Super Views of Super Cells by Stormchaser Jim Reed

Spring is here with the promise of severe weather, and storm chasers are getting ready for it. Next week, the largest study of tornadoes gets underway with scientists deploying radar and other equipment all across the Great Plains. It's also the start of the busy season for photographer Jim Reed, who specializes in shooting tornadoes and electricity-laden thunderstorms. Reed's book Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey is also being re-released by Harry N. Abrams in an expanded edition featuring 16 new pages of truly awesome pictures. I've included a couple of samples here. As someone who tends to pull the blankets over his head during booming T-storms, I have alway been impressed by Reed's work. Unlike the danger-junkies you see chasing storms on TV and YouTube, Reed manages to make seriously beautiful images of some of the most powerful natural phenomena on earth. Go to his website, which features about 40 images from the book.--David Schonauer