Tornado Chasing Success!

Friday, June 5--what an outstanding day. It will likely go down as one of the greatest days in tornado science history. The Vortex2 research team finally intercepted their first tornado of the season in Goshen County, Wyoming after nearly four weeks of chasing, and it was perfect. Never before has so much scientific data been collected in one intercept.

My time with the Vortex2 project started 10 days before the intercept in Topeka, Kansas. Immediately upon joining them we hit the road driving nearly 2500 miles across 5 states (Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado and Wyoming). Though we chased many severe storms, conditions were never favorable for tornadic activity.

Caption: Josh Wurman, president of the Center for Sever Weather Research, inside of DOW 7 (Doppler on Wheels).

The intercept itself was amazing but what makes the day so historic is the sheer amount of scientific data gathered on the storm. Intercepting this tornadic supercell for nearly an hour, the team deployed a diverse army of scientific instruments. Tools like mobile radars, sticknets, disdrometers, mobile mesonets, photogrammetry teams, and in situ tornado pods collected data from about 20 minutes before the tornado formed until it vanished into the sky. This enabled the team to collect historic amounts of data.

On the day of the storm I was lucky enough to be riding in one of the probe vehicles responsible for dropping pods in the path of the tornado. Each pods weighs 120 pounds and has numerous instruments mounted to it which gather data about conditions surrounding the tornado. The ultimate goal is to get them in the path of the tornado for direct impact, so five teams dropped 14 pods, each 150 meters apart within a mile of the tornado. Pod dropping is risky business. The vehicle I was riding in had roughly five minutes to deploy our 3 pods before fleeing for safety. Scientists monitoring radar data in the back of the Doppler on Wheels (DOW) direct the probe teams from several miles away. If anything would have gone wrong or the storm suddenly shifted direction it could have been disastrous. Needless to say the adrenaline was pumping. It was intense!

Caption: Tim Marshall and Lindsay Bennett deploying a pod in the path of the tornado. This shot was taken with a super wide angle lens so the tornado is much closer than it appears.

Witnessing something so beautiful and destructive in such close proximity was an amazing experience that I will never forget. The Weather Channel has some amazing footage on their website of this storm since they have been covering the Vortex2 project. You can view some of the videos here. In the near future I’ll be posting a special gallery on my website from my time with the Vortex2 project.

Tornado Chasing

Ever since I was a kid I have had a fascination with thunderstorms and adverse weather. Growing up in Western Kansas, I have many vivid memories of watching storms build on the horizon and then taking shelter when they struck. It was not uncommon to be woken up in the middle of the night by intense thunder and flashes of light. This week I have had the chance to experience the storms of the High Plains all over again.

 

I’m currently in the field working on a project to document a team of researchers who risk it all to study tornados and adverse weather. Needless to say, I am stoked! For the past 5 days I have been tagging along with Josh Wurman and his scientific research team from the Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR). They are part of Vortex2, one of the largest tornado research projects ever undertaken. Since May 10 they have been combing the plains from South Dakota to Texas in search of tornadic activity.

 

Ultimately Josh and the Vortex2 project are trying to answer the following questions: 

 

- How, when, and why do tornadoes form? Why some are violent and long lasting while others are weak and short lived? 

- What is the structure of tornadoes? How strong are the winds near the ground? How exactly do they do damage?

- How can we learn to forecast tornadoes better? Current warnings have an only 13 minute average lead time and a 70% false alarm rate. Can we make warnings more accurate? Can we warn 30, 45, 60 minutes ahead?

 

So far this season the weather hasn’t cooperated with the research project. There have been no intercepts to date. However, everyone is remaining hopeful for last two weeks of the chasing season. I’ve extended my stay with the crew until later in the week in hopes that things will pick up. Stay posted for more . . .

The Anticipation Begins...

Anticipation, excitement, energy. What is it about travel that heightens the senses? In a few hours I leave for my next big assignment. For me it will be a new country, a new culture and likely completely new experiences. The unknown pushes me outside of my comfort zone and rekindles my passion for exploration and creative endeavors. Just thinking about the trip makes my heart beat a little faster and my mind real at the possibilities. Anticipation builds for the experiences I am about to encounter. Scenes start playing out in my mind, and I start to pre-visualize the images I might come home with. 

I believe pre-visualization and planning are fundamental in making things a reality. Without vision, thought, time and effort how can you expect to succeed? You cannot go into something blind without an idea. This is so important beyond just making great photography. Sure--it is critical towards making great images a reality. However, it is also imperative as a way of living.  How can you create a life or achieve a goal without first knowing where it is you want to go? 

So, how do we do this? How does one pre-visualize while remaining open and flexible without losing sight of their original idea? Once the anticipation of a shoot turns into an unanticipated reality, do we abandon our original ideas? Or do we allow reality to help shape and morph our thoughts and ideas into something new -- something better than we ever could have imagined? Are the unforeseen moments welcome friends or shunned enemies?

Personally I cherish the unknown and revel in the adversity that affects life. I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason and have their place and purpose. For me, getting outside the box pushes, expands and moves my creative soul. Whenever I travel to some place unfamiliar and face new experiences, I am forced out of my comfort zone into a whole new world or way of thinking. Is it always a comfortable process--not necessarily, but I welcome it because that is where the growth takes place and the milestones are met. So it is with an open mind that I head out today. But my most valuable tool will not be the equipment I take or even sketches of possible shots in my bag. The anticipation of what’s to come and the flexibility with which I meet it--that is what I know from experience will make all the difference.

Portfolio Development - Indoor Gym Climbing

A couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to work on another group of images I have had in my head for some time--artificially lit indoor gym climbing. Thanks to the help of a couple of strong athletes, my assistant, Tony, and Jeff, one of the owners of Momentum Climbing Gym, I was able to create some images that were a bit outside the realm of what I normally shoot.

Like the swim shoot described in a post back in early April, I wanted to use small Nikon SB-800 off camera flashes to light the climbers. For this shoot they were more than powerful enough to over power the ambient light which allowed me to create the drama I was after.

For both of the action shots in this post post I used 3 SB-800s. One flash was held on a boom pole to act as the primary light on the subject while the other two speed lights were used to illuminate parts of the bouldering cave or wall. In the image at the top of the post I kept all three speedlights as close to the wall as possible to help define the muscles and strength of the climber.

If you are a climber in the Salt Lake Valley and are looking for a place to train consider checking out Momentum. Their facilities are top notch.

New Blog Roll

Pretty much every morning I’m not out on a shoot, I make the long trek to my office (about 10 steps from our kitchen) with my cup of coffee in hand, sit down at my computer, and commence my daily reading of my favorite blogs. I’ve grown to really love this part of my day; it’s a chance to connect with the photo community in a different way, gain new insights, and keep up on the buzz of my profession. Plus it’s a good excuse to linger with my java and put other, less fun tasks off for a few minutes. Since I love when I stumble upon new finds, I’ve recently added a blog roll on the side bar to the right with links to the blogs I read on a regular basis. (You may have to scroll down.) Some are personal favorites; others are inspirational or educational, but I think all are worth checking out.

• A Photo Editor
  
• ASMP’s Strictly Business
  
• Chase Jarvis
  
• Heather Morton Art Buyer
  
• Joe McNally
  
• PDN Pulse
  
• Photo Business News & Forum
  
• Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider
  
• Seth Godin’s Blog
  
• Wall Street Journal Daily Pics