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Hollow and Still: Photographs Following Fire by David Paul Bayles

November 1, 2025 – February 15, 2026

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In September 2020, the Holiday Farm Fire, driven by fierce east winds, burned 173,000 acres along the forested McKenzie River canyon in the Cascades of Oregon. Two months later, acclaimed photographer David Paul Bayles and disturbance ecologist Frederick J. Swanson began a photography project to document the stark beauty of the burned forest and its vibrant response to fire.  

A special collection of 35 photographs from the project is on view at the Museum in Hollow and Still: Photographs Following Fire by David Paul Bayles. The exhibition brings together a series of images capturing the visual beauty and rooted strength of a forest that has withstood over two centuries. The photographs were taken in the early days of the fire’s aftermath, showcasing the emotional impact as well as the ecological ramifications. 

Visitors to the Desertarium Gallery will find black-and-white images of burned tree trunks and branches set against stark gray backgrounds. Nearby, color macro images of charred, burned-out branch holes from one tree take up an entire section of the exhibition. 

“Imagine, at the most intense moments of the fire, flames leaping out from the upper branch holes on all sides of the tree,” said Bayles. “Five years after the fire, the tree is charred, dead and hollow, but still standing.”  

As visitors explore the detailed photographs, they see the quiet breaking down of living giants and are left wondering what the future holds. 

Bayles focuses on landscapes where the needs of forests and human pursuits often collide, sometimes coexist and on occasion find harmony. Working four years as a logger in the 1970s in the Sierra Nevada mountains helped forge Bayles’ deep connection to trees. Shortly after, he attended photo school in Santa Barbara, bringing a dual perspective as both a logger and environmentalist to his projects.  

Bayles currently lives and photographs in the Coast range of western Oregon. Learn more about the Following Fire project.