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During last week's devastating storm and the resultant damage, one of the last things on my mind was to entertain my hobby of photography. There were too many things to worry about - cleanup, repair, and more practically, a lack of power to charge batteries with. A thought occurred, to me, however: there must be people out there who make a living by deliberately photographing these violent acts of nature.
Jim Reed is such a person. [caption id="attachment_13395" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Copyright Jim Reed[/caption]
Born in the middle of "tornado alley" in Springfield, Illinois, and later moving to Kansas, Jim has experienced most every kind of bizarre, dangerous, and powerful weather condition - on two occasions, having near-death experiences in doing so. He reportedly has no time for protective weather gear; according to him, he simply shoots with a bare camera and immediately dries it off once he (hopefully) finds a safer area. One of his more notable experiences is photographing Hurricane Katrina from its light-drizzle beginning through the rampant destruction of most parts in lower Louisiana.
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Copyright Jim Reed[/caption]
Jim shows no sign of slowing down - he is currently covering the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and providing interviews to news outlets. If you're so inclined, as I may be in the future, to begin photographing extreme weather events yourself, you can register for a 10-day storm photography tour with him here.
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Copyright Jim Reed[/caption]
You can visit Jim's portfolio and website here, and investigate his critically-acclaimed book, Storm Chaser, here.