Journey

Having spent my whole life living in western Washington, thunderstorms are a rare treat. A couple times every year, we’ll get some nice little thundershowers that give off a clap of thunder or two, briefly drop some pea sized hail, and then fade away. For much of my life, I simply had no idea that weather could come in forms much larger, much meaner, and way cooler than the dinky little showers I was accustomed to.

The summer before my freshman year in high school, on August 15th, 2019, my perspective completely changed. While on a family vacation in eastern South Dakota, for the first time in my life, I experienced the raw power and majesty that is a Great Plains thunderstorm. With the temperature rapidly dropping, thunder rumbling and gusty winds blowing, I remember standing in awe in front of this ominous mass of clouds. As people around me ran for cover, I stood there, in nothing but shorts, a t-shirt, and flip flops, completely entranced. From that moment on, I would be hopelessly and irrevocably in love with the weather.

In the years since, I have poured hours into the careful study of the art of weather forecasting and storm chasing. Inspired by the incredible works of beauty from storm chasing and photography greats Pecos Hank and Mike Olbinski (whose films put my rudimentary work to shame), I have also spent a great deal of time studying photography and the methods used to create timelapse films, culminating in the creation of this video.

Unfortunately for me, opportunities to film storms here in Washington are few and far between. Taking the Pecos Hank quote from the beginning of the film to heart, after months of pestering my parents, I finally got the chance to chase storms for real when my dad and I embarked on a two weeklong storm chasing trip in May of 2021. It was an incredible experience to finally see in person the storms I had spent so much time studying from many hundreds of miles away, and the bulk of the shots in this video are from that trip. In the time since the trip, I have also taken footage in locations ranging from eastern Washington, Yellowstone National Park, and again in the Plains when I lucked into a moderate risk event in Nebraska and Iowa on April 12th, 2022, while doing college visits in the area.

Thank you so much to my incredible parents for all their support, advice, and patience − this film would not have been possible without them. And thank you also to my friends for always being behind me one hundred percent. It’s been quite a trip since that fateful day in South Dakota, but after thousands of miles traveled, countless hours of study and video editing, I have this. It took me quite a long way to get here, which is why I chose to call this film Journey. Please enjoy!

Music in this Video:

   • The Fields of Pelennor (From "The Lor...  

Song: The Fields of Pelennor
Artist: The Fields of Pelennor (From "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King")
Album: Music from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Publisher: ℗ 2004 Silva Screen Records
Provided to YouTube by MNRK Music Group

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