For many observers, a wildfire image sums up the 2020 we are living.
A single wildfire photo by freelance photographer Noah Berger, on assignment for the AP, captured so much: irony, danger and fear amid the worst pandemic to hit the U.S. in more than a century.
The photo, of a sign surrounded by flames, was among AP’s most downloaded images of the month. It resonated so much around the world that Berger was asked by numerous outlets to talk about how he came to shoot it.
To understand why, it's worth considering what the sign says. First, it identifies a center for seniors, the demographic that has been most impacted by the coronavirus. Second, it implores people to wear a mask, practice social distancing and stay safe. Finally, it invites people to “Come join us.” All of that while nearly engulfed in flames.
For many in the U.S. and around the world who see 2020 as one of the most challenging years in recent memory, the photo was widely interpreted as a pointed commentary on the year’s prevailing themes. Here is what Berger said about the photo for the AP’s Definitive Source blog: “It doesn’t take a lot, you just look at that sign and think, ‘That’s 2020.’ That’s a sign of the times that everybody is so freaked out about this one thing and another crazy thing comes on top of it. It didn’t take me long to make that connection even when I was shooting it.”
This week, The New York Times prominently featured Noah’s photo on its homepage with the headline “‘2020 Can Go To Hell’: The Story Behind the Viral Photo That Said It All.”
While that photo certainly stood out, it was just one of many photos by Berger that helped put the AP ahead of the competition in recent coverage of fires in the San Francisco Bay Area. On one occasion Berger came upon a man whose "dream house" had been destroyed. That allowed reporter Adam Beam to interview the man by phone and put together a compelling story. On another day, Berger came upon a llama that had been injured in the fire, and a veterinarian preparing to euthanize it.
Bill Nichols, 84, works to save his home as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through Vacaville, Calif., Aug. 19, 2020. Nichols has lived in the home for 77 years.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville, Calif., Aug. 19, 2020, shortly before the highway was closed in both directions.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Charles Chavira, left, and Thomas Henney watch a plume spread over Healdsburg, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn, Aug. 20, 2020.
P Photo / Noah Berger
An air tanker drops fire retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Seen in a long exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Firefighters protect a home in the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, Calif., as the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn, Aug. 21, 2020. The fires forced thousands to flee and destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
A mobile home and car burn at Spanish Flat Mobile Villa as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 18, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires consume a home in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 19, 2020.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Scorched homes and vehicles fill Spanish Flat Mobile Villa following the LNU Lightning Complex fires in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Aug. 20, 2020. The fire destroyed dozens of homes at the mobile home park with only a handful still standing.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Veterinary technician Brianna Jeter comforts a llama injured during the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Vacaville, Calif., Aug. 21, 2020. The llama was euthanized shortly afterward.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Pam, who declined to give a last name, examines the remains of her partner’s Vacaville, Calif., home, Aug. 21, 2020, days after the LNU Lightning Complex fires ripped through the area.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Hank Hanson, 81, describes the path the LNU Lightning Complex fires took in destroying his Vacaville, Calif., home, Aug. 21, 2020. Hanson, who built his “dream house” 30 years ago, does not think he will rebuild.
P Photo / Noah Berger
Hank Hanson, 81, looks at artificial flowers that remained standing, Aug, 21, 2020, three days after the LNU Lightning Complex fires destroyed his Vacaville, Calif., “dream” home.
AP Photo / Noah Berger
Finally, it's worth mentioning that Berger also contributed much video each night, clips that have gone into several AP edits that were the most downloaded AP videos in the U.S. last week.
For his courageous and committed work, and a remarkable photo that frames much of 2020 in the context of a raging wildfire, Noah Berger wins AP’s Best of the Week award.
