Local Bird Photos...

With the storm season coming to an end its time I changed direction in my photography. About this time of year we get thousands of birds mirgrating through north central Texas and these birds become the new focus. Now that my Sigma 500mm f/4.5 lens has been repaired I am ready for this new season. Yesterday, I took the lens out on a field test. It seems to be working just fine. I will plan to make a trip to Hackberry Flatts on Labor Day weekend.

Enjoy!

-Ben

08/17/09 Chase: Memphis, TX...

I was sitting at home on the couch watching TV when I got the itch to check up on the weather. Models had suggested that all the big activity was going to be in the northern panhandle and western OK. I checked the radar and saw a storm in Amarillo, TX develop and move out of the area. The storm left an outflow boundary for storms to develop on. My target was Claredon, TX about 150 miles away. Althgough these storms were moving at about 25 mph I did not expect to catch them and for whatever reason at 4:30 I loaded up all my gear and headed for the storms. I guess I was hoping that more storms would develop along the way. Luckily they did and my new target was Memphis, TX. Here are some of the shots from today's chase.

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

6/6, 6/8, 6/14, 6/16 Storm Chase Photos...

Here are the top twenty photos from my most recent storm chases. All of these are in Texas. Though we did not catch any tornadoes we still managed to get some great shots. A special thanks to Jason Brock who let me ride along on these chases.

Thanks for viewing!

-Ben

My First Chase: Patience Pays Off...

Last Monday was my first time to ever go out and actually storm chase. Wow! What a blast we had. Me and a fellow storm photographer went to Memphis, TX to chase storms. The first few hours were a little dull. We mainly chased some rain clouds, but as the sun began to set new cells began to develop and formed some of the most amazing storm structure I have ever seen. As if these beautiful cells weren't enough, at the leading edge of the storm a gustnado formed and kicked up dirt and other debris. We were in the perfect viewing position and I ended up taking over 500 photos! Now that was a good day! Not bad for my first chase. I hope to chase again real soon.

Thanks.

-Ben

"Storms" Wins May 2009 POTM...

A photography forum that I regularly go on has just named one of my photos as the May 2009 Photograph of the Month. The photo depicts a passing storm with a rainbow leading out the edge of the clouds. This is my first time to receive a POTM on this forum.

You can see it here.

Thank you for the support.

-Ben

My Recent Storm Shots...

These past few weeks storms have been exploding over north central Texas. We have had multiple storms come through and so far the biggest threat was hail the size of ping pong balls. So I have been a little backed up but here are some of the most recent captures.

Thanks.

-Ben