Description

The Statue of Liberty is silhouetted against the ball of the sun over New Jersey with smoke from wildfires in Oregon turning the horizon red. Seven fires in the western state burned over 450,000 acres, with winds creating a cloud seen from space across the United States. ©Mark D Phillips.

I was able to take this photograph from my apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I did not expect the lineup of the sun and statue to be so perfect, but sometimes the universe aligns just for us. This was one of the pandemic years and my gallery from that year was strange.

When I took this in 2021, I wrote:

My absolute favorite of the year is Freedom’s Fire, an image that came about because of arriving in Brooklyn and seeing the smoke filled view from our ninth floor condo looking to the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey in the west. I knew that the smoke from western forest fires had reached our coast and the possibility of intense sunsets was great. This was one of the best sunsets I have ever photographed, watching the sun drop perfectly behind Liberty and her torch from my living room window. I still have goosebumps from watching this spectacular moment.

Freedom’s Fire by Mark D Phillips, 8″ x 12″ printed on aluminum
$85 with FREE SHIPPING

If you want to see more from NYC 2021 pandemic, “Pictures of the Year 2021,” on southbrooklyn.com, my publishing site for photography, travel, Brooklyn, and Skiing.