Storms

Acey · Aug 5, 2014

Okay these are phenomenal. Especially that last one omg

mijaro · Aug 5, 2014

this is sweet!
I have been fascinated with these storms! Shame that I cannot go out there because.. you get the idea.
Anywho, keep it up and stay safe!

Miss · Aug 5, 2014

These are absolutely stunning. :cloud9:

Seems like you have a lot of fun buuuutt... YOU BETTER STAY SAFE OUT THERE!!!!!!! :hearts:

MissSimba · Aug 5, 2014

Thank you, Acey, mijaro, and Miss! It's a lot of fun, even on the days when we miss the tornadoes or when storms don't happen. There are a lot of storm chasers and we're a fairly tight-knit group. It's probably the only hobby where you can drive out to the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma and still randomly find a lot of friends from all over the country. Even without storms, hanging around with friends can make a busted chase awesome. And of course, safety is a priority out there! I'm more willing to stay farther from the storms these days and live to chase another day!

NightWizard · Aug 6, 2014

wow that last picture is gorgeous!

i still have yet to see a tornado irl that must be super intense
do they really sound like freight trains?

MissSimba · Aug 6, 2014

Thank you! Whether or not you can hear a tornado depends on its wind speeds and how close you are. The general sound (we refer to it as a roar) is more like a waterfall.

taiflower · Aug 6, 2014

Other than the danger part of it all.. I would LOVE to do this. Holy cheesus these are absolutely amazing! <3 what camera do you use? I'm gonna be saving up for one and trying to get suggestions for what kind to get. I'm still dying over these though oh my gosh.

MissSimba · Aug 6, 2014

Thank you! In most cases, it's actually not very dangerous if you know what you're doing. When it comes to most storms and storm chases, the biggest threat is actually driving to and in the storms. I shoot with a Nikon D90, which is somewhat of an older DSLR model. If you're interested in a DSLR and just starting out, I highly recommend a Nikon D3200 or, if you like Canon, a Canon T3i or T4i. Those all make great entry-level cameras. They're easy to learn and produce great quality images.

bobsbestgame · Aug 26, 2014

I don't think you understand how insanely jealous I am of you right now! I've wanted to go storm chasing my whole life! (Little fun fact, May 3, 1999 we were singing happy birthday to my sister when electricity went out.) living through that tornado and then witnessing it happen on TV the second time it happened has made me want to explore farther into storm chasing (for anyone who thinks it's without its dangers, Google "team twistex" and you'll learn just how dangerous it is, even for trained professionals). Anyways, this next season you should definitely update more pics either in this thread or another one because I love to take/see pics of nature!!!

MissSimba · Aug 26, 2014

bobsbestgame said:

Thank you! Storm chasing was a dream of mine as a kid, but my parents wouldn't allow me to chase as long as I lived under their roof, haha. So the first chance I got to chase after leaving for college, I went. Funny enough, that first chase was that rare November tornado outbreak I mentioned on the earthquake thread! November 7, 2011. It was also the day I saw my first tornado (not counting a waterspout I saw in Florida in 2004, anyway). But man, I could have gotten myself into a lot of trouble. I went out there alone with no knowledge of the area or any chase experience. Data was limited and I had no radar or maps (and eventually got lost in a wildlife preserve... oops...). How I managed to still see a tornado is beyond me.
Sigh, TWISTEX. I never got to meet Paul or Carl, though I did see them in passing several times, but Tim was my idol and I was fortunate enough to meet and talk to him briefly in February last year. Lightning has always been one of my number one interests and I just loved his lightning research and the Kahuna, his ultra-high-speed camera. I still can't believe they're gone.
I'll definitely post more pictures here at some point! I have plenty more from the past few years. I upload some on my deviantART account at http://PaigeBurress.deviantart.com , though I've been a little lazy in updating it lately. I also upload a LOT more on my personal Facebook profile. Feel free to stalk me there if you so choose, haha.

Vegetable · Aug 27, 2014

these are awesome and so are you. kudos for not being afraid of storms like i am lol

MissSimba · Aug 27, 2014

Vegetable said:

Thank you! I was afraid of storms as a kid, but fear turned into fascination when my dad and I encountered a severe storm while on the way to a campsite when I was five. I still distinctly remember the awesome green color of the sky. I've been hooked ever since.