Burning Man is a week-long celebration of free-form creativity and
radical self-expression held each summer in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
The event is difficult to describe. It’s not quite an art festival, not quite a
desert rave, and not quite a social experiment, but something of all three.

I’ve been documenting Burning Man for many years. My images from the
event have been widely published, appearing in newspapers and magazines worldwide.
I’ve covered Burning Man on assignment for Rolling Stone and other media outlets.

My images from the event are featured in the book Burning Man: Art on Fire,
a collaboration with Jennifer Raiser and Sidney Erthal. A newly revised and
expanded edition featuring 7 years of new material and more than 200 of
my photographs came out in July 2023. See more about the book here.

You can view a selection of galleries below. For more about the project,
check out my talk at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, or read some
of the press and interviews at the bottom of this page. Thank you for visiting.

Best of Burning Man

This set brings together some of the better-known photographs from my many years of covering Burning Man. These are images that have appeared in books, magazines and newspapers, or on television, or been widely exhibited, or just happen to be personal favorites of mine for one reason or another. They focus on the art, the people, the performances and the fascinating culture of Burning Man. It’s tough to narrow down tens of thousands of photos to just one or two hundred, so this is a snapshot view. For a deeper look, check out some of the other sets on this page or the press coverage and interviews in the links below.

View photos →

Burning Man 2023

Burning Man 2023 made headlines around the world after torrential rains flooded the Black Rock Desert five days into the event. The mud created some logistical challenges but most of the news accounts painted a false picture, saying people were marooned in the desert without food and supplies. Some reports (including a few that Ebola or e. coli was somehow spreading through the encampment) were, if not ridiculous, wildly exaggerated. Most of us took the situation in stride, spirits remained high and the event carried on. I’ll have photos to share very soon. Meanwhile, check out my commentary and images in Forbes magazine, link below.

Read more →

Burning Man 2022: Photos by Scott London

Burning Man 2022

After two years of cancelations due to the pandemic, there was a lot of pent-up creative energy and a frenzy of excitement leading up to Burning Man 2022. This was reflected in a record number of art installations, hundreds of outrageous mutant vehicles and countless brilliant shows and performances throughout the week. But it was a tough year. Intense winds, day-long whiteouts and triple-digit temperatures dominated the event for much of the week. Equipment failed, activities were canceled and systems broke down. It was wonderful to be back in Black Rock City, but also a reminder of how harsh and unforgiving the desert can be.

Read more →

Renegade Burn 2021

Burning Man was canceled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. But thousands of people flocked to the Black Rock Desert anyway for what turned out to be a huge free-form DIY gathering that—even without any infrastructure or much in the way of organization—felt very much like the real thing. There were theme camps, mutant vehicles, art projects, sound stages, fire dancers and sacred temples. It was like last year’s spontaneous gathering of burners in the desert—no rules and no tickets required—but on a much bigger scale. Click below to read more, or skip directly to the complete set of photos.

Read More →

(Not) Burning Man 2020

Like almost every other public gathering in 2020, Burning Man was canceled because of the coronavirus. But that didn’t stop some of us from heading out to the Black Rock Desert anyway. When I arrived, there were already hundreds of people on the scene, all or most of them burners, and the numbers grew to about 3,500 by the end of the week. The gathering offered a glimpse of what Burning Man might have been like in the early days before it became a cultural phenomenon. There were sprawling theme camps, big art pieces and bona fide mutant vehicles. But it was all unplanned, self-organized, and free. No tickets required.

Read More →

Burning Man 2019

For all the complaints about Burning Man going mainstream, about it being taken over by the rich and famous, and about it being ruined by Instagram and pesky “influencers,” 2019 turned out to be another banner year. Along with outstanding art installations, it was a year of breathtaking performances and astonishing burns. As always, I’ve posted a write-up about the event along with 100 of my favorite images. My photos also appear elsewhere. Check out The Mutant Vehicles of 2019 (San Francisco Chronicle), The Battle for Burning Man (Fast Company), and The Most Extravagant Costumes Seen at Burning Man (Buzzworthy)

See photos →

Aerial View of Burning Man 2018 (photo by Scott London)

Burning Man 2018

Some are already describing Burning Man 2018 as one of the best in the event’s 32-year history. There was a dramatic increase in the number and the quality of the art installations. The playa was teeming with new and amazing art cars. The man and temple burns were spectacular. And the weather was nearly perfect (except for a couple of days of high winds and dust storms). Bright, sunny skies don’t make for great photography, so I became a twilight creature this year, doing most of my shooting at dusk and dawn. As in previous years, I’ve pulled together 100 of my best images from the event. I also have a write-up and a few additional images here.

View photos →

Burning Man 2017 by Scott London

Burning Man 2017

Burning Man 2017 will go down as the hottest in the event’s 30-year history. Triple-digit temperatures all week meant that many of us spent our days back at camp rather than out on the open playa dancing, performing, and making art. But 2017 will also be remembered as the year of Step Forward, a brilliant conceptual art piece featuring a giant teenage girl puppet who walked, talked and interacted in real time with fellow Burning Man participants. Other crowd favorites included the Tree of Ténéré, the Flower Tower, Ilumina, and Tara Mechani—some of the finest art installations ever seen at Burning Man, in my view.

View photos →

Burning Man 2016

We were blessed with beautiful skies and gorgeous light at Burning Man 2016, but also wind and dust—lots and lots of dust (as you can see in this photo of my cameras). In 2016, I worked with CNN on a feature about the art cars of Burning Man. You’ll find 20 of my photos along with a Q&A here: Burning Man’s Mutant Vehicles Eat Dust…and People? (See also Boing Boing‘s coverage for more commentary.) I also worked with French videographer Philippe Meicler to capture an aerial view of Burning Man. Despite a painful injury that made photography difficult for much of the event, it was an all-around incredible year on the playa.

View photos →

Burning Man 2015

2015 was a year of high winds, choking dust, and unseasonably cold temperatures. But it will also be remembered for the first-rate art installations, stunning fire performances, startling art cars, burning pianos flying through the air, and more. It was my 4th year covering the event for Rolling Stone. If you head over to www.rollingstone.com you’ll find about 20 images of mine gathered under the heading, See Trippy, Surreal Photos From Burning Man 2015. Some of the same images also appear here, along with about 80 others that highlight the art, the people, and the performances from an all-around incredible week.

View photos →

Burning Man 2014

Burning Man 2014 started off with a dramatic thunderstorm, one that actually shut down the event for almost 24 hours. It offered up a perspective of Burning Man I had never seen before — open desert, stormy skies, and a playground of big art installations completely empty of people. Thankfully, the weather improved by midweek and was nearly perfect for the remainder of the event. It turned out to be a great year for photography, if not a great year for me personally (due to an ill-timed kidney stone). It was my 11th year out and third year on assignment for Rolling Stone. This set brings together 100 of my personal favorites.

View photos →

Burning Man 2013

2013 was my tenth year at Burning Man, and second year covering the event for Rolling Stone. It was a beautiful week. But it seemed to fly by too fast and there was simply too much I never got to experience. To say nothing of the many friends I didn’t get a chance to see. But so it goes. This set brings together 100 favorites from Burning Man 2013. You can also find a collection of my photos at www.rollingstone.com. They appear in two sets, one focused on “The Scene” and the other on “The People.” Some of my work is also featured on MSN this month in a special photoessay on Art Cars of Burning Man.

View photos →

Burning Man 2012

2012 was a wonderful year for photography despite several days of gusty winds, dust storms, and even rain. The light on the playa seemed to be constantly shifting and changing during the week of the event, offering up breathtaking views of the Black Rock Desert I had never seen before. This time out I photographed on assignment for Rolling Stone. Though my images from Burning Man have been widely published, it was the first time I had accepted an assignment before heading out to the event. In addition to my usual set of 100 images, you’ll find my work on the Rolling Stone website under the title, Magic Mushrooms, Nude Dancers, Wild Infernos and More.

View photos →

Burning Man 2011

Burning Man felt massive in 2011, from the huge crowds to the sheer size of Black Rock City. There were many impressive art installations, wacky art cars, and mindblowing performances in 2011, but I found myself mostly drawn to the beautiful and creative people. This is reflected in the sizable number of portraits in this set. The images from 2011 were perhaps my most widely viewed and published ever. Thanks to social media, the set went viral and generated almost a million unique visitors in the weeks immediately after the event. It was perhaps more than they deserved, but it reflects the growing significance of Burning Man as a cultural phenomenon.

View photos →

Burning Man 2010

2010 marked the 24th anniversary of Burning Man, and it was bigger than ever—attendance shot up to a record 51,000 people. Many participants remember it as the year of Bliss Dance, Megatropolis (above) and the Temple of Flux. A freak thunderstorm on Monday afternoon also set its mark on the event, followed by full five days of astonishingly perfect weather. It was also a year of fabulous weddings and an unforgettable silent white procession. But the highlight for me was being hoisted up in a 40-foot boom lift on the night of the burn and looking down on a sea of 50,000 people as the man exploded in flames.

View photos →

Burning Man 2009

2009 was my sixth year out and the first on the Documentation Team—the closest thing Burning Man has to a crew of official photographers. It was a wonderful and amazing week, wind and dust notwithstanding. Attendance was down by over 10 percent—a first in the event’s 23-year history. But much of the art was excellent, the performances first-rate, the outlandish fashions and silly costumes unforgettable, and the people … well, more beautiful than ever. One of the highlights for me was going up in a private plane just after sunrise one morning and surveying the scene from 10,000 feet up. Breathtaking, and more than a little surreal!

View photos →

Burning Man 2008

My time at Burning Man 2008 lasted just four and a half days. While I got out as much as I could, staying out late every night and rising before dawn each morning, I came home with a comparatively small number of photos. Pulling together 100 quality images was a challenge. I considered posting a shortened set, but finally decided to go for the usual 100. Needless to say, there are some images that don’t stand out on their own but that do help tell a story, or convey the distinctive spirit of the event. And that, after all, is the point. The images work best when they capture the raw energy, the bawdy humor, the carefree sexuality, the bad taste, and above all, the sheer outrageous good fun of it all.

View photos →

Burning Man 2007

Burning Man 2007 is perhaps best remembered as the year the man burned five days ahead of schedule. I still regard it as one of the best years ever from the standpoint of photography. The art was massive and spectacular, the people endlessly beautiful and creative, and thanks to a rare tropical storm in the south, the skies were shifting, unpredictable, and perfect for photography. One day we had a sprinkling of rain followed by a double rainbow that people still speak radiantly about to this day. Although I lost some of the photos I shot, there were enough for this photoessay, one that offers at least a small glimpse of the extraordinary art, the beautiful faces, and the brilliant colors of Black Rock City.

View photos →

Burning Man 2006

In 2006, I returned to Burning Man with less of the frenzied enthusiasm and outlandish expectations of the year before. The goal, I decided, was simply to capture something of the beauty, the creativity, the exuberance and what I took to be the deeper personal significance of Burning Man. I abandoned the idea of capturing the event in any objective sense, favoring instead a more personal perspective, one more closely aligned with fine art photography than photojournalism. It was also the year I hit on a workable two-camera strategy for photographing the event, one that was flexible, relatively light, and spared me from having to make constant lens changes in a dusty and harsh environment. In retrospect, I consider it one my best years at Burning Man.

View photos →

Burning Man 2005

2005 was my second year at Burning Man. The original plan was to create a photoessay—a journalistic piece combining images and text. My impulse was to try, in some small way, to convey the experience of Burning Man. I realized only afterward how impossible that would be. I came home with about 1,500 photos and a notebook full of remarkable quotes and stories. But looking over the photos, captions seemed extraneous. I asked myself, why not simply let the images speak for themselves? As we know, no words can properly convey the experience of Burning Man to someone who’s never been there. And for someone who has, words are hardly necessary. I selected 100 images, and left it at that. The format seemed to resonate, and it’s one I’ve kept to ever since.

View photos →

Copyright 2023 by Scott London. All rights reserved.