Antonio Mussone, What lies ahead (JUNIOR 2023)

I took this photo whilst on our family’s farm during a recent hazard reduction. Areas of the farm with thick undergrowth were deliberately set on fire. The flames slowly moved in on the trees, turning the undergrowth into a fine dusting of silver ash, glowing embers of red dispersed throughout. As the fire moved, the flames licked at the trunks, charring the bark. A thin veil of smoke created a haunting look of the forest behind. With summer fast approaching and all signs pointing to this season being a bad one, farmers around Australia are getting prepared. They are performing hazard reductions to remove dry, combustible plant life in the hopes that if a fire comes through, there’ll be little left to burn. This is where the image takes on a new meaning for me, the ominous sign of what could lie ahead for many people this bushfire season.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.