Josh Edelson

After the inferno

10 August 2021

"I’ve been photographing wildfires for years and I have to say, the Dixie fire is a beast," says photographer Josh Edelson, who witnessed first-hand the destruction of Greenville, California and produced an innovative set of 'before and after' shots that powerfully capture the destruction visited upon the town.

AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson

Heart of fire

18 September 2020

San Francisco - I stood by Lake Oroville, looking at the bridge. The night sky was orange, lighting the distant tree tops. The hillside was dotted with fire and reflected on the water. I snapped a picture. The road over the Bidwell Bar Bridge seemed to run straight into the heart of the flames, writes Josh Edelson, whose pictures have been used by Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to describe the wildfires.

AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson
AFP / Josh Edelson

Paradise gone

20 November 2018

"Last year, when huge fires ripped through northern California, people thought it was a one-off," writes Josh Edelson, a photographer based in northern California who has been photographing wildfires for years.

"We’d had a mega fire and will now go back to regular old wildfires that have been part of life in California for decades. But then Camp came along."

Standard bearers

26 July 2017

"I’ve covered a lot of wildfires, but it was the first time that I saw something like that," writes Josh Edelson, a photographer based in San Francisco.

"I was thinking as it was happening, 'This is something different.' And I guess it was, judging by the feedback that it’s received."

Twister chasing in Tornado Alley

13 May 2016

"As a photographer, the pictures I like taking most are the ones that make people say ‘wow,’ shots that have an emotional and visceral impact on people’s lives," writes San Francisco-based photographer Josh Edelson.

"I’ve photographed earthquakes, forest fires and even a volcano, but had never seen a tornado with my own eyes. Until now."

Languages