"Fire on the Lake" - How I got the shot

"Fire on the Lake" is an image that I created in December 2017, during the late afternoon hours, in the heights of Laudat, Dominica. This article is a re-post from a previous iteration of my website.

Background

Over the last couple years, I have spent countless hours in the Laudat area, on the borders of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, deep in the Roseau Valley. I visit there often because the views are amazing, but also because it is clean, serene and peaceful.

That day was the first time I had visited Freshwater Lake since Hurricane Maria (which hit Dominica on September 18, 2018) and I was dumbstruck by the destruction of the forest. I was also curious about the coming sunset and how it might look on the lake.

The vision

I’ve shot from this location in the past, but never at sunset. Interestingly enough, the 150+ MPH winds from Hurricane Maria left their mark on the vegetation in the most unusual way. The trees were all bent towards the direction of the wind, creating a leading line towards the lake and mountain ridge beyond.

Getting the shot

It was crucial to nail down the position of my camera early on. I was also attempting to shoot a day-to-night timelapse sequence and I only own one camera, so whatever decision I made about the timelapse would apply to the final shot.

Capturing moving clouds was very important for the timelapse sequence and a limited foreground was important for the single image. A compromise landed me with the final composition seen below.

© 2018 Yuri A Jones | Fire on the Lake, captured Freshwater Lake, Laudat, Dominica (available as a canvas print here.)