Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey

by Jim Reed

Book Overview

The weather used to be reported after the news; today, it often is the news. Tracking news-making weather, storm chasers seek dramatic images of tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, lightning storms, and other extreme and unusual weather phenomena. News organizations compete to broadcast and publish these images because people care passionately about the weather.Jim Reed is one of America's most successful and award-winning storm chasers in an era when global climate is changing. His fifteen years of photography documents this change. As the years go by, he sees spring come earlier, summers get hotter, and tornadoes and hurricanes increase in frequency and intensity. In Storm Chaser, a beautiful picture book about some of the most powerful--and sometimes deadly--phenomena in our world, Reed shares his best images and his experiences as he tracks these storms throughout the country.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810993929
• ISBN13: 9780810993921
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: ABRAMS
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 2.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 9.8" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Great pictures and fun stories

This is a great coffee table book. It has beautiful photography and Jim Reed's stories are fun to read. Most of the book is made up of pictures of the weather. It's interesting to pick up and flip through.

Incredible Journey!

Jim Reed's new book STORM CHASER: A PHOTOGRAPHER'S JOURNEY is nothing short of amazing. WIth breath taking photos and insightful anecdotes, the book takes the reader into the forces of nature that shape our lives and create historic, defining moments in time. I met Jim on the ground in Greensburg, KS and he was exceedingly kind and allowed me to spend a very enjoyable afternoon with him chronicling the aftermath of the tornado that struck there. Jim's soul shines thru in every photo and his passion for weather, photography and in the end people is wonderfully displayed in this work. I have his two previous works and all are works of art! Heed Jim's advice to get a weather radio- he knows what he is talking about! I don't look at the sky the same way after meeting him and seeing his work!

Great pictures in this book

My wife bought this for her father, who is impossible to buy gifts for. She read it first and loved it. Anyone who is interested in nature or science will like it very much.

Great book, wonderful pictures

The title "Storm Chaser" might lead one to believe this is a book about tornado chasing. It is but it's a whole lot more! Photographer Jim Reed takes his readers on a journey of land, sea, and sky covering the four seasons. Along the way we learn how Reed, once an eight year old boy, quickly became hooked on weather and began keeping a diary of events. As an adult he's traveled across North America photographing devastating tornadoes, hurricanes, raging flood waters, spectacular lightning displays, and blinding blizzards. Yet he also focuses on more benign (yet still beautiful) events such as rainbows, aurora, fall foliage, and migrating butterflies. Perhaps the book should have been titled "Open your eyes and take a look at all the interesting weather out there" because Reed shows us that there's natural beauty and wonder everywhere --if one just takes time to stop and smell the roses. Storm Chaser makes a great coffee table book but it's also a good study guide for those looking to improve their skills in photographing nature.

Amazing book of severe weather landscapes

Jim Reed is a well-known storm chaser, author and weather photographer whose credits include National Geographic and Time Magazine. As a storm chaser and photographer, I have always appreciated Mr. Reed's images and have been eagerly awaiting this book. I was not disappointed. Storm Chaser, A Photographer's Journey is a coffee table book documenting 15 years of extreme weather photography. This volume is really a giant photo album with some amazing images. He has selected a variety of hauntingly beautiful photos of severe weather. Of course, my favorites are the tornadoes, supercells, lightning and hail. He has several tornado images though I would like a few more. Mr. Reed captures the dark intensity of tornadic storms contrasted with verdant fields or angry reds and yellows of the setting sun. He has chased hurricanes including Katrina. The photos illustrate the intense rain and wind associated with those tropical storms. There are many other images of weather including ice storms, drought, floods, dust storms and snow-covered landscapes. Examples of rare phenomena include hoarfrost in Kansas and aurora viewed from South Carolina. Although the focus is on the photos, the text is very interesting with descriptions of his storm chases, journal entries and interactions with meteorologists, storm chasers and those affected by the weather. I really enjoyed reading about Mr. Reed's early experiences with storms, photography, and writing and how those experiences led him to storm chasing and weather photography. The book is organized by season. Although there is a general theme of global climate change affecting weather patterns, the book is not a technical analysis. Those wanting detailed information on tornado formation, weather forecasting or global warming should look elsewhere. This is an art-book with gorgeous weather photos and landscapes; beautiful to view with an underlying warning about changing climate. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in weather or who can appreciate the sublime beauty of the natural world. I am definitely inspired to go out and take more weather photos.