Scripps Fire Tuesday, October 28, 2003

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Due to the amount of smoke in the air today, the lighting conditions were unlike anything I have ever seen. The air was thick with an eerie orange glow, as Scripps Ranch residents returned to what used to be their neighborhood and their homes.....it was almost even more surreal, than the past two days had been. Everything here seemed as though it was part of some bizarre science fiction, post - Armageddon, movie set. As I watch families entering their destroyed neighborhoods, I shutter to think what it must feel like to be seeing this for the first time. For the longest time, I can't seem to get myself to take any photos, it just doesn't feel right. I finally spot Bill and Jane, whom I met on the phone Monday. I ask Bill if he'd mind if I took a few photos, he says "sure". Mechanically, I start to compose some images as he and his wife survey the damage to their home....a total loss.
These images appear as they did in reality and have not been color corrected or enhanced in any way...