In September of 2025, my work is generating the most income it ever has in my career. Yet, I'm being forced to shut down my successul operation, against my will, due to one cause alone: 95% of that revenue is being stolen by piracy and copyright infringement. 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. Do not be misled by the lies of infringers, anti-copyright activists and organized piracy cartels. This page is a detailed, evidenced account of my battle I had to undertake to just barely stay in business, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem faced by all of my colleagues and most other creators in the field.
If you're anything like me, you probably have plenty of regrets. You know, those things from long ago that sometimes keep you awake at night. I would love to go back and live life over again - you know, try and do it all right this time. Although, I wonder if I'd succeed if I even had that chance. In light of all that, I think the way that's already been provided is a little easier to grasp.
I drove 100 miles photographing storms this evening, but this was one of those times that I would have done better to have just stayed home.
At 7:30pm, large, rapidly developing cumulonimbus were towering over the mountains southeast of Charleston. Radar showed an intensifying horseshoe-shaped line of cells in northeastern Kentucky moving into the southern WV coalfields. I estimated that the line would reach central Boone County at sunset, so I headed south on Corridor G. New cells were quickly pushing skyward, and the outlook looked promising. But when I reached Madison, the line to the south had weakened considerably- and I decided to head back home.
I arrived back in Charleston at 9:30pm and had been home no more than 5 minutes when loud thunder and bright flashes suddenly commenced outside. One of the cells in the line had maintained its intensity and was heading northwest across Charleston. I grabbed the gear and ran up into the cemetery behind the house, and set the cameras up facing southeast. I could see the wall of heavy rain approaching fast, so I knew I wouldn't have long to shoot. This set of two strikes about 1.5 miles away posed for the camera, just minutes before the rains forced me back inside for the night.
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From Dan: Please Read
To my regular readers, I offer my apologies for this heavy-handed notice. Unfortunately it has become necessary, so please bear with me!
Please don't copy/upload this site's content to social media or other web sites. Those copies have been a critical problem for me, seriously harming this site and my photography/storm chasing operation by diverting traffic, viewers, engagement and income. "Credit" and "exposure" does not benefit this site or my operation, rather they threaten my ability to cover my operating expenses. Please read my full explanation for this notice here.
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