(n/n) Story time! | The making of “Feather River’s Revenge” October 2020, I was on assignment for the US Forest Service, it was the middle of the night... (continued below) #terraflamma #wildfire #nftphotography. (1/n): I’d just spent a week at the Glass Fire in Napa on assignment for National Geographic, after weeks of back and forth covering the 2020 NorCal Fire Siege. I’d barely been home, my dog was at daycare more than with me, and I was exhausted, physically and mentally.

So my insurance benefits changed this year for prescriptions and an asthma med I need daily to maintain quality of life cost $360 this month (rx deductible re-setting). Medical costs have increased 20-25% annually, yet some editorial clients still paying rates same as decade ago. When people ding me for selling work as an NFT, or a print, or whatever the venue is, I think of the luxury of having a 9-5 where your healthcare costs less or is subsidized by an employer, and where you get a steady paycheck every two weeks.

Announcement: my non-fiction memoir, "Into the Inferno: A Photographer's Journey Through California's Megafires and Fallout" is slated for release in April! It's available for pre-order and I'll be sharing details soon along with a cover reveal! @BlackstoneAudio #IntoTheInferno It's a full-length non fiction book totaling around 80,000 words, chronicling my journey across 7 wildfire seasons, dozens of blazes, and the stories of firefighters, civilians and photographing along the way and seeing wildfire and climate change first hand up close.

I asked a local resident and firefighter from South Lake Tahoe if there's any chance of holding the Caldor Fire at Echo Summit tomorrow. He just responded "lol." I still hold hope out for a stand along US 50 tomorrow, but we need to be prepared for all contingencies. Goodnight, be safe, and rest up. We're going to need it.

I've got a column of smoke showing from the Idylwild 1 fire camera, it's distant and could be structure fire. Looking south of the mountain toward Temecula. Probably RRU, anyone know whats up? Looking at the camera angle and ridge it's on, looks to be west of I15, could be on the Pendleton Marine Base. Reaching out to local contacts for further into. Does appear to be a wildfire, however #CAFire. alertwildfire.org/inlandempire/i…

1/n: Alright I'll bite on the first responder vaccination mandate discussion: Ideally company level education, good medical advice, and promotion of facts vs. FUD should guide firefighters to get vaccinated. Now that Pfizer is FDA-approved, there's really no excuse. 2/n: You're never going to get 100% compliance. For example LACOFD Local 1014 is at 70%, recommending vaccination but opposing mandates. I think in fire, mandates will backfire. But you can't have first responders putting the general public at higher risk w/Delta.

Impressed with how everyone on my social media feed in California is a fire behavior and climate expert, epidemiologist, and foreign policy and human rights scholar all at once. Must have been a lot of studying to get that universal research degree! (Sarcasm). Note, there are literal experts in each subject I actually do follow, providing good intel and insight in current times. However, "eric" from college who now runs a weed grow is not one of them... #thursdaythoughts

Effective immediately I am no longer working for any publication that does not pay a hazard fee for wildfire coverage due to the time, experience, PPE, and additional damage to cameras for coverage. Not that I really did before, but wanting to educate peers who may be newer.

https://twitter.com/stuartpalley/status/1430626377695469574

I've reached out to the management of some of the organizations in question for their positions on putting freelancers at safety and financial risk, and will be publicly disclosing who does what in the next week or so. It's time to push back against bad contracts+exploitation.

1/n: Thinking about the intersection of a coronavirus pandemic and what looks to be an early-onset wildfire season in CA: If many communities need to utilize social distancing+quarantine, what happens during large-scale evacuations? 2/n: We're going to see those self-isolating out of caution, or those sick being forced to leave their homes, often with little notice, and put into evacuation shelters, relative/friend's homes, =higher risk of spreading or contracting the virus.

1/n: Wildfire Gratitude: W/ fire activity moderating, I want to thank some folks. 1st firefighters on front lines who let me photograph their work to save lives+property. Seeing you bust your tails day after day up close gives me continued respect for the yeoman’s work you do. 2/n: To law enforcement. I can get on your case in the heat of things when some try and deny 409.5/media access, but the majority are professional, courteous, and often lack the PPE or safety gear, but are still keeping the peace during major fires. Thank you.