San Diego Fires

This is the sunset tonight from Del Cerro. If you look close, directly under the sun...Qualcomm stadium is there. If I lightened this image you would see it...the sight of the evacuation center for over 10,ooo evacuees. I didn't enhance this image at all because I wanted to show how true red the sunset was tonight.

When we were at Qualcomm on Monday night, this was one of the people evacuated. I don't know how he got the bed down there but he sure looks comfortable. I believe his wife is asleep in the front seat of the car.
I shot this picture out of the window on the way out of the parking lot. Behind the fence is set up for a radio station's event for this Sunday's Charger game. As of right now...it isn't known where the Charger's will play this Sunday.

The view from my house on Monday morning. This faces North. The fires were to the North and South of us.
The stadium where the evacuation center is.
The Charger's evacuation field being used for all animals. I have heard it referred to as Noah's Ark.
They brought in the National Guard to protect everything all throughout the city at the evacuation centers and where the fires are. I love that this particular National Guard is protecting a huge stack of Huggie diapers...go figure!

This is just a quick post to let everyone know that all my family and friends have made it through this fire storm mostly in tact. My workplace is in Poway and we have many Poway and Rancho Bernardo clients who have been directly effected by these fires. My heart goes out to them.

We took many donations down to Qualcomm stadium the first day of the fires and I realized my photographic calling is definitely not of a journalistic nature. I felt completely guilty trying to take pictures of someone else's misfortune and I know there is a place for that type of portrait but I feel intrusive. So I took the few pictures I took out of the car window with no flash. The people working at Qualcomm were very warm and friendly and I am glad I was able to contribute in a small way by bringing the donations.

Today one of the news stations was talking about how he watched some still photographers sifting through the personal things of fire victims so they could "set up" the perfect shot (like a baby doll amongst all the destruction) and he thought it was wrong.

I agree with him.

Enough said.

President Bush comes tomorrow to Qualcomm stadium tomorrow. Arnold Shwarzenegger (our governor) has been here since Monday. Brian Williams and Katie Couric are doing there national news from here. Geraldo Rivera and Matt Lauer are here. It all seems surreal in a way, a spectacle in a way, yet...they are doing a job to bring this disaster to everyone in the country.

San Diego has really banded together and taken care of our own. I suspect then next few weeks we will receive many phone calls at the studio from our clients who have lost pictures. I know that every time I hear people talk about what they took with them when they evacuated...the first thing they say is their pictures...their memories. I am honored to be a photographer who daily captures these memories for them. Memories of moments in time that can't be replaced.

Enough of my ramblings!

Enjoy!