The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif., on Dec. 8, 2017. A group of closely knit photojournalists find safety in numbers as they work together to document some of California’s largest and most dangerous fires. Photo by Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times
As deadly wildfires globally increase in number and severity, residents of fire-prone areas are finding themselves on the frontline of these historic and potential climate-changing events. This exhibition of over 50 images and a documentary film from recent California fire seasons, come together in this body of work from 10 critically-acclaimed photojournalists and explores the ramifications these fires can have and reveal the pain, suffering and all-encompassing loss the victims endure.
Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the community
Parking available in the Chestnut St. Lot South for opening reception
School of Media Gallery Hours
M-W 9am – 9pm
Th–F 9am – 5pm
Sunday 3pm – 9pm
Free parking after 4:30 M-F in the Chestnut St. Lot South / Closed Oct. 10, 11 and 13 for fall break
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS
Photographer Justin Sullivan is seen here seeking a low angle while covering the Camp Fire of 2018. “Being with a group that is well trained and understands how to navigate these dangerous fires is so important to me,” Sullivan says. “Being in a car with someone when you’re driving down roads that have fire on both sides with trees and power lines falling all around is so much better than trying to navigate it on your own.” Photo by Noah Berger.
Freelance photographer Noah Berger has spent 24 years covering the San Francisco Bay Area for editorial, corporate and government clients. He works for national and international news outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters, San Francisco Chronicle and LA Times. On the corporate side, Noah covers transportation and infrastructure for government agencies and works often with health care organizations. A native of New York, Noah lives in Alameda – an island across the bay from San Francisco – with his wife and 9-year-old son.
Erin Brethauer is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in San Francisco, CA. Erin worked at the San Francisco Chronicle from 2014-2016 where she and her partner (now husband) Tim Hussin co-directed the Emmy Award winning documentary, Last Men Standing. The film, about longterm AIDS survivors, was the newspaper’s first feature-length documentary. During this time they also co-produced the Emmy Award winning video column, The Regulars. Before moving to the Bay Area, Brethauer was a staff photographer and multimedia editor for seven years at the Asheville Citizen-Times in North Carolina. Both her film and still photography work has been recognized by the Pictures of the Year International, Magenta Flash Forward, American Photography and can be found in publications such as California Sunday Magazine and The New York Times. Her ongoing film collaboration with Hussin called This Land Films can be found at www.thislandfilms.com.
Renée C. Byer is a catalyst for change. She is an award-winning documentary photojournalist and Emmy nominated multimedia field producer best known for her in-depth work focusing on the disadvantaged and those who otherwise would not be heard. Her ability to produce photographs with profound emotional resonance and sensitivity earned her the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography in 2007 and dozens of national and international honors, including the World Understanding Award from Pictures of the Year International, and Pulitzer Finalist in 2013.
Known for her ability to translate stark statistics into images that connect us to our humanity, she has traveled throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, covering some of the most important issues of our time. Byer’s stories have deepened our understanding of the environment, climate change, extreme poverty, genetically modified food, healthcare, women at war, domestic violence, and the drought and economic crisis in California.
Peter DaSilva is an independent photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been photographing local and regional events, along with prominent people throughout the West Coast for more than two decades. He has worked for the Associated Press, as a staff photographer for the Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle and currently shoots for the New York Times. Peter has been published in periodicals from around the world, including the Los Angeles Times, Business Week, International Herald Tribune, News Week, the Chicago Tribune, NYT Up Front, Der Spiegel as well as the Washington Post.
Josh Edelson is an internationally published freelance photojournalist and commercial photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a curious adventure-seeker, passionate about creating visually compelling stories and portraits and absolutely loves to travel. Edelson can be found covering major news stories with international appeal. Some of which include documenting the 2017 presidential election, anti-police protests, California wildfires, various tech product launch events and others. He is contracted by various news companies like The Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, AFP/Getty Images, and others.
Tim Hussin is a freelance photographer and filmmaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His background in journalism has made me a versatile shooter, and his work now ranges from editorial to commercial to documentary and experimental/personal projects. His strength is in finding compelling, honest and moving stories and pairing them with authentic and visually sophisticated moments.
Tim left a staff photographer/filmmaker position in 2016 at the San Francisco Chronicle, where h co-produced a weekly video column with Erin Brethauer, called The Regulars, and co-directed the Chronicle’s first feature-length documentary film, Last Men Standing, about long-term HIV/AIDS survivors. Both films have toured festivals worldwide.
He has won awards in POYi and was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He has worked with publications such as National Geographic Magazine, California Sunday Magazine, Pop Up Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Le Monde, Huck Magazine, Oxford American, Virginia Quarterly Review and Airbnb.
Raised in Washington D.C., Gabrielle Lurie picked up a camera at 17-years-old. She learned photography the old- fashioned way and spent countless hours in the darkroom. Gabrielle moved to New York City to attend NYU where she studied art history and photography. In 2014 she moved to San Francisco to freelance for a variety of news outlets. Gabrielle was a student at the Missouri Photo Workshops, the Mountain Workshops and the Eddie Adams Workshop. In 2016 Gabrielle joined the staff of The San Francisco Chronicle where she has been pursuing both stills and video. She is also the regional clip chair for the NPPA West region.
Justin Sullivan.
Mason Trinca is a documentary and editorial photographer based in California. Mason’s decision to be a photojournalist was strongly influenced by an appreciation for the power of even small images to impact the biggest environmental issues and to give voice to those who have none, a remembrance to Mason’s sister with disabilities who was unable to speak. A University of Oregon graduate with a Bachelor of Science in both environmental studies and geology, Mason continues to be inspired by nature and is passionate about camping, biking and skiing.
Marcus Yam is a Los Angeles Times staff photographer living in the beautiful City of Angels. Born and raised in tropical heat of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he is culturally and socially uninhibited, guided and inspired by Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” At a turning point, he left a career in Aerospace Engineering to pursue a photographic life.
His approach is deeply rooted in curiosity and persistence. He is interested in the social issues and dichotomies that shape the human experience. Currently, he’s obsessed with covering wildfires across the Golden State as it enters its eighth of drought.
In 2017, Marcus was named Picture of The Year International’s Newspaper Photographer Of The Year. In 2015, Marcus was part of the breaking news team that covered tragic San Bernardino, Calif. terrorist attacks in 2015, that earned a Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting. In 2014, he was also part of The Seattle Times team that covered the deadly landslide in Oso, Washington that also earned a Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting.
