"Running To Safety" by Mazher Udaipurwala, ,

This photo was taken during the wildfires that broke out in Northern California late in 2020. The world had gone 6 months in complete lockdown. Many folks lost their homes and other property, leaving them with nowhere to go. This photo was taken moments before I received a phone call from my friends who had gone on a road trip, to go to their house and evacuate their two cats, important documents, and other things necessary for their livelihood. This photo was taken on a beach in Santa Cruz, California, where you see a kid running towards a lifeguard tower. In reality, the child is running to his mother (not in the frame) calling out to him so they can get home to start evacuation. The orange hue, caused by the wildfires, fills the frame, while the baby blue lifeguard tower contrasts the environment.