Am I exagerating? The other week is was 43.8 C which is the hottest day on record since the 1880's. (Thats around 106-110F.) And 43.8 C bouncing off city concrete roads, pavements, brick houses and tin sheds just isn't funny. Its too hot even if you're a "Summer person" like I am.
Fires, or "bushfires" as we call them in Australia, really freaks us Aussies out. The trouble with heat in Australia is that is causes these uncontrollable bushfires in so many country regions. (That’s what happens when you get a couple of 40 degree Celsius days on a row-that’s about 106 F with hot, dry winds). I don't mean just little fires, I mean raging monsters that burn peoples houses down, burn animals alive, ruin crops, whipe businesses out of existance and destroy everything in its path for miles and miles.
Its not just Victoria that gets nasty monsters like this. Its NSW (the state where Sydney is) and those poor guys suffer just as much as country Victoria does.
Right now, there are 600 heroic Fire-fighters trying to control a 300 km fire in Victoria. These amazing guys work day and night to the point of exhaustion. These guys sometimes loose their lives. Can you imagine how tough that would be for the families?
And the temp doesn't go back to a nice 28 degress (85 F), it stays up at 33C, 35C, etc. That means it goes from about 106F to about 95Fand doesn't give us any releif. Then more fires start. Sometimes by sick people who think its funny, and most by natural heat combustion and increases in the bushland areas.
Before things got out of control in a small region of my state, Mick Davson, a nice young chap from the country has sent me photos of his work. He actually managed to capture some images of a fire raging near our city. As it turns out he wasn't supposed to get that close, (he didn't know at the time) but the shots were amazing. You can't help but look at them with sadness and awe. (Sadness at the destruction, awe at the how powerful nature can be.)
(They are all his work, which means they are copyrighted, so if you want to use them you must ask him first. Contact me and I will email him your email to discuss any commercial ventures. Thank you for respecting his wishes.)
If you have the opportunity to photograph something like a fire, a storm or something that has potential safety issues then please, be wise. Do what Mick did and stand a safe distance a way, take your photo and leave. I know some photography nuts (like me) will do almost anything to get a good shot but don't be crazy about it. If your safety is at risk forget the photo. You can't take pictures if you are injured, or worse.
Do what Mick did and be sensible. With fire especially its not only the flames that hurt you, its radiant heat and falling embers. I should know, my mother lives near these fire stricken areas. She's okay, but does give me the "update" most days at the moment. Its me that worries about her!
I emailed Mick and asked him if I could add these pictures in the blog to share with you. The photos are such a good capture of what parts of our state look like from a non-media persons perspective. A big thanks to Mick, for letting me share his work.
And to answer the question; "How Much Is A Good Photo Worth To Your Safety?" The answer is "it isn't". Your safety is the most paramount thing. Good on you Mick for being smart AND getting some good pictures.
Mick took these pictures at Victoria's east. Anakie, near Geelong. If you want to see a picture from the media here in Victoria then have a look at the photo at the bottom. It was taken from http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk. And for the real story and more excellent photos go to;
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au. (It's our city papers website.)
Amy
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