High Park Fire film photos, Fort Collins, Colorado
By Daniel J. SchneiderPosted:
Near the shore of Horsetooth Reservoir outside Fort Collins, Colorado, onlookers take photos of the smoke from the High Park Fire as it obscures the sun late on Sunday, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)
A lightning strike in Roosevelt National Forest started the High Park Fire in the mountains just west of Fort Collins, Colorado, early on the morning of Saturday, June 9, 2012. By Sunday, smoke filled nearly the entire sky over the city and the smoke plume was visible from Denver, and even from space.
On Sunday, June 9, I drove from Denver to LaPorte with several cameras to see first-hand the effect the fire was having on the residents of the area. I wasn’t able to return when more stories developed, but I was able to document the early stages of evacuations and firefighting efforts with my Nikon FM2. After developing the film, I didn’t get the negatives scanned for awhile, but I wanted to present them anyway.
Larimer County Sheriff Executive Officer Nicholas Christensen speaks to newspaper and television reporters at a press conference just off West Larimer County Road 52E outside LaPorte, near Fort Collins, Colorado, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)Following a press conference outside LaPorte, near Fort Collins, Colorado, two firefighters watch as smoke fills the sky from the lightning-caused High Park Fire, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)Seen from the shore of College Lake, southwest of Fort Collins, Colorado, smoke from the High Park Fire obscures the sun on Sunday, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)Evacuees from the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins, Colorado, arrive at a Red Cross shelter set up in Cache La Poudre Junior High School, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)A mother and her baby evacuated from their home by the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins, Colorado, arrive at a Red Cross shelter set up in Cache La Poudre Junior High School, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)Evacuees from the High Park Fire west of Fort Collins, Colorado, stake out cots at a Red Cross shelter set up in Cache La Poudre Junior High School, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)Seen from a field south of Fort Collins, Colorado, smoke from the High Park Fire obscures the sun completely, June 10, 2012. (Daniel J. Schneider)
All these photos were taken with my Nikon FM2 using either my Nikkor 20mm f/4.0 AI lens or my Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 AI-s lens. They were shot using Kodak Professional Tri-X 400TX film, developed in Kodak HC-110 developer mixed at 48:1 for 8 minutes at 69°F.
