Issues, opinions and essays on weather & storm chasing topics

By DAN ROBINSON

Editor/Photographer

From Dan: How the crime of copyright infringement took $1 million from me and brought down my business.

I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. This page is a detailed account of the biggest threat to my photography and video operation that I had to battle daily to just barely survive, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem facing all of my colleagues as well.

With older blog posts getting buried in the archives, I decided to start this section to keep some important weather and storm chasing issues 'prominent' and link to it in this site's main navigation menu. Storm chasing seems to never be without myths, rumors and misconceptions, and this new section intends to address some of that. I don't claim authoritative status on chasing issues, but after 33 years in the hobby, I would humbly say that I have some valid points for consideration.

Storm Chasing FAQ
A list of common questions and answers about the storm chasing avocation.
How hard is it to see a tornado?
The best times and places to see a tornado using chasing stats.
Is a "Second Home" on the Great Plains worth it?
Will buying a inexpensive house in a small Plains town save you money on hotels during storm chasing season?
Pre-chase briefing
Thinking of asking a chaser if you can tag along on a chase? Read this first!
The actual risks to the lives and well-being of storm chasers
If you were to poll non-chasers about what they thought the biggest risks to a storm chaser were, you'd almost always hear tornadoes, hail and lightning mentioned.
Chasing revenue sources
Storm chasing-related business ventures are not wise investments, and here's why. Save your money and keep your day job!
Lightbars and supplimental hazard lighting: finding the balance
Are any type of supplimental hazard lights completely useless in storm chasing and spotting?
Severe thunderstorm warnings and awareness - worth it?
Severe thunderstorms have long been overhyped to the tune of significant wastes of resources.
Vehicle hail shields for storm chasing: my build & why I'm adding them
Plans and thoughts on protecting windows from large hail during chases.
Short commentary on common chasing issues
Using a computer in the car, weather instruments and yes, even a paragraph on lightbars *gasp*!
Enjoying storms
Should chasers feel guilty for deriving enjoyment from watching tornadoes and severe storms?
Lightning photo fakes: how to spot one
A how-to guide on detecting fake lightning photographs.
Storms are not dangerous to chasers
Don't listen to all of the hype! Non-storm hazards are the biggest threat to the lives of storm chasers.
The chaseability of non-traditional US regions
Storm chasing can be done outside of traditional areas, this collection of storm images shows what it's like.
Using rental cars for storm chasing
Renting a car for storm chasing is a big financial risk. It amounts to taking someone else's property into a high-damage-risk situation, and the industry is starting to 'wise up' to chase-related damage claims.
Stock footage pointers
Some basic information on the hows and whys of the stock footage business for chasers.
Ranking risk factors of storm chasing
A brief survey of storm chasing risks and related injuries.
Chase tour legalities
Thinking of starting a chase tour operation? Read this first!
A pictorial case for Midwestern storm chasing
A collection of personal storm chasing photos from the Midwestern region demonstrating the value this region offers.
Lightning video ghosting artifacts
A common artifact with lightning video clips fools many chasers and photographers into thinking they captured a very close strike.