BIOGRAPHY LAST EDITED: 23/11/2008

Thunderstorm Enthusiast
Thunderstorms are one of the most powerful and illusive wonders of nature known to mankind. Each one is unique in characteristic and gives a different ambience of environment. They have the power to distract our attention or run for cover. An individual who puts their lives at risk to photograph these events is not crazy. He or she does not have a death wish. Storm chasers and enthusiasts alike thrive off the unpredictable power of this natural force of nature, and want to embrace it by documenting the unknown. This is what I do.

I am an all-round "weather man", however I'm weighted more towards severe weather photography and the physics of the atmosphere than collecting statistical data. This website is therefore a collage of my photography over the years and some explanations of what is happening in the atmosphere.

Thunderstorms especially are an awe-inspiring act of nature. Something of such phenomenal power that has fascinated mankind, and even wildlife since the dawn of time. They have been around since the Earth was created, and has also been seen on other planets throughout the Solar System. I used to be terrified of storms when I was a minor, however my passion grew as my curiosity towards them deepened. I learnt much about how they worked in my early teens when I acquired a video camera. Using this as my tool for storm photography, I started filming thunderstorms hoping to capture this ferocious power on tape for later study.

Storm Observing is probably a better dub for much of what have done rather than "chasing", until recently that is. Since my early teens I haven't really "chased" any storms due to the blatant fact I wasn't old enough to drive, or afford any of the basics you needed to perform a chase, such as a car. So most of my storms have merely been "observed" from my doorstep in situ, but nevertheless thoroughly documented. As I am now armed with the fundamental requirements for a storm-chase I have started to take my cameras to the storms instead of waiting for the storms to come to me. T0073 and T0074 in the archive are really the first successful chases I've done.

Unlike the stereotypical storm-chaser who's ultimate goal is a tornado, I like to try and document every aspect of a thunderstorm if possible where shots of lightning and cloud development are my favoured goals. Obviously a tornado would be a bonus if the storm was a particularly active sort. T0014 and T0027 (archive again) are such examples. With a typical storm I will try and capture the cloud structures as a thunderstorm approaches on the horizon, then the electric action when it arrives up close, and then the cloud structures again as it drifts away. T0054 and T0074 are excellent examples of this, however it's not always picture-perfect. Some cloud displays can be quite bland despite the lightning. If it is picture-perfect, this gives me a sense of fulfilment  that I have captured something spectacular with the duration of just an hour or two that would have otherwise been lost forever. Every thunderstorm is different in appearance and strength, therefore it is a different experience every time. When looking back at the footage, it is easy to realise how such a beautiful white cumulonimbus cloud can put such fear into mankind, for those who know of it's destructive capabilities.

As you will see once you trawl through the various areas of the website, up until 2007 I haven't really needed to move from my own doorstep to get some good footage. This was largely due to the blessing I was given by living in what is known as the  "Cheshire Gap", where mesoscale convergence is often seen forming showers relentlessly. I also had a cracking view from being positioned on top of a hill.

Weather and cloud photography is also my forté, especially sunsets, high clouds such as jet stream cirrus and optical phenomena. The drive is being able to capture such natural beauty in one square image where Earth, Sun and atmosphere come together producing breathtaking visions. I often view this as the natural display of the cosmos; there could be no life on this planet yet all this weather and climate would still be happening, and we have absolutely no control over it.

The Future of my storm photography now continues in Devon (SW England). Devon has a slighty different climate to the mainland in that it is more surrounded by warm(er) waters. It usually less in the way of thunderstorms than say the East of the country, but that statement is conditional. Showers in the SW are often amplified by land-sea wind convergence. Examples such as the Boscastle storm on 16th August 2004, and more recently the Ottery St. Mary storm on 30th October 2008, which was probably one of the most violent hailstorms of the relatively bland year despite occurring in cool autumnal conditions. I am also now armed with a digital video camera and an digital SLR. So plenty of opportunities to further my UK footage. Financially depending, unless someone wants to generously sponsor me :), places like the south of France, Germany and the US are in my scopes for some much bigger storms.

I hope you enjoy the website and please feel free to contact me with any comments.

Mark Seltzer