog Kit, and photographing traditional landscapes to stay inspired.
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