Fire on the Mountain, Bogota

It’s not every day that a fire breaks out on a mountain just as you click the shutter for a long exposure. At least not in my world.

This was taken from the rooftop of my apartment building in August 2015 for a series of cityscapes and nightscapes. The view is facing east towards Bogota’s upscale Centro Internacional; if you’re familiar with the Colombian capital, this is just north, or in this case to the left, of where the Santa Fe barrio meets La Candelaria, the city’s colonial center and most visited area. The landmark church atop Montserrate mountain lies hidden behind the tower that’s under construction.

The orange hues, somewhat short-lived that evening, were just coming in as I snapped the shutter for this 20-second exposure; less than three seconds later I watched sparks bolt into the sky, followed by smoke and then the shooting flames. The flames didn’t last long, but the smoke did billow for a while. I can’t imagine that too many people in town made a similar image that night.

Specs:
ISO 100
20sec
f22
20mm
With an eight-stop ND filter

Photo from 05 August 2015.