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| © Jim Reed Photography |
| Mammatus clouds develop on the edge of a severe thunderstorm in northern Oklahoma on June 16, 2005. Click photo for more images from STORM CHASER: A Photographer's Journey . |
The book's cover image was like that. Firing off three frames amidst the turmoil of a supercell thunderstorm, Reed captured the award-winning image, in which an enormous, swirling bowl of Hiroshima-reminiscent sky dominates -- emitting a lone, crisp bolt of lightning as if an afterthought. "It was a moment of serendipity," he says. "The colors came together. The shades, textures, and light just all came together. And a storm like that recharges me. Because so many storms take a lot out of you."
Among the prices he pays: Reed is currently undergoing treatment for PTSD, a problem several other storm chasers have alluded to privately. "There's a dark side to storm chasing," he says. "I still have nightmares about Hurricane Charley. I still have flashbacks of Katrina. I just have a feeling that we are not meant to see, smell, hear and go through these extraordinarily tragic events without being impacted."
For the psychic toll, a sense of purpose compensates. "I want people to begin paying attention to weather on a regular basis, not just when it's popular or trendy," he says. "Based on what I've seen, I think America is grossly under-prepared for what's coming. And I have reason to believe that the largest, most challenging storms haven't even arrived."
STORM CHASER: A Photographer's Journey
By Jim Reed
US $35.00 / CAN $42.00 / U.K. £ 17.95
Harry N. Abrams
192 pages with 175 full-color illustrations
ISBN 10: 0-8109-9392-9
ISBN 13: 978-8109-9392-1
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