Storm Chaser Records Nature's Power and Beauty
The idea came up while Camille Seaman vacuumed at home. As the photographer told Mashable, her daughter was currently watching a documentary about storm chasers, which made the girl shoot: "Mom, you should do that!"
Camille considered the idea “quite fun, ” and within three days was already part of a professional storm-hunter group, helping to monitor, track, and photograph huge cloud formations in the Great Plains region. That was in 2008, and since then the photographer has brought absolutely unique records of the power and beauty of natural events - which can be seen in the photo that opens this text.
In fact, Camille was not an amateur photographer looking for exotic experiences. In fact, its name was already well known for having registered glaciers in the polar regions. At this point, however, she is preparing for two more endeavors - achievable thanks to the “adventurous” spirit of anonymous donors.
The Big Cloud Project
Camille currently collects funds from Kickstarter to organize her next two trips. And the thing goes really well. It has already raised more than $ 15, 000 - a nice amount considering the initial bid was $ 6, 900 and there are five more days of campaigning.
The Big Cloud project is very specific as Camille intends to register supercells. These are huge isolated cloud formations characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone (upstream air swirling inside the cloud). They are what are called "spinning storms."
“They are basically these individual clouds that appear out of nowhere, ” the photographer told the publication. “And they are huge! Some can rise up to 65, 000 feet in the atmosphere and spread over 50 miles. ”However, she explains that the idea that supercells are always a gateway to tornadoes is not entirely valid. In fact, only 2% of these formations eventually give rise to cyclones.
As mentioned, Camille's schedule envisions two distinct endeavors. Still in May, the photographer will be joining storm chasers from New Zealand and Australia. In June, she is expected to lead a workshop for six aspiring “nature photographers”.
Watch out for the cyclone! And beware of that car!
Interested in logging out the wonders of Mother Nature? Well, first of all, it's good that you have something in mind - say, something beyond the danger of imminent death, that is. As Camille told Mashable, a storm chaser spends an average of eight hours a day warming a car seat.
Typically, the task of driving over huge distances is alternated by collecting data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on laptops. This is the information that allows hunters to predict where storm formation is most likely to occur.
However, during expeditions, professionals end up with a big risk that has little to do with atmospheric events. These are precisely car accidents. “A lot of times, when the weather gets crazy, people do stupid things behind the wheel, ” says Camille.
“When there is a storm or tornado hitting the ground, people tend to get off the track and jump out of their cars.” In fact, says Camille, it's easy to end up getting hit on those occasions, as “other drivers are getting their attention more focused on the giant cloud in the sky than on the road. ”
Awareness of the beauty and power of nature
As a result of Big Cloud ventures (see above), Camille intends to sell some of the magazine material or even publish a book with the records. However, she reinforces: “I really hope these images serve to raise awareness of this extreme kind of atmosphere - not necessarily in a scary way, but also as a wonder.”
She continues: "And I want people to know the magnificence and power of our planet." Finally, Camille recognizes that the events she witnesses are never directly contemplated by most people. And that's why you might want to drop some coins on Kickstarter.
