Photography By Ben Jacobi

Morning Person...

2011-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

I am NOT a morning person! The photo below proves that. LOL. I am starting a new series titled "Breakfast". This was an idea that I've had for a while, but finally decided to put in action. The set up was fairly simple. I had two RPS studio SB 120 heads: one positioned to my right and one on the floor behind me (as a backlight). The most difficult thing about this was getting the timing on the egg right. It was a grueling process, but the shot (and the pancakes I made with the eggs) was totally worth it.

Self portrait showing my disdain to mornings...

Gobstopper Madness...

2011-10-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through some photos I have taken this year looking for the images I will select for the "Top Ten Storm Photos of 2011" when I came across these images that I never posted. I meant to write up this article last month when I took the photos, but I think the late season chase opportunities distracted me. Anyways, I decided to revive these forgotten images and share them with you. The thing that I remember most about this series was it was just plain fun! I really like doing high speed flash photography and what better way to settle that craving than with some delightful hard candies. Read on to find out how I capture these gobstopper images.

Enjoy.

-Ben

Gobstoppers: A long time favorite candy from my childhood.

Here is my "Gobstopper" rig. You can see there really isn't anything special. A. Box of Everlasting Gobstoppers, B. Clear glass filled 2/3 of the way full *or 1/3 empty if you're a pessimist.* C. Blue piece of construction paper that serves as a contrast background. D. My beloved Nikon D300 with my Nikkor 55mm AIS micro f/2.8 lens. E. Nikon SB600 flash connected via SC-29 TTL cord and light stand. The flash is currently set to 1/2th power for background and back light. F. Promaster 7500EDF flash set on 1/8th power (or 1/15,000 sec). This flash is also being shot into a silver umbrella for a little less harsh light.

Timing is key to shots like this. You really have to understand shutter lag and how it affects your camera. What is shutter lag? Shutter lag is the elapsed time it takes the shutter to open and close after the button is pressed. Don't know what your camera's shutter lag is? No problem. Here's an easy way to figure out shutter lag. I used http://online-stopwatch.com/ for this (no I am not getting a sponsorship for adding a link. Though I think I should, though...Hmm...) Set you camera up to a medium shutterspeed. In this case I used 1/60th. Start the timer and wait for the stopwatch to reach ten seconds. As soon as you see it turn to ten seconds take a photograph of the screen. Notice that it doesn't say "0.00.10". That's because of your shutter lag. Look in the milliseconds box. That is how long your camera took to take the photo. I would recommend taking about 5-10 shots so you can get an average.

My shutter lag averaged around 216 milliseconds. Once you understand the shutter lag the timing becomes a little bit easier.

Gah! Just a little to early on this one.

Whoops...too late.

I will go ahead and take this opportunity to remind everyone that it is important to hit your mark.

BAM! There we go after the first three shots I was able to get the timing right. Not bad.

I had a little trouble with focusing. So I got a spoon and put it about halfway in the glass and focused on the spoon. The small aperture (f/11) gave me enough depth of field so that as long as I got the Gobstopper in the glass it would be in focus.

Once I got the timing down it was time to add some color and drama. I really liked how this shot came out.

Splash! Lots of color and action in this shot. I basically took about a fist full and dropped them in the glass.

I plan to do more on this series and get some better lighting for the scene. I'm glad I ran across these today. Otherwise, they would be lost in the hard drive.

May and June Storm Chase Photos...

2011-06-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It has been SOOOOOOOOO long since I have posted anything on the blog. Its not that I haven't been taking pictures. I have been taking quite a few pictures, but I have been very busy with work. So here's a special treat for y'all. This a collection of my favorite captures from each of my recent storm chases. I will also have the chase reports on my storm chasing blog soon.

Enjoy.

-Ben

May, 19th 2011: Oklaunion, TX

May 22, 2011: Muenster, TX

May 23rd, 2011: Archer County, TX

May 24th, 2011: Wichita Falls, TX blowing dust

June 14th, 2011: Birthday Chase Iowa Park, TX

June 18th, 2011: Microburst damage Muenster, TX

Shoot the Moon...

2011-02-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything new. I have been very busy lately with the new Metro Photo and haven't really had much time to go out shooting. The good news is the storm season is a little less then a month away. The weather here has been excellent for the past few days and while I was home last night I couldn't help but be outside. I love it when the seasons begin to transform. It was a beautiful clear evening with temps around 70 degrees and a nice breeze from the south. I had to get out and take advantage of this spectacular weather. I ran back into the apartment and grabbed my gear and as I headed down the steps I looked over to the east and saw the moon rising over the horizon. I had taken many moon pictures before, but this time I wanted to do something different and break away from the monotony. Here are some of the captures.

Enjoy.

-Ben

A technically correct moon exposure. Since the moon reflects most of the sun's light the exposure would be close to that of sunny sky. In this case we use the "Sunny 16" rule. The rule states that when photographing a clear blue sky use 1/film speed as the shutter speed. In this photo I used the "Sunny 16" rule which gave me an exposure of 1/200, f/16, ISO:200 While this is a nice photo, I felt it didn't represent what I saw and desired to capture.

Opened up the aperture by 2 stops and now we can see more of the foreground and background while retaining some detail in the moon. The sun was setting and the sky became a beautiful blue-purple color. This was a little better, but not quite what I wanted. The only solution was to slow down the shutter.

...And change the focus. Instead of looking at the moon as the subject I replaced it as the background and used the silhouettes of the tree branches for my foreground. I really liked the look of the photo and it was different, not something that I try to do when photographing the moon.

This was my personal favorite. This was the best photo that told the story of the evening. Calm, cool, and peaceful.

Double Calender Publications...

2010-11-08T23:08:00.000-08:00

I recently had some photographs featured in two different calender publications. One was a from a local radio station's 2011 wall calender, "Reflecting Life in Texoma". KMOC (FM 89.5) is a Christian radio station who base out of Wichita Falls. More info on KMOC and how to obtain one of these calenders can be found on their website.

The following images were featured in the KMOC 2011 Wall Calender

Snowy Road

Frozen

Winter Sunset

TEXAS

Hay Day

Secondly, I received news that the Photography Corner 2011 Wall calenders are now ready to be ordered. More info on who else was featured and where to buy can be found here.

This image is published in the 2011 Corner Calender from www.photographycorner.com

Doing the Dishes: A Bothersome Household Chore Or...

2010-10-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Is it a photographic opportunity?

So I had this idea for a photograph. I was going to be experimenting with high speed flash. I love all the creative things I can do with this. I used my Nikon D300 with a Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 micro lens (AI), 2 Nikon SB 600's at 1/32 power and a shutter speed of 1/20th. It seemed to work out pretty well. Needless to say, there was a mess that needed to be cleaned up afterwards.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

10/22/10 Chase Teaser...

2010-10-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a teaser photograph of one of the supercells we chased on Friday. To see more visit http://majesticnoise.blogspot.com/

Take care!

-Ben

Awesome Lightning and 10/10/10 Chase Report...

2010-10-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

My full chase report is on my new storm chasing blog. Here is a little taste of some of the action.

Thanks.

-Ben

Desktop Backgrounds Now Available...

2010-10-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

You can now download some of images to use as a desktop background. I have 20 images with resolution of 800px, 1024px, 1280px, and 1080p sizes. Check it out in the link here.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

Nothing Like Fall Weather...

2010-10-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

Fall weather--70 degree temperatures, clear skies. and a gentle breeze, who doesn't love Autumn in Texas? Last week we received some very pleasant weather. It was so enjoyable, that I woke up before sunrise (something that rarely happens now) and drove down to Goron Lake in Iowa Park. I hadn't visited the lake in a while and was curious to see what was new. Gordon Lake has always been a favorite location of mine. It never disappoints. Hopefully we will have more fall weather heading our way next week.

Thanks for the support.
-Ben

Tranquil scenes like these are why I keep coming back to Gordon Lake.

I almost always prefer some clouds in sunrise/sunset shots, but there are times when I will shoot a "plain" sunrise. They are prefect for back lit shots like this one.

After the sun reached a certain height it was time to focus on some of the wildlife.

A pair of Grackles perched in the cattails.

There is a residential Great Blue Heron that hangs around the lake. I was fortunate to get close shots of this bird. I just wish the light was at a different angle.

The Snowy Egret is also seen during the summer months. This one was a little too preoccupied with catching breakfast, it didn't really mind me being so close to it.

Semipalmated Sandpipers are always fun to shoot. They're very fast and almost never sit still. They are also hard to approach, usually you have to wait for them to come to you. I was lying on my stomach for almost 20 minutes before a group of them landed not more than 10 feet from me.

A pair of foraging sandpipers.

I think this is my personal favorite of the day. I love the graduation of color from the orange to the blue in the shot. The pose and angle of the bird helps male this a more intimate portrait.

New Storm Chasing Blog...

2010-09-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a blog specifically for my storm chasing. I will no longer be posting the chase reports on this blog. I will however, be posting highlight photographs and a link to the storm chasing blog. Be sure to subscribe to learn about possible chases and I also have a live stream link in there as well and now you can follow along on a chase.

Thanks.

-Ben

Majestic Noise

Have You Picked Up Your WFLAR Today?...

2010-09-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

The new edition of the Wichita Falls Literature and Art Review.

My photography is featured in this season's edition of the Wichita Falls Literature and Art Review Magazine. If you haven't heard about the WFLAR you can find out more information and where to pick one up here.

My biography page in the WFLAR. Elisabeth Hawley captured these images during a meeting of the Red River Photography Club. We were discussing portraiture lighting and yours truly was the unfortunate model. LOL!

This season features 100+ pages of captivating photography, inspiring poetry/prose, and insightful articles all from local Wichita Falls artists. I was not the only photographer featured in this WFLAR. Mark Moody, Elisabeth Hawley, and Richard Carter, are just a few of the several photographers showcasing their images. The WFLAR is a great non profit organization promoting literature and art in the community. I plan to submit more images for the next edition.

These images were featured in the WFLAR. All of them were full page (double truck) spreads. Storm on the Plains, Storms..., and Rotating Wall Cloud Hamlin, TX.

Cloud Formations Thanks to Hermine...

2010-09-08T21:22:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, Tropical depression Hermine came through our forecast area. In fact the central area of circulation was over my home town, Wichita Falls, TX. Extensive cloud cover and precipitation limited instability. Therefore, the SPC was not too worried about severe weather. Low level shear profiles would support an isolated, weak tornado threat. This was enough to get me interested in a chase. I originally targeted Gainsesville, TX. I did get diverted to some developing storms near Jacksboro and Montague, TX. I should have stuck with my original target. Around 7:30pm a report came in of a brief tornado touchdown two miles north of Lindsay, TX! Oh well, that is how it goes sometimes. Though I didn't capture the tornado I still came back with some decent photos.

Hopefully we will have another chase before winter.

Thanks for viewing.

-Ben

Outside of Henrietta, TX on US 82 I saw this scene with the desolate barn, rolled up hay bales, and feeder bands from Hermine. I had to pull over to capture this image.
Sunlight! The sun briefly came out and thunderstorms started to form along the feeder bands.

We had an incredible amount of moisture. Our dewpoints reached a max of 76! The result was very low bases. In this picture you can see how close the ragged base is to the Texas prairie.

Towers start to form in the feeder bands.

I really liked this capture. Beautiful front light created a very contrasty sky. I only wish the power lines weren't there, Grrr...

Wider shot to reveal all the unique cloud formations.

More Storms this Week?...

2010-09-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Visible satellite image of tropical storm Hermine.

Infrared image of Hermine

Tropical storm Hermine is forecast to make its way through a portion of the southern plains from Monday-Thursday. The storm currently has a max winds at 60mph and is moving at about 15mph. While all the models show the storm breaking apart after it hits land, Hermine will still bring a substantial amount of tropical moisture. Thunderstorms are forecast from Tuesday night-Thursday morning for our area. Should be interesting to see what develops. Severe weather doesn't seem very likely right now due to the lack of CAPE on all the model runs. I should be off on Wednesday this week and I will try to do some chasing. Right now it looks like the largest threat is going to be flooding.

NWS Graphicast depicting Hermine's path. Note how it should be right over us Wednesday afternoon.

The SPC is not saying much for severe weather at this time. Inconsistencies in the model runs make it difficult to predict the severe potential. The have issued a Day 3 "See Text" which usually indicates a less than 5% probability of severe weather.

09/02/10 Severe Thunderstorms in Wichita Coutny...

2010-09-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Satellite image of Hurricane Earl passing to the east of North Carolina. Earl was partly responsible for our thunderstorms we had this week.

9/2/10:

A cold front was forecast to advance through our forecast area. Tropical moisture had also moved in our area thanks to Hurricane Earl. This spawned off scattered thunderstorms during the afternoon. The cold front caught up to these storms and formed into a squall line late evening. I was working at Radioshack and I remember hearing our display of weather radios all going off warning us about the severe weather on the way. There was a high wind report during this time, so I was unable to observe it, but I did watch the storm advance and got a few good gusts myself. Here is my quick report.

Thanks.

-Ben

Radar image of the squall line. This was about 10min after the high wind report.

Velocity scan shows a very outflow dominant storm. This is where I experienced some moderate to high winds.

Report of a 76mph wind gust in Wichita Falls. Amazingly, there was no power loss at our location!

The shelf cloud and distant core advancing over us. I like how the lightning lit up the core in an eerie bluish glow. There was a report of dime to quarter size hail at this point.

Anvil crawler lightning stretches across the night sky. This was my only decent lightning capture the entire night.

NWS preliminary storm reports. Wichita Falls has the highest recorded wind gust, with Edmund coming in second (75mph). Lawton had the only hail report with quarter size (1.00 in).

Spoon Splash...

2010-08-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a riddle for you: What do you get when you mix a photographer, a spoon full of milk, and insomnia? Hint: you can scroll down to the photos see the answer.

The answer? A mess!

Last night I was not able to fall asleep. I tried counting sheep, counting backwards from 500--nothing. An image kept playing through my mind. The image was of a droplet of milk hitting a spoon and exploding in a crown shape. Since I couldn't fall asleep I got out my notebook and drew the layout to my envisioned image. After I completed I thought to myself "Hmm...This looks very possible. And after all, I don't have to work tomorrow. I could do this!" So at 4:13 am I got up set up for my shot and started making a mess. For this series I used two Nikon SB 600 flashes. The first was placed to the camera's left and pointed down at the spoon. The second was used to illuminate the background. For this I wanted a small angle of light. So I rolled up a paper plate and made a snoot. Both flashes were set at 1/16th power with an exposure of 1/30th, f/11, ISO: 200. It was a fun series to do and got my creative juices going. Here's to more insomnia!

-Ben

A paper plate, a pair of scissors, and some rubber bands. Voila impromptu snoot for the flash.

My main light set at the 1/16th power.

Now at 1/30th, f/11, ISO:200 my cameras meter was indicating a -4 stops underexposure (see above image). And you may be thinking to yourself, "1/30th of a second isn't fast enough to stop a milk drop." Well, you're right. That's why we use the flash as our shutter speed. At full power (1/1) the flash will last about 1/1000th of a second. This is still a little too slow for splashing milk, but at 1/16th power its more like 1/10000th of a second! Now we're talking! However, 1/16th power does decrease the flash output so you have to compensate, in this case I moved the flash closer.

OK, so now were at 1/10000th of a second as a shutter speed, now its time to get the timing down. In this case its too soon.

A little better, but the timing was too late.

That's more like it! Its all in the timing.

I love this one. The timing and action is excellent!

Splash!

I was doing pretty well for a while, but I was curious to see what would happen if I dropped the milk from a greater height?

A bigger splash!

If I get the milk to hit just right this is what happens. This was my personal favorite of the series.

It was a great series and fun to experiment with. There was a substantial mess to clean up, however. After I got the shot I was looking for I went back to my room downloaded the images, crawled back into bed and went right to sleep, without the help of narcotics, countdowns or leaping livestock.

08/15/10:Mediocre Chase and Texas Wildfire...

2010-08-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

SPC Day 1 Outlook for 8/15/10. A "See Text" indicates a 5% probability of severe weather.

SPC Hail Graphic

SPC Wind Graphic.

Around 2:00 the SPC issues a mesoscale discussion for the forecast area. "Severe potential watch, unlikely." However, they do point out a possibility for strong downbursts.

I honestly had no intention of chasing on this day. Very weak upper level dynamics, low directional shear, and moderate CINH was something I didn't want to be a part of. A stationary front was to drift south through southern OK and into northern TX. Lift along and north of the front would generate unorganized scattered thunderstorms. With the main threat being locally damaging wind gusts. I probably should have payed a little more attention to the residual outflow ahead of the stationary front. This actually gave some of the storms a brief supercellular appearance (see radar image below). That was enough for me to get interested. I packed up my gear and headed west on US 287.

A severe thunderstorm forms along the outflow boundary from earlier convection. It was supposedly dropping quarter sized hail at this time. It actually looks like there is an inflow notch and it has a little organization to it.

The velocity scans reveal some rotation to the storm. For a moment, it almost looked supercellular.

Well, so much for the supercell. The storm quickly goes outflow dominant and dies out.

Radar shows the storm dying, but a cell to the west has formed along the outflow boundary as well.

While driving past Electra, TX, I look out to my south and see this photogenic display of mammatus clouds. My camera was attached to a window mount and I did not have time to stop and pull over. So I shot this while driving about 65mph.

I eventually reach Vernon and notice something--no storms! The radar shows another outflow boundary moving south with thunderstorms forming along the boundary. I decide to keep heading west and once I reach Quanah, TX (roughly 30miles away) I will shift to the northeast and target El Dorado, OK.

Just as I predicted thunderstorms form along the outflow. With these "pulse" storms you have to right there when they develop if you want a chance of chasing them.

Sitting outside the El Dorado city limits.

Under the elevated updraft base in El Dorado at the Highway 6 Highway 5 junction.

It appears these storms are starting to form into a multicell mess.

That is what happened. But I still manage to find something to shoot.

Here is a shot taken while driving. You can see the core of the newly develop cell on the left with a nice rainfoot and the older downdraft on the right. I believe there was an embedded microburst here.

I've got to move south or I am going to get cored. Around this time an incredible CG barrage explodes under the updraft. One strike was less than 50 yards away.

While still driving through the heavy rain I notice something. It looked like a smoke trail. I get out of the rain for a closer look.

Remember that CG barrage I just mentioned? Apparently, it sparked off some wildfires. I head west on FM 1166 to investigate.

My storm has almost completely died out. So now I am chasing the wildfire.

About 3 miles inside on FM 1166 and I come across this.

There were a few vehicles that had to postpone their drive. The fire was reaching dangerously close to the farm market road.

Here you can actually see a little bit of the fire (right hand side).

I drive up a little closer and pull out a telephoto lens. I really like this shot because the heat waves were captured very well here.

Probably my favorite shot from the wildfire. I love the tree in the background engulfed in the smoke and distorted by the heat waves. And the juxtaposition of the background and foreground trees has a very "impending doom" atmosphere to it.

A closer view of the fire.

I like this capture as well, the approaching inferno forces a Purple Martin to flee from its roost. I was fortunate enough to capture it when I took this shot.

Members of the Volunteer Fire Department of Quanah and Chillicothe battle to extinguish the blaze. The man driving the vehicle doesn't seem to affected by the close proximity of the fire.

This spectator watched as the Volunteer fire department combated the wildfire. You can see how close he is to the smoke line (in the background). I tired a black and white conversion for this one.

One last capture. I did the same conversion to this photo.

Its August, the Heat is Here...

2010-08-04T00:56:00.000-07:00

NWS Graphicast of forecast high temperatures this week.

Well here we are. Our first week of August and we've already reached the triple digits. When this change of season comes I always shift my photography subjects. Usually summer means one thing--wildlife photography. The clear morning/evening skies are perfect for that incredible "golden hour" light.

American Avocet foraging for a meal in beautiful "golden hour" light. This photo was taken last year during the summer months.

It is not good for landscape photography, however. I enjoy clouds and colors in the sky when I shoot a landscape. This is usually better for the autumn and winter months.

"Winter Sunset, Middle Lake" was taken in December of last year.

And of course, the summer months mean a dynamic change in the jet stream, as high pressure builds over the US. This usually ends the severe weather weather season. Wildlife is the focus this time of year. This year I will not be able to shoot as much wildlife as I like. My wildlife lens (Sigma 500mm f/4.5) needs repair. Almost $400 to fix it and I don't have that kind of money to spend. I will still try for some wildlife captures, but this is actually an opportunity to help me grow as a photographer. Instead of doing the usual nature photography I am going to explore lighting and studio work. It is way outside of my comfort zone and I believe it will help me become more creative. This is also an excellent time for me to try to get more images published. So this summer I am going to focus on two things:

1) Sending in photos to magazines for publication

2) Working on studio lighting (including: portraits, still life, product, ect..)

I think I am really going to like shooting indoors and staying out of the summer time heat. Now, does this mean that I am going to ignore an off season chase opportunity or miss a gorgeous sunset shoot? No. This just means lighting will be my focus. I encourage all you other photographers to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, challenging, and creative. I have already started. Here are a few examples of some of my newest lighting work.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

Strawberries in Soda...

Oranges in Soda...

Lime in Soda...

On the Rocks...

This is the reflector of an old Nikon flash. I used three flashes for lighting in this. One coming down from the top (for the detail). One on the left with a red gel bouncing off a wall. And one on the right with a blue gel bouncing off a wall.

2010 Chase Stats and Top Ten Storm Photos of 2010...

2010-07-24T22:52:00.001-07:00

2010 was my second year storm chasing. I feel I really accomplished a lot this year. I did several successful chases out on my own, experienced my first tornado, and networked with some storm chasers/photographers. Here are my chasing statistics for 2010.

Enjoy.

-Ben

2010 Chase Stats:

# of Chases: 18
States Chased in: TX, OK
Chase Dates: 1/20, 1/23, 3/8, 3/19, 3/24*, 4/22, 5/9*, 5/10, 5/11*, 5/16, 5/19,
5/31* 6/2, 6/13, 6/24*, 6/27, 7/5, 7/12. (*indicates a bust day)
# of Busts: 5
# of tornadoes: 2 (4/22)
Highest Wind Gust: 65mph RFD (4/22, 5/19)
Largest Hail Size: Golf-ball 1.75in
Most Successful Chase: 4/22
Most Photogenic Chase: 4/22 and 7/12

Season Firsts: 1) My first photogenic tornado. 2) My first time to chase in
Oklahoma. 3) My first time to get cored.

Things I learned: 1) It is very difficult to outrun a supercell that is moving over
65Kts, if you’re not careful you can get caught in the core. 2)
Always check and make sure you have everything. On the
last chase (7/12) I had a blowout just 1½ miles from my
house. I did not even have my spare tire in the trunk!

The Top Ten Storm Photos of 2010

Another year and another season has come and gone. Despite 2010's late start I came back with some great photographs. Narrowing down to the top ten was very difficult. Several factors effect how I chose the top ten. Composition, exposure, storm structure are just a few. But ultimately, it is how I react when I first see the scene. Whichever images best convey my thoughts and emotions I experience, end up as top picks. This year there were 15 and I had to cut 5. This was an unforgettable chase season and I can only hope that 2011 can match the enthusiasm and excitement of 2010. Here's to the '10 chase season and kudos to all the people who helped me grow this year.

#10 Roll Cloud: Jacksboro, TX

This photo was captured after a thunderstorm’s updraft collapsed. I was driving towards Jacksboro when just outside the city limits I see an inflow band-like cloud to my north. As I got closer (and in a more visible area) I noticed that it was a roll cloud. Roll clouds are most often associated with outflow dominant storms. The storm I was chasing collapsed and a roll cloud formed along the cold pool. Although these clouds are completely harmless, there is a foreboding appearance to them.

#9 Ground Scraper: Watonga, OK

I don’t think I have ever seen a wall cloud/meso structure this low to the ground. This was during the High Risk 5/19 chase day in northern OK. A significant severe weather outbreak was expected to happen on this day. Although there were several tornado reports we did not observe any. Chaser convergence on this storm was insane. There had to be at least 100 vehicles on this single storm—most of which belonged to Vortex 2. Instead of hoping to see a one minute view of a rain wrapped tornado we opted to chase the structure instead. This photo is just proof that I don’t need to see a tornado to have a good storm chase.

#8 The Collapse: Crowell, TX

One night I was bored and headed down to Middle Lake in Iowa Park. I wanted to try a “painting with light” technique on some landscapes. A cold front was forecast to move through our area and there was a slight chance of thunderstorms. I noticed some storms pop up on radar to my west, they did not look too impressive, but I thought it might be a good opportunity for lightning photography. I beat the storms to Vernon and head south on 183. The storms were moving east/southeast and I was able to watch this supercell collapse right in front of me. This is one of the last structure shots before the storm died out. Its outflow, however, acted as a catalyst to an approaching thunderstorm. When it latched on to this boundary it became severe. There were reports of it dropping golf-ball sized hail.

#7 TEXAS: Henrietta, TX

This image was captured on 5/10. Supercells were expected to break out once again over northwest TX and Oklahoma. I attempted to intercept a cell near Waurika, OK. The only difficulty with these storms was their motion. Storms moving at 65kts are very difficult to chase. I underestimated how fast they were moving and ended up getting caught in the core trying to outrun them. After that I chose to abandon those storms. On my way back home I can see a few cells pop up on radar, so I go after them. This was captured just outside Henrietta. I was very fortunate to see this symbol from the road and the light couldn’t have been better.

#6 Lightning: Crowell, TX

Lightning has always been a fascinating subject to me. It is completely unpredictable, challenging, and rewarding. While I do enjoy lightning photography, for whatever reason I ended up coming short this year. Its not that I didn’t try, I was just unlucky. I had gone through the entire chase season without any lightning photographs. During the 6/2/10 chase in Crowell, TX I was fortunate enough to capture a daytime lightning photograph. Not only was this captured in beautiful light, but it also had several elements that made the photograph work. A field of hay bales, anti-cyclonic updraft, a perfectly positioned CG strike. This photo is proof that patience is a virtue.

#5 There's A Lava Lamp in the Sky: McLean, TX

The best time of day to photograph is known as the “Golden Hour” This is the time when the sun is low to the horizon and a beautiful golden light is cast across everything in the scene. This is no exception when it comes to storm chasing. The low angle of the sun produces dramatic shadows and textures. This photo is of an updraft base near McLean, TX from the 7/5/10 chase. The sun had just hit the horizon and bathed the base in an incredible red/gold light. It resembles something that would be found in a lava lamp. The whole experience was surreal.

#4 The Beast: Putnam, OK

One of the things I enjoy most about storm chasing is the connection with nature. Being right there and witnessing the power and majesty of these storms, makes me feel so insignificant. This was one of my recent chases (7/12/10) near Putnam, OK. This was an incredible thunderstorm. I was out taking this photograph and I remember hearing a beast-like roar as the storm approached. I was so enthralled by the structure I didn’t notice the advancing core. I stood in awe as the “Beast” swallowed me whole.

#3 Observer: Arapaho, OK

This was from the same day as #4 the 7/12/10 storm. After I got out of the core and I saw this amazing structure. We met up with several other chasers around the area. The man in the photo is storm chaser Brendon Lindsey: http://www.stormaddiction.com. This photo receives the #3 placement because it demonstrates the connection a storm chaser has with nature. You can see Brendon staring intently through his camera’s viewfinder, capturing the beauty of the storm.

#2 White Wall Cloud and White Funnel: Watonga, OK

This is from the same storm as #9 during the 5/19/10 High Risk chase day. We pulled over to shoot this amazing scene. A newly developed mesocyclone formed right in front of us. We watched as the wall cloud slowly tightened up and formed a spectacular white funnel. I still can’t believe it never touched down. That was the closest thing to a tornado we saw the entire day. Shortly after this photo was taken the RFD (rear flank downdraft) destroys the funnel and eventually the wall cloud. It makes me wonder what would have happened if it stayed organized just a little longer.

#1 Rope Out: Goodnight, TX

Here it is! We have come to the last photo on the Top Ten Storm Photos of 2010. It was very difficult to pick all the other’s, but this particular one is the clear winner. The Goodnight, TX tornado was my first real tornado. The tornado was on the ground for 22minutes and best of all it hardly caused any damage. I always hope that if I do experience a tornado, that it is out in a field without any damage to life or property. We were very fortunate to see this tornado through its entire life cycle. The image here is captured during the roping stage. It went from a classic stove pipe to a snake rope out. There is something about this photo that is almost peaceful. The curves of the tree and the road play on the curves of the tornado. S, C, and Z curves have a calming effect on an image. I believe this is why the tornado appears just as fragile as the tree. This is by far my favorite photograph of 2010.

07/12/10 Incredible Chase Day in NW OK!...

2010-07-13T21:21:00.001-07:00

SPC Day 1 Outlook.

Tornado graphic. They retracted the 5%/2% area in northern OK.

Hail graphic.

High wind graphic.

Since I have lost my job with Metro Photo I have been feeling a little down. There is always one thing that can cheer me up--a good storm chase. The 7/12/10 chase was no exception. Ended up in north west OK and intercepted beautiful supercells. Just an incredible chase day!

Thanks for the support!

-Ben

NWS in Norman: Graphicast for forecast area. They retract the slight risk for the lower half of OK and western north TX.

07/12/10:

Severe thunderstorms were expected to break out in northern OK. A stationary front was progged to slowly drift south from KS into northern OK. A combination of 70+ dewpoints and daytime heating yielded high instability (3500 J/kg) making the atmosphere very unstable. HRRR models were showing precipitation breaking out over Cheyenne, OK. That would be my target area. I left Wichita Falls around 2:00 and head west on 287. In Vernon I shifted to the north riding along US highway 283.

On the road for nearly 2 hours and some towers start to show up on radar. I am still 30 miles away from my target.

On my way to Cheyenne, OK. A cu field forming and some towers starting to build.

Storms start to break out around 4:20. I've almost reached my target, but now I need to move NE.

SPC issues a mesocscale discussion for my target area around 4:40pm. "Severe thunderstorm watch possible".

Cumulus towers starting to build. The storm on the right is the storm I want to chase.

Mini LP (low precipitation) structure on this storm.

Heading west on SR 33 I see my storm struggle to organize. I needed to pull over and capture it with the windmill.

The storms were forming a visible mesocyclone, but the velocity scans don't show much rotation.

My storm is look unorganized on radar, and a better cell explodes to my west.

Here is the cell to my east and you can also see the anvil from the cell to my west.

I am now between two supercells in Vici, OK. To my east I see a developing wall cloud. To my west a rain/hail core and developing mesocyclone.

Storm to my east, beautiful wall cloud and tail cloud forming now.

This wall cloud was rotating rapidly and actually produced a small (very short lived) funnel.

The cell to my west catches up to me and I see a very convincing lowering under the wall cloud (which I am currently under in this photo).

This storm is starting to show some rotation.

This lowering had some insane rotation. I believe it was a developing tornado. It is about 200 yards from my location!

This cell is catching up to me and I don't want to be in the core. I find a route that takes me south.

The only problem is there are no routes east until I get down to SR 47.

I pull over to shoot this structure. You can see the main updraft on the left side, the wall cloud in the center with a beaver tail inflow band, the dark core to the left, and the anvil in the upper portion.

At this time radar showed the storm had developed an overshooting top and peaked at 62.5kft!

Hook back up on US 183 and just wait for the storm to approach me.

It appears the storm is trying to split.

North of Putnam, OK. Looks like another inflow band moving into another mesocyclone.

Radar shows four areas with mesocyclones.

Even a few couplets show up in the velocity scans now. This storm was going nuts!

It gets a little more organized and I watch as the storm puts on a show for me.

Awesome structure on this storm!

Close up of the storm's wall cloud. Some serious rising motion with rapid left-right movement.

I was lucky to capture this brief funnel cloud a few seconds later it dissipated.

I really need to get south before I get cored, but I just can't...

I am just too mesmerized by this phenomenal structure! The storm has transitioned to an HP (high precipitation) supercell. Its about this time I meet up with James Langford (http://www.langfordphotography.com/) fellow photographer/storm chaser.

Apparently we weren't the only one. There were several chasers out on this storm. Very high winds were reported about this time. With one report estimated at 80mph. You can see the downburst winds stirring up dust and precip just to the right of the mesocyclone in this picture. Judging by how quickly the dust was approaching I estimated at least 70mph.

We heard from someone there was a radio report of a rain wrapped tornado. There were no confirmed reports on the SPC's reports page.

The best part about this storm, was that it was movoing parallel to 183. We could get as close as we needed and move south the whole time.

Closer up view of the mesocyclone. A small needle funnel spin up out of the cloud. Again, you can see more dust/precip getting stirred up from the downburst.

The storm starts to split. The sun is setting and we don't really want to chase an HP supercell in the dark. This is the mesocyclone to the west.

New mesocyclone form to our NE. We decide to call it a day and head back home.

I head south on 183 to connect into Vernon, then from there back on 287 to Wichita Falls.

I drove nearly 500 miles today, and my tire blows out the last 1.5 miles! LOL! Oh well, that is how it happens. Better than it blowing out while chasing those HP supercells, right?

Wow! Another memorable chase day in OK. A spectacular display of supercells on a marginal set up chase day. It doesn't get much better than that! Summer return to us this week. The NWS has already issued a Heat Advisory until thursday afternoon. For more info on heat safety visit the OUN website.

07/05/10 Chase...

2010-07-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

The SPC severe weather outlook for 07/05/10. A "See Text" indicates a less than 5% probability of severe weather.

Yesterday was an excellent chase day. I targeted Wheeler, TX and drove through to Cheyenne, OK and back to Wheeler, TX again. I was expecting to be the only chaser out today. I met up with a fellow storm chaser, Steve Miller and we chased these cells through OK and the TX panhandle. This chase exceeded my expectations and I came back with a lot of great photographs.

Thanks.

-Ben

07/05/10:

A cold front set up from south west KS to the TX panhandle. The front stalled and fired off scattered thunderstorms. While, there were weak winds aloft (25kts of shear) it was still enough to get some embedded supercells in the line. I targeted Wheeler, TX and around 4:30 I arrived to the target just as thunderstorms were starting to develop.

Tornado Graphic

Severe wind graphic.

While driving up towards Wheeler the SPC issues a mescoscale discussion. "Severe weather watch unlikely".

Heading north on 83 out of Wellington I see a thunderstorm updraft explode to my north.

Storms are firing up along the stalled frontal boundary and I shift my target to the east. I am now heading for Cheyenne, OK.

Still on the way to Cheyenne, but the storm looks like it is trying to hook.

Get a few miles west of Cheyenne and pull over to capture this shelf cloud structure.

The storms are starting to merge into a line.

I was hoping at best we would see a squall line. That is how it appeared for a while.

Quick radar grab. Looks like the storm is trying to back build.

Very interesting scud bomb creeps under the shelf.

The cell on the sw side of the storm looks like it is trying to separate. Maybe it may turn into a "tail-end charlie"!

I decide to head for the storm developing on the south west. Its about this time when I meet up with Steve Miller and I start to chase with him.

Incredible rotation right in front of us.

New wall cloud forming to the NE.

This thing was rotating like crazy!

There was some great motion in this storm, but the cold outflow kept killing it.

The storm keeps back building and we keep moving west.

More insane rotation on this storm.

The wider shot shows some of the storms structure. Very nice inflow moving into this storm. The storm also latches on to an outflow boundary, which helps give it a little more spin.

We get in a good position--right where the hook is forming.

Rapid rotation now and a good rising motion in the wall cloud.

We have to stop because I need to refuel my car. While filling up, Steve notices some rotation in the sky above us.

Velocity scan doesn't really show much rotation.

Turn back to the west where the new updrafts keep forming, but this time we were in for a surprise.

Funnel cloud!

Here's a 100% crop to show the funnel/possible landspout.

Blasting north now. Ran into some beautiful structure, but can't stop to take some photos.

Awesome structure on this storm.

Steve wants to be on the nw side of the storm. This is the best place to observe any landspouts. The only way to get there is to punch through the core!

We punch through and end up on the nw side. We don't see any landspouts...

But how about a nice mesocyclone? Captured from a different angle.

Heading south now...

Radar scan: the storm is starting to isolate itself a little more.

We pull over at a rest area to see if any landspouts form.

The light on this storm was gorgeous. You can see the mesocyclone/updraft on the right side of the photo.

Standing under the rain free base. It looks like a lava lamp in the sky.

The sun sets and the storms start to die. That rain/hail core on the left of the photo is what I have to drive through to get back home.

Though this was a long drive and there were only moderate parameters, it was still well worth it. Captured some beautiful structure and even a funnel cloud. Special thanks to Steve Miller for letting me chase along with him.

The End of an Era...

2010-07-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I have learned some unsettling news. Metro Photo—the store I work at—will be closing its doors on June 30th. Metro Photo has been an established business in Wichita Falls, for over 30 years. Though I have only worked there for three years, Metro Photo has become a large part of my adult life. It was my first step into the business/retail side of photography; it helped me make several personal and professional connections with local photographers, and it also my first full time job. I love sharing my passion for photography and Metro Photo allowed me to utilize my passion through sales, customer service, and photography instruction. I hate to see it close down. This town needs a camera store. There is nothing like it around this area. But due to economic difficulties and competition with online stores we have to close. I would like to say something to our customers—thank you. Thank you for your loyalty, friendliness, and understanding you were the reason I enjoyed working there. I am sure going to miss it.

06/27/10 Chase...

2010-06-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Yup! Went on another storm chase. Big surprise, huh? I chased several pulse thunderstorms today. I started from Wichita Falls and ended up in Jacksboro. These storms were never severe warned and nontornadic, but I still managed to get some great photos and I had a blast chasing them.

Thanks for the support!

-Ben

The SPC Thunderstorm Outlook for 06-27-10. A "see text" indicates a less than 5% probability of severe weather occurring.

SPC Tornado graphic. Nothing around our area.

SPC Hail Graphic. Our thunderstorms were only forecast to have marginally severe hail and gusty winds.

Satellite at 4:55pm. Thunderstorms are starting to develop in front of an advancing cold front. A moderate unstable air mass was in place and an upper level disturbance was moving through our area as well.

I leave Wichita Falls around 5:15 and I head for Henrietta, TX. The storm to my NE looks pretty good. You can see an inflow notch and a strong core.

Velocity scan shows a nice area of rotation.

Echo Tops show these storms are reaching 52.5 kft (52,500) that is almost 10miles high!

The storm starts to look very good now and what appears to be a hook echo is developing.

Shot this out my window while driving. You can see the core of this storm in the center of the image.

I get into position and try to head north, but the cold front catches up to the storms and the cells start to merge.

For some reason the cells break apart again and I have a storm I can chase. The storm takes a southerly path and I need to move south.

On FM 2332 west.

This storm starts to put on a lightning show for me.

I drive a few more miles west and I find this old shed sitting in a field. I thought to myself, "Sure would be nice if some lighting would strike over there."

This storm was pulling in some pretty good inflow and structure wise its not too bad.

The core is catching up to me and I don't want to be in it. I had back east on 2332 and come up to this scene. A dilapidated windmill and the storms' mammatus clouds.

My storm starts to die out and I shift my target farther south. I am heading for Newport.

Velocity scan. This storm is exhibiting some rotation.

I have to pull over and shoot what I see.

Beautiful! I love the triangle shape formed by the hay and the bowing of the shelf/scud/roll cloud--not really sure what that is.

Vertical orientation now. I could have shot this scene all day.

Foiled once again by the cold front!

That cool roll/shelf/scud cloud decays into nothing.

I keep heading south past Newport. Here is another structure shot of the approaching gust front.

Under the ragged base.

I shift my target further south now. Jacksboro is where I would like to be. But the fastest way to get there is to drive through the storm.

Updraft base from the storm north of Jacksboro.

Rain/Hail core of the cell.

I punch through some heavy rain and possibly some pea size hail and the storm dies out.

But at least the show wasn't over. The storm forms a roll cloud. This was taken through the windshield while driving.

While these are perfectly harmless there is still an ominous look to them.

Texas delivers photogenic storms once again! It even looks like there could be some tomorrow and tomorrow night. Unfortunately I will be working, but if I might chase after work.

NWS Graphicast for tomorrow 06/28/10.

RRPC Field Trip: Medicine Mound Community...

2010-06-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday, I went with the Red River Photography Club on a field trip to the Medicine Mound Community in Hardeman county. In 1854 area land was deeded to a railroad company, settlers arrived in the 1870'. The town did later relocate 2.5 miles north in 1908 when the Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient railway was built. Medicine Mound was fully established in 1911. At its peak the town had 22 businesses and a population of 500. Unfortunately, the Great Depression and a devastating fire in 1933 contributed to the demise of Medicine Mound. The fire destroyed almost all of the town site and the last business closed in 1966. Medicine Mound is now a museum and a historic Texas landmark.

I hope you enjoy.

-Ben

The Medicine Mound gas station.

This building was a photographer's treat!

Gas pump

Closer up to reveal some of the parts.

The historical "Hicks and Cobb General Merchandise Store". Originally opened in 1927. The 1933 fire destroyed the store and they rebuilt using granite cobble stones from Oklahoma.

This sign marks the location of the Medicine Mound Drug Store. All that is left is a slab of concrete.

Blue Mailbox...

This really was an incredible place. I love the vibrant blue mailbox up against the red of the cobblestone.

Buildings aren't the only thing to shoot around here. An abundance of these colorful grasshoppers live around this area.

I was fortunate to get a cooperative subject. Just wish I had a macro lens.

Ghosts?! In the Medicine Mound ghost town?! Nope. Just me playing with long exposure.

Can you see the "ghost" in this image? Look in the window and then towards the far right side of the photo.

More long exposure...

I had to do some long exposure with this.

Not sure what this structure was, but I did like how it aligned with the cacti in the foreground.

Sunset over the Medicine Mounds. The Medicine Mounds were settled by Kiowa and Comanche Indians. Legend has it they have magical healing powers.

What a wonderful place! I am already planning another trip, now I have just got to remember how to get back there!

06/13/10 Chase...

2010-06-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

SPC Day 1 Outlook. SLIGHT risk over the TX and OK panhandles, north western OK, and the majority of KS.

06/13/10:

With the closing of the "official" chase season creeping up on us, I start to get a little desperate. I was originally targeting the TX/OK panhandles. but got suckered in along the dryline bulge in western, TX. I still managed to get some decent photos, however.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

SPC tornado graphic. Note the 5% area over my original target.

SPC Hail graphic.

SPC High Wind graphic.

Right before I head out for the chase the SPC issues a mesoscale discussion. You can see the upper level trough, the residual outflow from earlier convection, and the dryline this makes up the triple point.

They replace the MCD with a tornado watch.

While out driving to my target area, a severe thunderstorm explodes over Dickens county. Intriguing! I get suckered in to shift my target to Paducah, TX.

On my way to Paducah! This storm had trouble staying organized.

Starts to look a little better now...

And I can see a little structure.

Driving right under the anvil here. You can start to see a little more structure and a base.

Almost there...

Spoke too soon! I reach a road block. The quickest route west and the bridge is out! The Paducah fire department was reporting penny size hail at this point.

Luckily there was a detour and these storm were only moving at 12kts. The detour takes me about 10min out of the way.

Finally reach Paducah. Now the storm is a multi cell mess that is trying to split. You can see a nice core here, though.

The storm starts to split, which was pretty cool to witness.

Velocity scans show a broad area of weak rotation.

The Core!

A wider shot to include some structure.

The northern cell starts to produce some serious precip. Nice rain "foot" on the leading edge.

This storm put on an awesome CG show while I was trying to set up my camera. By the time I got it all ready it stopped the CG barrage. But it still had a few strikes left.

100% crop of the previous frame. There was a tree that was struck less than a mile from my location. You can see the bolt goes behind the hill.

The storm has turned outflow dominant...

And merges into a line

I decide to bail on the storm and head back home.

On the way back. I had to grab this shot of the sprinkler system.

I probably should have payed more attention. The OFB (outflow boundary) extends down through the TX panhandle and the storm starts to reorganize.

Back in pursuit! This cell starts to look better.

Storm starts to split again.

I settle for the southern split and it starts to drop some precip. This was taken in Odell.

This was cool seeing the outflow winds stir up some dust in the field less than a mile away.

Wider shot.

The storm goes linear again and is moving into OK.

Head back home another cell pops up on the OFB. The sun is starting to set and the storms will die out pretty quickly.

I decide to watch the storm from a gas station near Vernon, TX. Not a bad way to end the day.

Storm reports for 06/13/10. There were only 7 tornado reports in the TX/OK panhandles.

Maybe the High pressure ridge will break down and we will have a few severe storms by the end of the month. Only time will tell.

06/02/10 Chase...

2010-06-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Severe thunderstorms form along a weak cold front extending down into north western, TX.

A cold front was forecast to make its way through our forecast area. The NWS and SPC issued a slight risk for portions of western north, TX. Moderate instability and lift associated with the weakening cold front spawned off a few isolated severe thunderstorms. I was at work until 6:00 on Wednesday. Although I wasn't expecting much from this chase (maybe a few CG lightning strikes) I was pleasantly surprised. A nice structured severe thunderstorm moved through Crowell, TX and I was able to capture some of its beauty. Here is the report.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

06/02/10:

I manage to leave Wichita Falls around 6:15 and I blast north to Vernon, TX. On my way there I can already see some mature thunderstorms from my location.

Under the anvil of a severe thunderstorm in Guthrie, TX. These storms were moving at on 10kts.

Radar image showing the thunderstorms in Foard co. My GPS signal is the dot in a circle. I'm still pretty far off.

On the way up there I notice what appears to be inflow bands moving into this storm.

This storm didn't look too impressive on radar. I finally reach my target area and I am pleasantly surprised.

A nice photogenic storm! Not to mention, it was near a field with bales of hay.

Structure, hay bales, and a CG lightning barrage. Not too bad.

The storm started to get a lowering on it. While it wasn't rotating there was some definite rising motion.

Radar scan.

Velocity scan. Not much rotation in this storm.

I love picturesque scenes like this. This photo just screams "Texas"!

Very nice structure on this storm. Looks like another lowering struggling in the precip core.

Closer look, nice lowering with rapid left to right movement.

I used a little wider angle to accompany the wall cloud with the "stacked plates" structure in the frame.

Got to love those Texas storms!

CG strike out of the middle levels of the storm.

Most of the time the cold front will undercut the warm, moist, unstable air choking the thunderstorm. Unfortunately that is what happened.

Radar shows the storm starting to bow out, a sign of an outflow dominant storm.

Wide angle structure shot. This storm is very outflowish and I can feel cold air at this point.

It quickly becomes unorganized after sunset, but I am still left with some mamatamus clouds and another lightning strike.

Another excellent thunderstorm. But this looks like the last chase for a while. All of the storms look like they will be in the north. And it also looks like summer is coming earlier this year. High temperatures towards the end of the week are expected to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit (105 heat index)! You can see more info by visiting this link.

5/19/10 Chase...

2010-05-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hazardous Weather Outlook (5/19) from Norman, OK. Another "High Risk" for OK.

Another successful chase day! This time we were in northwestern OK. We chased some cells from Watonga to Guthrie. Saw some beautiful structure, a few funnel clouds, and even some storm chasing celebrities. Read the whole report below.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

SPC Day 1 Convective outlook

SPC Day 1 hail graphic

SPC Day 1 Tornado graphic

SPC Day 1 Wind graphic

5/19/10:

Oklahoma has had it fair share of severe weather this year. Dozens of tornado reports, an incredible hail storm, and flash flooding. They did have a late start to the season, but it sure made up for it. Jason Brock and I chased up in northwestern OK. Our original target was Altus, OK just ahead of the dryline bulge, but we shifted to Fredrick, OK. I left work around 1:00pm and met up with Jason in Iowa Park. We left Iowa Park around 1:20. A cu field was surrounding us and several towers struggled to break the cap. We drove through to Fredrick, OK and decided to move north. Altus was out and now we were targeting Clinton, OK. The satellite showed some towers in Roger Mills co struggling to develop. Our hope was that something was going to form on our way up there. Unfortunately, nothing did. About 30miles south of Clinton the storms finally break the cap and start to explode. The storms started to head to Taloga, OK. By the time we reach Clinton a tornado warning is issued for the storm and a tornado reported a few moments later.

Cells finally fire up in Roger Mills Co.

Right before the tornado warning was issued.

A view from Clinton, OK. The storm looks very healthy with a nice backsheared anvil and a base with visible wall cloud (blocked by the trees).

Tornado Warning and report issued. Time to head NE, Watonga here we come!

Outside of Watonga, OK we start to see an amazing inflow band. (The mountain-like, low clouds in the background). No time to stop and take photos, we've got to get there.
Vortex 2 was out on these storms.

Radar scan before we reach Watonga.

We have an opportunity to stop and take some stills and video. This is the inflow band that was going into the mesocyclone.

Wider view of the inflow.

On our way to Watonga a new meso starts to develop.

Radar scan. Storm is showing a nice inflow notch and hook echo.

Velocity scan reveal a strong couplet, this storm was about to go nuts!

We had to stop to capture this wall cloud/meso structure.

Closer up using my 50mm lens.

A new area of rotation starts to move our way.

Interesting structure, possible funnel cloud there. We decide to move and get closer to the storm.

Radar Scan. Beautiful supercell to our NE.

Close enough for ya? Rapidly rotating wall cloud.

Quick velocity scan. Nice strong rotation.

The wall cloud dies out, but we are still greeted with some nice structure.

These horses didn't seem to be worried.

3 image panoramic with my 10mm lens. Excellent structure on this storm. New meso forming right in front of us.

I walked through a foot of mud to get close enough to these hay bales.

It was worth it! We have to get moving now.

Driving back We spot another possible funnel coming out of one of the lowering.

Radar scan shows a hook echo, but it is occluding itself. Shortly after we pull over to shoot another amazing sight.

White wall cloud and a white funnel! Amazing!

This storm was going crazy! I can't believe it did not produce here.

Radar with nice hook echo.

Velocity scans with a strong couplet.

The RFD (Rear Flank Downdraft) catches up to the storm and blows out the funnel.

And soon after, the wall cloud....

Another radar scan. We've got to keep moving east.

Amazing wall cloud and some scary rotation right above us! Too bad there were some many chasers on this storm. We get stuck in traffic behind a parade of lights, attenas, and tornado bumper stickers.

Our position isn't the best, but we were still able to see some structure.

The couplet is just behind us.

Rotating lowering and another possible funnel.

Traffic is really bad now. This storm is starting to turn HP (high precipitation). These storms are particularly dangerous to chase. Heavy rain block visibility and tornadoes become wrapped in rain making them nearly impossible to see.

Heavy rain! Extremely low visibilities here in addition, we also got some strong wind gusts. There were reports of a rain wrapped tornado at this time.

The TIV brakes for no man! Discovery Channel's: Sean Casey and his Tornado Intercept Vehicle pass us on SR 33.

With the insane traffic and precipitation we decide to get off the main highway and we go south and get out of the way. The storm was moving towards Guthrie, OK it still had a warning, but it started to weaken.

A cell to the west of the blows up and forms a decent wall cloud. Unfortunately the eastern storm sucks it right up.

Wider shot here. You can see a whales mouth structure above us. This is usually the sign of outflow dominant storms.

Yep, this storm has dropped in intensity. Cold outflow starts to hit us.

Shortly after, we decide to bail. Its a long drive home and the storms are moving in to unfavorable road networks. Another excellent chase day.

Painting with Light and an Unexpected Chase...

2010-05-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, severe thunderstorms formed a long an advancing cold front that moved through central OK. These storms (some tornadic) produced all kinds of severe weather. There was 4.25" hail, wind gusts exceeding 70mph, and heavy precipitation. These storms left several outflow boundaries and as the cold front continued to push south thunderstorms formed and latched on these boundaries. A few supercells were spawned and I ended up on a night chase near Lake Kemp, TX.

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

Using my LED flashlight I was able to illuminate the foreground any way I wanted. This technique is known as "painting with light". Some of the first convection that moved through the area.

Underside of the anvil and stars in the background.

The storm starts to really get organized. At this point it was reported to be dropping golf ball-size hail.

I beat the storm to Vernon (barely) and head south to get in better position for structure. This is the cell. You can see the updraft base/developing wall cloud in the lower left, a nice healthy core to the right, and helical striations above.

Quick radar image. These storms were moving in a SE direction.

That developing wall cloud had me intrigued, so I check the velocity scans. It shows a broad area of weak rotation.

A few minutes later and the structure starts to look better. Nice lowering with left to right movement.

Something makes this storm die out and it starts to look less impressive on radar.

But it has some killer structure! Dissipating wall cloud in the lower left.

This storm dies out, but there is a beast of a supercell that has attached itself to an outflow boundary and is heading my way.

One more quick structure shot from the dying thunderstorm.

Supercell with a hook echo moving my way.

Beautiful structure on this cell too! Nice lowering near the bottom with persistent rotation.

A little wider shot. Mesocyclone is visible now.

The storm rides the boundary as long as it can. The cold front catches up to it and the storm starts to become more linear, forming a bow structure.

Looking back NW here is the bow echo and struggling wall cloud.

I head back home to Wichita Falls, the storm is looking sloppy and unorganized. For a moment there, the storms head some serious rotation and potential. I'm not complaining though. There is always another day. Take Tuesday and Wednesday for example, another strong upper level storm system is expected to make its way through OK and western north TX. Looks like some really nice chase days in the week to come.

SPC Probability for severe weather event for Tuesdsay May 18th

SPC Probability for severe weather event for Wednesday May 19th.

05/10/10 Chase...

2010-05-11T20:59:00.001-07:00

SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook
SPC Probabilistic tornado graphic

SPC Probabilistic hail graphic

SPC Probabilistic wind graphic

NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook

May 10, 2010:

There was a "High Risk" for severe weather on Monday. The SPC was warning everyone of a tornado outbreak. While most chasers went after the triple point in KS. I stayed back and waited for the dryline to advance. My target area was Waurika, OK. 70 degrees sfc dewpoints and strong daytime heating created an extremely unstable situation for southern OK and western north TX.

RUC Model showing a serious amount of instability over southern and central OK.

SPC Supercell Composite

SPC Significant Tornado Composite

Sadly there were 5 fatalities during this event. My deepest condolences to the families who have suffered. For more information about this outbreak see this link.

Here is the chase report.

Thanks for the support.

-Ben

Mesoscale discussion issued for my target area.

Tornado watch issued for OK.

First signs of instability! Towers trying to get together.

Several of these towers struggled and got blown apart from the strong winds aloft.

This cell started to get together and begins to explode.

Quick radar scan. The cell is starting to look better on the radar.

Here we go! This cell starts to anvil out. These storms were moving over 50kts!

Another radar scan, looks like the storm is trying to split.

I am located too far north to get into position. This comes back to bite me later.

This is the end of the storm's anvil. Lots of air moving through this storm.

The cell starts to split and I decide to try to outrun it. Oops...

Heading south trying not to get caught in the core. Looks at the sharp edges of the anvil. This storm was going nuts!

I pulled over to take this shot (which in retrospect was kinda stupid). I start to head south, but its a little too late.

Uh oh! Looks like I gonna get caught in the core! I pull over in a store and wait for the core to pass.

At this point the storm starts to drop hail. They ranged from pea to golf ball sized. Its a good thing I stopped where I did. During this time there were reports of tennis ball sized hail a few miles south!

Here's a pretty good sized hail stone about 1.5" in diameter.

Updraft and flanking line passes over my location.

Remnants of the wall cloud from this storm. There were reports of a waterspout tornado over Lake Waurika.

I try to catch this cell, but the one to the south looks pretty good too.

While driving I saw a very convincing scud (lower left) cloud that actually rotated like a little vortex. Hmm...

Structure from the southern cell. I can not chase this storm. It starts to move over 55mph! Its too fast to chase.

I decide to turn back and head home. I got a few decent shots and got hailed on. So it wasn't all bad. On my way back I see a cell pop up just ahead of the dryline. Maybe an opportunity for some lightning photography?

This storm is obviously weakening, but it still had some aesthetic qualities that made it a good subject.

Another capture, but with a windmill just outside of Henrietta, TX.

Towers start to build ahead of the dryline.

This storm eventually blows itself out and I decide that is all. Or, so I thought...

Another cell building and this one looks better.

I had to stop and take some photos of these towers forming near the dryline.

One of the towers blows up into a severe thunderstorm that takes on the same speed and direction as the other storms. Not chase worthy.

My cell starts to build and I stop to take these photos.

Afterwards, I decide that it is time to head back home. All in all not too bad of a chase. Just wish the storms weren't moving so fast!

Texas Wildflowers, Elevated Thunderstorms, and Potential Chase Day...

2010-05-08T21:48:00.001-07:00

I have been really busy this past week and haven't had much time to update the blog. Now I that I have some free time I thought I would let y'all see some of my recent work. Last Sunday I went with Tara to photograph some of the local Texas wildflowers. It was a beautiful clear sky with a pleasant breeze from the south. Unfortunately this isn't the best conditions for shooting macro. Despite these inconveniences I think we still managed to get some nice captures. I returned to a few spots today when the conditions were a little more favorable (overcast sky with less wind). However, my shoot was cut short when an isolated shower rolled through. I of course immediately changed my focus to shooting this developing thunderstorm which dissipated shortly after sunset. All in all not a bad day for shooting.

I would also like to note that we have a potential chase day coming up very soon. Monday looks like a very nice setup. Instability, shear, and moisture all look good. Haven't quite narrowed down a target yet, but I may not be able to chase on Monday because of work. Anyways, according to the NWS this system is the mark of the change in the upper level pattern--a change that should have happened over a month ago!

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Thanks.

-Ben

A small cluster of Fleabane shot against a patch of bluebonnets from last Sunday.

Bluebonnets

Have you ever seen a pinkbonnet? Apparently they are rare.

Backlit Goldenrod

At the Highland Cemetery in Iowa Park

White Primrose in the nice overcast light.

There are dozens of these Pink Primrose patches all across Iowa Park.

Its about this point where I get rained out. I drive down to middle lake to watch this elevated storm come through.

Isolated thunderstorm off in Electra, TX.

The movement of this storm was NE. I was in the perfect place for some lightning photography. This storm just didn't want to produce any lightning *sigh*.

I loved this tree! It was textured, interesting, and it made a great curvature leading out to the storm.

That was all for that day. Maybe I will have more interesting storm photos to post later this week.

05/10/10:

NWS graphicast and SPC Day 2 Convective outlooks.

Monday should be interesting. A small, but strong upper level storm system will move through the southern plains Monday afternoon. A warm front will lift north through OK into KS and a dryline will become established from western KS to western TX. These boundaries (as well as any outflow boundaries that may form from early convection Monday morning) will be the focus for thunderstorm development. Moisture is going to be sufficient with forecast DP's in the upper 60's. Shear is very strong and will support supercell thunderstorms. The only thing that could be a problem in the CINH. A strong cap is going to be over much of the area. This will limit thunderstorm development. However I believe that convergence along the dryline, CAPE values reaching 3000 J/kg, and the forcing of the trough should overcome the cap. Any storms that do form will likely be severe. There is also another chance for severe weather on Wednesday.

04/22/10 Chase...

2010-04-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

NWS in Norman, OK graphicast for 4/22/10. Moderate risk for severe thunderstorms.

April 22, 2010 will be a date that I will always remember. This was my first time to actually see and experience a photogenic tornado. I have to say it was exhilarating! Here's how the chase went.

SPC Day 1 Outlook

SPC Tornado graphic

SPC Hail graphic

SPC Wind graphic

SPC issues a mesoscale discussion for the TX panhandle. Tornado watch likely.

We left Iowa Park around 1:30 and reached our base city (Childress, TX) around 2:45. On the way up there we saw several little rain showers and extensive cloud cover over the target area. The "crapvection" finally moved off to the east allowing the sun to break through. It didn't take it long before towers started to build. At about 3:30 we start to see storms pop up on radar and we shifted our target area to Clarendon, TX.

Thunderstorms starting to show up on radar. Our GPS signal is the dot in the circle.

As we leave for Clarendon the cells start to intensify. Halfway there we stop at Memphis to refuel (because its always a good idea to fuel up before you start chasing).

Hmm... That southern cell is looking better now.

BAM! The cell explodes and starts to go crazy. We decide now is that time to move. Luckily these cells were only moving north at about 17kts.

I took this out the windshield you can see the storm has a nice anvil. Next stop Clarendon!

We reach Clarendon and the storm starts to look better. But it looks like it may be splitting, maybe we should watch that?

This is the base of the northern cell. There's a developing wall cloud there too.

A look over my shoulder to the cell on the south. Hmm...That looks like a wall cloud and even a funnel.

Structure from the northern cell.
Now structure from the southern cell.

Hook echo on the northern cell and the southern cell starts to explode. We cannot chase this storm there are no routes north.

Northern cell now has a tornado warning. The southern cell is starting to hook as well.

Possible tornado on the ground from the northern cell.

Look at the inflow bands! (northern cell)

Structure from the southern cell.

Nice structure from the southern storm. We decide to go after this one instead.

Updraft

The storm starts to produce a funnel cloud that transitions into a cone.

Its on the ground now! Tornado on the ground!

This was a very photogenic storm. You can see the precip core in the right, the wall cloud/updraft base in the center, and the tornado.

Violent rotation now. Thank God its only over an empty field.

This was taken with my 500mm from a little less than 1 mile away.

Just a beautiful tornado and storm!

A radar image after the tornado passes through Goodnight, TX.

We did not have any Internet or satellite signal so there are no reflectivity or velocity scans. The storm takes the same path and heads mainly north. We decide to dump this one and head down towards Quanah where a tornadic HP supercell was expected to cross.

We get down to Paducah, TX but the storm is wrapped in sheets of rain. We did not have any visibility and there were reports of a rain wrapped wedge tornado. We decide to just head home.

What a day! A beautiful supercell, photogenic tornado and some awesome images! I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Thursday.

Check out Jason Brock's awesome timelapse of the tornado at http://www.holytornado.com

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

How To: Lightning Photography...

2010-03-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

I recently revised my article "How To: Lightning Photography". Some minor changes have been made and I go more in depth with the camera settings. The storm season is upon us. If you are willing to try to photograph lightning this might help you.

http://www.bdjphoto.com/pages/how_to_lightning_photography.htm

On a different note, it looks like I will be chasing on Friday. The forecast models continue to show what appears to be the best "chase day" scenario for Friday, April 2nd. Its still a little far off, so I have not narrowed down a target area yet. Check back for updates.

As always, Thank you for the support.

-Ben

03/19/10, OK: The First REAL Chase of 2010!...

2010-03-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

The SPC Severe weather outlook. A "See Text" usually means a less than 5% probability of severe weather.

A strong storm system was going to make its way through our forecast area and bring with it a chance for thunderstorms. The NWS was calling for a winter storm to move through the next day. A potent cold front was the trigger for thunderstorm development. The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) was not saying much as far as a severe weather episode, but despite MUCAPE values of 500 J/kg, and weak moisture return 50 DPs. There was still an isolated supercell or two. I left work around 6:00pm and headed for Waurika, OK where some cumulus towers were beginning to build. Its a good thing I went because I intercepted a photogenic supercell just outside of Comanche, OK. The velocity scans only showed a broad area of rotation, however I was able to photograph a nice mesocyclone and rotating wall cloud. I saw a few funnels while driving and unfortunately was unable to photograph them.

Thanks for the support!

-Ben

Radar at 6:15pm leaving Wichita Falls and heading north towards Waurika. You can already see some cells popping up on the Red River. The northern cell is the one I end up chasing.

On my way to the target area, you can see the storm start to develop to my NW.

I lost my GPS signal so I drew in my approximate location (yellow circle). On radar the storm doesn't look to impressive.

The storm starts to look a little better on radar and I can see a decent base now.

A base! This storm was starting to look better after all.

Still a little far off, but its nice to see some noticeable structure. You can see the main updraft base over the tree and a beaver tail-like inflow band coming in from the right.

Hmm...Is that a lowering in the base? Scud? Lets take a closer look.

Yep, that is definitely a lowering with rising motion.

A quick radar scan. Does that storm look like its trying to hook? I do believe so.

Velocity scans show an area of weak broad rotation.

I don't think this qualifies as a wall cloud, but it is very close. Starting to see a little structure now.

This storm is trying to do something, but it just can't seem to get it together.

I had to find a spot to pull over to photograph this. There is the main base/mesocyclone around the center of the frame.

The old mesocyclone occludes and is cut off from the unstable air. And a new one forms (lower left).

Structure! The new meso starts to rotate rapidly. Now a rotating wall cloud is visible.

Beautiful! Great structure and wall cloud. The light is fading pretty quickly and I don't have much time left.

This storm starts to occlude (again) and the wall cloud tightens up and forms a very convincing funnel. Which I am unable to capture because I was driving.

Cold front catches up and all the storms start to form into a line.

This is the last of the structure. Mesocyclone and beaver tail. After I take this photo the storm turns into a squall line.

Not to shabby for my first chase of 2010. Special thanks to Jason Brock for nowcasting.

Field Trip to Fredrick, OK and Hackberry Flats...

2010-03-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

Members of the Red River Photography Club photographing an old shed outside of Fredrick, OK.

This past Saturday I went with the Red River Photography Club to Hackberry Flats to photograph migrating birds. We left around 7:45 am and did not return until 5:30 that evening. Other than nearly getting lost, it was a great trip. I can't wait for the next field trip

Here are some of the captures.

Thanks.

-Ben

A pair of Red Wing Blackbirds.

Lesser Yellow Legs searching the ravine for food.

Incoming Swainson's Hawk!

He banked into some better light and I was able to capture him flying in front of us.

A Vesper Sparrow flies into the grass right in front of us. *Thanks to the Hackberry Flats Information Center staff for help on the identification*

The very cooperative Vesper Sparrow decides to hang around longer and pose for us.

After this photo this little sparrow decided we had photographed him enough.

Great Blue Heron.

After the Hackberry Flats trip we went into Fredrick, OK for lunch and on our way back we stopped at a few old houses to photograph them.

#1: Rusty blades from a field plow resting in the front yard of an abandoned home.

#2: An old barn sitting in an empty field

Close up of the shed's rust. Nice texture.

This is looking through a hole in the wall. The light hit this just right to create these great shadows.

A wider shot of the shed and a small weed that popped out of the field.

#3: Another old structure. This was a barn at the Primitive Camping area in the Hackberry Flats Wildlife Management Area.

I love the colors of the rust on these nails.

This shot actually looks a little spooky

This nail has a lot of texture and the curves of the nail is what inspired me to take this shot.

#4: This was outside of US 70. Even though the sign says "No Trespassing" it didn't stop the Red River Photography Club.

After the old barn/houses shoot we drove back home, but there was one other place we had to stop.

What? Camels in Western North, TX? Yep, there is a small group outside on US 287 S. And of course we had to stop and take some photos.

A member of the RRPC gets a nice close up of a very friendly camel.

One of the camels came very close to me and I captured this with my 17-50mm lens.

Now that is a sneer!

All in all an excellent field trip. Next month we are planning to make a trip to the Wichita Mountains.

03/08/10 Local Chase...

2010-03-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

A severe thunderstorm bows out as it reaches Wichita Co.

With the official start of the chase season just around the corner, I am getting a little anxious and impatient. But luckily I was able to get my storm chasing fix. A strong storm system took shape over AZ and brought storms/precipitation to OK and Northern, TX. We had great wind/shear profiles and decent moisture return, but we lacked instability. Clouds covered the sky through most of the morning. The models were only forecasting CAPE values of 500-750 J/kg. However, a small narrow strip of sunshine raised the surface instability value up to 1200 J/kg. Now that is more like it! A line of storms began to form along this axis, stretching from Vernon, TX down to Abeline, TX. These storms moved into our area and the moment I got off for lunch I went out to chase. I ended up chasing a bow structure from Wichita Falls to Henrietta. I would have kept on going, but I had to return to work. It was nice to be out chasing again. I can't wait for this season! (Looks like I need another fix!)

Thanks.

-Ben

The SPC day 1 Thunderstorm Outlook. "SLGT" indicates a slight risk of severe thunderstorms.

Mesoscale Discussion issued for our area. *Note the instability axis in the west*

Storms begin to form and start to move to the NE at 45mph.

Bow echo moving towards Metro Photo (My GPS signal is the dot)

The chase is on! Looking outside of Metro Photo this is the view of the gustfront. Look at that nice dark core in the background.

Ominous Enough for you? Right after this photo I got soaked in sheets of heavy rain. This storm is moving so fast that I can only chase the tail end of the gustfront.

I catch up on my way to Henrietta and get caught in the core again. This time it dropped heavier rain and a few stones of pea sized hail. The winds were also pretty strong with a max gust of 48mph.

Unfortunately, I had return back to work but before I walked in I was greeted with this scene of mammatus clouds.

If only I had the day off. Later on that day a low topped supercell formed over Western OK and dropped and EF-2 tornado in Hammon, OK. Looking forward to the new season.

See You There...

2010-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Wichita Falls Home and Garden show is this weekend, Feb 27th-28th. Over 200 vendors will be attending this year. I will be selling prints, talking to people and doing my best not to embarrass myself. Should be lots of fun! If your going, stop by and see me.

Find out more about the Home and Garden Show here.

Thanks.

-Ben

2/11/10 Winter Storm...

2010-02-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

My "Storm Chaser" sticker was buried under

3 inches of ice/snow on my car this morning.

Another winter storm came through North TX and southern OK today. While it wasn't as bad as some of the other places in the US (Virginia with 24in!)it was still significant for our area. We had freezing to near freezing temperatures the whole day and we ended up with 6.25" of snow in Wichita Falls. Here are some of the captures.

Enjoy!

-Ben

Norman NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook for

Wichita Falls. Note how we are right on the edge of the 8" line.

NWS issues a Winter Storm Warning for most of Northern, TX and Southern, OK

Mesoscale Discussion issued for northern, TX. You can see the freezing line (32 degrees isotherm) is resting just to the south of Wichita Co.

This radar grab shows bands of snow. It was taken at 8:45 on my way to work.

Some snow in my front yard, taken right before I head off for work.

Now I am at work and we are slow, so I decide to go out and take more pictures of this winter weather. This is a landscaping business by our store.

After work I decide to see what Middle Lake looks like. This light was fading fast and I was not able to stay longer.

A nice frosty patch of snow that hasn't been touched!

Preliminary snowfall reports as of 9 pm. Wichita Falls get 6.25" and Clay Co received 7"!

1/28/10: Winter Storm Heading our Way?...

2010-01-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

A winter storm system is moving its way to western north Texas and most of Oklahoma. The recent model runs are forecasting almost 10in for the Wichita Falls area! Here is the NWS winter weather watch and a quick briefing of the situation. If this could pan out it has the potential for record breaking snowfall amounts. Not to mention, very hazardous driving conditions on Thursday. Time to stock up on firewood and break out the wassail!

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/media/oun/player.html

Just Itching for a Chase...

2010-01-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

A radar grab from a supercell thunderstorm near Canton, TX.

You can see an impressive hook echo and a healthy core on this storm.

These past few weeks the US has seen some crazy weather situations. From blizzard conditions in the north to tornadoes in California and SE Texas, the effect of El Niño has been seen throughout the country. Of course none of this is happening towards the area I live in. However, we have been seeing some local thunderstorm activity. While it is probably not anything chase worthy, it is always nice to practice. Here are two recent “chases” from this week. Hopefully the actual season will start up soon.

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

A weak cold front arrived to the Texas panhandle around sunset and spawned off this little cell.

Not an impressive looking storm, but tall enough to where it might produce some lightning.

Radar image of this little storm.

The storm dies out and I head back home. But more storms are brewing in Hardeman and Childress counties. As the cold front advances more storms pop up on radar and I decide to get a few lightning shots.

Later that night the storms make their way toward Wichita county. *My GPS signal is that little circle with the dot in the center*

This photo was taken close to the previous radar image. This was looking west as the storm moves toward Iowa Park.

The storm is closer now and I can see the edge of the shelf cloud. It moves NE out of my path.

Shelf Cloud

Just to my NE now and I am just to the south of the updraft region.

Under the main updraft region.

All in all, not to shabby for my first "chase" 2010.

1/23:

Another day of "chasing". This time however, there was actually some instability. The day started out cloudy and drizzly. We were issued a slight risk for severe weather, but all the cloud cover limited thunderstorm development until later in the afternoon. This was another local chase.

Mesoscale Discussion issued for my target area

Isolated showers and virga in Iowa Park.

Radar grab you can see the storms to the south.

On my way south towards Archer City, TX. These are two cells that were heading my way.

Between Archer City and Wichita Falls at this time. Note how a storm SW of Wichita Falls pops up on radar.

This storm is still pretty far away and the Wichita Falls storm is intensifying. I dump this storm and head back to Wichita Falls. Which was a mistake this storm later dropped quarter sized hail in Graham, TX where it reached better moisture.

I get back on the Wichita Falls storm and get caught on 287 in the storms core.

Driving on 287 N and heading right into the core of this storm. You can see the rain shaft in the left portion of the photo.

Right in the core now. Heavy rain and pea-sized hail lasted for a few minutes. Not to mention lots of CG lightning, which I am unable to photograph.

Satellite and Radar image during the "core punch".

I get out of the Wichita storm and head back to Iowa Park. I stop at the Country Chapel and wait for the sun to come out. I had a feeling there would be a pretty spectacular rainbow.

No lightning photos at all, but I still wouldn't call it a bust. I've got the adrenaline, the desire, and I've got (some) knowledge. All I need now is the storms.

Winter Weather...

2010-01-09T22:37:00.001-08:00

Our winter season has been very interesting so far. We had near blizzard conditions during Christmas Eve and we experienced Arctic weather this past week. In fact, according to the NWS the only other time it was this cold was back in 2005! Normal season temperatures are returning on Sunday, so I will be getting out to shoot some wildlife. 2010 looks like it could be a very nice year. Here are some captures of the snow and ice here we experienced in Iowa Park.

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

A very large icicle hangs from the roof. It fell shortly after I took this photo.

I used my cross screen filter for this photo.

My shadow and I out on Christmas morning taking

pictures of the snow.

My cousin Audra takes advantage of the snow

and constructs a "Snow Swan".

Ice at Middle Lake.

The whole lake was under a sheet of ice.

The blustery wind gusts and below freezing temperatures

created these very photogenic ice formations.

Merry Christmas (Eve) and Blizzard Warning....

2009-12-24T14:08:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! What a Christmas Eve this has been.

Our Christmas Tree

I woke up this morning and saw all the snow we accumulated overnight. It was impossible to drive in these conditions. I called in to work and pulled out the camera. NOAA and the SPC issued a blizzard warning around 10:30. Snow fall rates were close to 1" per hour. Here are some of the captures.

This was taken at 10:00 am.

Nathan trowing a snowball at me...

Eddi's First Snow

Eddi in some deep snow!

Nathan to the rescue!

This one was taken at 2:30

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Ben Jacobi

TPS Photo Exhibit...

2009-12-15T19:32:00.001-08:00

A few a months ago I entered in the Texas Photographers Society's "Our Amarillo" photo competition. Today I received an email stating that I was one of the 22 photographers accepted to the gallery exhibition. The show is supposed to be around the beginning of next year. I will be updating as more information becomes available.

You can see a slide show of the accepted entries here: http://www.texasphoto.org/WebGalleries/OurTownAmarillo/index.html

Thanks for the support!

-Ben

Gustfront, Memphis, TX

Storm on the Plains, Memphis, TX

Go Vote...

2009-12-04T22:59:00.001-08:00

I have just entered in The Weather Channel's Capture the Fall Photo Competition. You can vote for my photos in the "Peoples Choice" section. Then just type in my name (Ben Jacobi) in the search box.

Thanks for the support!

-Ben

http://www.weatherphotocontest.com/

11/23/09 Dense Fog....

2009-11-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

This morning much of Oklahoma and western north Texas was under a dense fog advisory. I was up a little earlier than usual and I went out to photograph the heavy fog. Here are some of the captures.

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

This water tower is no more than 500 feet from our house. You can barely identify the tower in the thick fog. Visibilities were less than 1/4th of a mile!

Heavy fog down at Gordon Lake.

Workers from the city on the "island" at Gordon Lake.

I call this my "Iwo Jima" shot.

This stand has got Christmas lights on it. The city is getting ready for Christmas.

From the opposite side of the lake now...

More fog at Gordon Lake.

A group of ducks huddle together to stay warm.