Photography by Ron Schwager Prologue and epilogue by Phil Midling Book design by Connie Balou On the morning of November 8, 2018, one of the most deadly and destructive wild fires in United States history destroyed the town of Paradise, California. At least 85 people died in the inferno. This book is dedicated to the victims, the survivors, and the valiant men and women who risked their own lives to save the lives of others. The California Camp Fire—Reflections and Remnants is the quintessential historical testament and reflection of that tragic day and the continuing aftermath. In Part One, author Phil Midling and award winning photographer Ron Schwager capture the true essence of some of those who lived through this tragic fire. Ron’s monochromatic portraits are beautiful in their simplicity and starkness yet also convey a rich complexity undetected at first glance. With careful observation subtle nuances become illuminated within the Survivors’ shadowed expressions as they tell their own stories of that fateful day. In Part Two, Photographer Ron Schwager captures the fire’s external aftermath through a color prism—the eye of his lens recording a compilation of natural, otherworldly photographs, many resembling paintings of abstract art. Among the piled rubble and cindered ash, Ron was able to extract the images of devastation; contorted remnants and skeletal configurations of heat-fused plastic, steel, and glass viewed through a kaleidoscope of tertiary colors—odd hues of oxidized orange-rust, red-violet and turquoise-blue embedded within a bleak grayish landscape. 180 Pages • Hard Bound Coffee Table Book • Large Art Format: 14.5′′ x 9.5′′