Forbidden

The 2018 California Woolsey fire which burned through parts of Ventura County, Malibu, and the San Fernando Valley had a profound impact on families, properties, and the surrounding environment. The effects will continue to be felt for some time, however, for nature, fire - depending on its intensity, can have a way of enriching soil. Such seems to be the case at the Upper Las Virgines Open Space Preserve, whereby hills are as green as I can remember them, following several Los Angeles rainstorms. During a recent hike, I found that many areas of the Preserve were more accessible, as a result of the overgrowth having been burned away and in the process of regrowing. I walked around, interested at the contrast of lush hills next to charred wood remnants and came across the tree, pictured. The shot was taken in unremarkable mid-morning light, as AM clouds were beginning to clear, but the shape of the tree as well as the eastern sun hitting the trunk caught my eye. My intention was to convert this to BW in post, however, upon opening the image in Lightroom, I started playing with the tones and decided to take this into a more artistic direction. The result was a split-toned composite which relies heavily on its mood, composition (I felt the square crop worked best for the scene), and concept to capture the viewer’s attention.