Kristi McCluer's best photograph: playing golf while America burns

'I wanted to capture the beauty and horror of the fire. But then these golfers turned up and got in the way of my picture'I noticed the Eagle Creek fire when I was 14,000 feet in the air above Oregon in early September. I was preparing for my third skydive of the day and, through the plane door, I spotted a vertical plume of smoke that hadn't been there on my previous jump. A lot of fires pop up at this time of year, so it wasn't surprising - but I didn't realise how big it would become or that it was Eagle Creek, which is one of my favourite trails to hike.A couple of days later, after the fire had spread, I went to take photos. I ended up being redirected and found myself in the parking lot of a golf course that I didn't know existed. I completely stumbled on this scene. Continue reading...