The eye behind the lens: AP photographers on pictures capturing horror and emotions of LA fires

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As uncontrolled blazes have turned large swaths of Los Angeles into hellscapes the last week, Associated Press photographers have been on the frontlines. They have captured burning so intense that it lights the night sky, people so shocked they have a hard time putting sentences together and destruction so complete that what stands out is the little that survived.

Balancing the need for safety with the risks of getting close to wildfires, these photojournalists have also had to manage their emotions. Seeing unimaginable destruction and suffering is hard. And for some, Los Angeles is home.

Here 12 photographers, each selecting a picture they made the last week, share a little about it.

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“I chose this picture because it speaks to the enormity of the Los Angeles fires. I made the photo as winds showered embers down the streets, the fire rapidly burning down through Palisades, destroying block after block. Having covered dozens of wildfires, some the largest in California’s history, I immediately knew the scale of destruction was unlike anything I’d seen before.”

Ethan Swope

“Working alongside firefighters means your priority is to make sure you are not compromising their work and safety while reporting on their actions and trying to capture the essence of the moment. Taking this picture meant working close to them while on a cramped wooden deck while strong gusts of winds were blowing ashes, embers and other debris in our faces, which was a delicate task.”

Etienne Laurent

“One of the biggest challenges in taking this photo was ensuring my safety in such a hazardous environment. The air was thick with smoke, making it hard to breathe. Emotionally, it was difficult to document such a tragic scene, knowing that many people had lost their homes and possessions. Documenting the aftermath while respecting the emotions of survivors is always a challenge.”

Jae C. Hong

“It’s emotionally hard asking people — often on the worst day of their lives when they have nothing left — to take the time away from their grief and talk to someone they just met who wants to invade their space. It takes empathy, good ethics and professionalism to approach this work and in those moments, the work is never about you as a photojournalist. You can’t approach what you’re documenting with any ego or anything.”

Nic Coury

“When you hear that thousands of homes have been destroyed, a picture like this reminds you that each of those homes represent the memories collected by the people who live there. For some it stretches back generations. For others Like Ari Rivera and Anderson Hao, it may not be as long but it’s just as meaningful. It was the first place they’ve lived together.”

John Locher

“I chose this picture because of the trees. The dramatic light illuminated the yellow caution tape that cordoned off townhomes and trees that had been burned by the Eaton Fire. It was a crime scene. Scorched trees are everywhere. I’m going to keep photographing the trees. They are part of us.”

Carolyn Kaster

“While there were lots of images that illustrated the enormity of the disaster better than this, it was the splash of color among the charcoal grey remnants of people’s homes that immediately stood out to me and makes it unique from the thousands of other photographs that I took on that helicopter flight. From the comments that I am getting from people on social media, it seems to speak to people in a way that I didn’t really expect. ‘The van. So California. Wow,’ said one person. ‘Beautiful desolation,’ said another.”

Mark J. Terrill

“This picture was made on the fifth day of the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, where homes were still threatened. At that point most of the devastation had already occurred, but firefighters were still working on active parts of the fire. The effort of the firefighters, even as they were completely overwhelmed, cannot be emphasized enough. They worked in a calm and methodical way, even as chaos played out all around them.”

Eric Thayer

“The Bunny Museum is among the most unique museums I’ve ever seen — over 46,000 pieces of bunny memorabilia, so it’s a truly irreplaceable part of Altadena. My family and I had visited it just a month or so before.”

Chris Pizzello

“The statue makes me think of the tragedy of Pompeii. The volcanic eruption turned humans into preserved stone statues. The Southern California fires have turned us headless and homeless. We lay down with our arms crossed motionless in the face of an environmental catastrophe.”

Damian Dovarganes

“One of the biggest challenges of documenting a wildfire with widespread destruction is conveying the scale. Ground level views often cannot show the striking devastation. I took this shot from a bluff overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway. The contrast between the pristine red car driving through the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates also drives home the intensity of this fire. A week ago, this view would’ve shown a vibrant, colorful community now left in rubble.”

Noah Berger

“It had been a little tricky to get to the beach with traffic being so frantic and people evacuating. I was struck by how casual the surfer was under this smoke-filled blood red sky filled with smoke. It was very apocalyptic.”

Richard Vogel

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