Born to Chase: My Reason Y

Dreams are made to be lived and I have made it a goal to live out my childhood dreams. I first started to pay attention to the weather in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the USA. It made its way to my hometown in Kentucky and gave us strong winds and a lot of rain. I was immediately fascinated and from then on I paid attention to the weathermen on TV. Years later I found a TV show that would inspire me to focus on science: Storm Chasers. Tornadoes, supercells, large hail became an obsession and the fact that people actively chased these dangerous things made me want to do that as well. 8 years old at the time, I could not drive across the country to do what they did. I was not ready because I had no idea how to read radar, read models or understand cloud motions. I wanted to do that, so I made it a goal to study up and make it to the plains when I was old and ready enough. Fast foreword 13 years to 2021 when I made the decision I was ready to chase tornadoes. 13 years of waiting, anticipation and studying paid off in Lubbock, Texas where I found a giant bell shaped supercell. I consider that day the first real day of my life. I was then Born to Chase. This shot was the start of a new obsession of mine: lightning. It is beautiful, quick and random but so elegant and comes with a big risk. It is challenging to capture, but a great passion since it can take years to capture a bolt in a specific place. A challenge worth taking on!