A photo project
"I would like / with a sense of helpful order, / with respect for laws / of nature, / to help my land / with a burn, / a hot clean / burn..."  
- Gary Snyder, Turtle Island [Pulitzer Prize 1975]
PORTFOLIO
Prescribed Burns, explained:
I. Good fire is the bedrock of a healthy ecosystem.
Long before wildfires ravaged modern landscapes, indigenous people from around the world intentionally burned forests to clear brush and stimulate growth. Thereafter, fresh vegetation even lured new game to the area.
As settlers began fencing their land, however, fluid landscapes became plots of personal property. Timber acted as the foundation of that property, and controlled burns were deemed dangerous and undesirable.
As this timber-based infrastructure accumulated, societies inevitably encountered “great fires” (think Amsterdam, Chicago, California). These fires have perpetuated fear, and instead of asking “how can we safely burn this standing fuel?” we’ve become accustomed to “let’s try mitigating and prolong the inevitable”.   
II. Burner Account: A trend of the 2020s- a way to semi-anonymously post content without sharing openly to all. 
The idea of experimenting with my photography, shooting whatever I wanted, in short bursts of chaotic creativity, excited me. So I started a prescribed burner account (@prescribed_burns on IG), shedding accumulated fuel/stress/creative energy to make way for something new.
III. After defining my personal style through PRESCRIBED BURNS, experimenting without bar, I realized a burner account may have been the first way to share my work/experiences with others, but it's really not the best way. So I am happy to be sharing my work with you now, here on this site [2 Feb 2026].
On a personal note:
I’m Troy Smith and I’ve taken photos for 15 years. I started taking photography more seriously, however, in May 2024. Brief timeline below:
April 2024- Married
May 2024- Moved out of Chicago, got new camera (Sony A7III), couch surfed for 5 months
October 2024- Moved to Amsterdam, took camera everywhere we traveled
January 2025- Started @prescribed_burns on IG
January 2026- Began my “professional” photography journey
Thank you so much for visiting my website.
-Troy