About Josh Edelson

Josh Edelson is an award-winning freelance photojournalist based in San Francisco. For more than a decade he has covered California’s escalating wildfire crisis for Agence France-Presse, documenting over 100 wildfires and building one of the most sustained visual records of the state’s climate emergency.

Working independently, and often alone, Edelson relies on experience, instinct and split-second judgment to move through burning terrain and active evacuation zones. He sometimes embeds with firefighting crews, but more often navigates the fire lines on his own. His images tell the evolving story of a state under siege, of fires that arrive earlier, grow larger and burn hotter year after year. From the Camp Fire in Paradise (2018) to the Bear Fire (2020) and the Dixie Fire (2021), through the Eaton and Palisades firestorms that devastated Los Angeles in January 2025, he has documented scenes few others reach: urgent evacuations, walls of flame, schools swallowed whole, the skeletal remains of homes, stunned residents and exhausted firefighters.

His work brings viewers to the frontline of disaster, capturing not only the physical devastation but the human stories unfolding in real time. Beyond wildfires, he has photographed floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and major protests across the American West.

Edelson’s photographs have appeared on the covers of The New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, and in publications around the world. His fire coverage has been exhibited at Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan and recognized with a First Prize at the Istanbul Photo Awards, the Xposure IFPA Award, and AFP’s Varenne / Canon Grand Prix. His images have also circulated far beyond the press, shared by public figures across the political spectrum, from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton.

Alongside his editorial assignments, Edelson works as a commercial photographer, shooting corporate events and executive headshots for Fortune 500 companies including Google and Amazon, and he coaches fellow photographers.

For corporate event photography, executive headshots or editorial assignments, view Josh’s corporate work or get in touch to discuss your project.

Josh is also available as a keynote speaker. Learn more about his speaking engagements.