Frequently Asked Questions
If you do plan to do
Q: Do I have to be a photographer to participate?
A: No. There are many ways to enjoy our weather tours and workshops. We welcome weather enthusiasts, aspiring storm chasers, media, film-makers, and photographers alike. We encourage our guests to participate in any of the instructional sessions that interest them including meteorology, forecasting, photography, and post-processing.
Q: What happens if there aren't any storms to chase?
A: Your guides will work hard to put you in position to experience interesting weather as often as possible. Some days, it will make sense for us to travel and put ourselves in the best possible position for the next day. We will always make an effort to stop and explore various points of interest along the way. In the unlikely event that Mother Nature decides to be stubborn and limit our storm chasing opportunities, we will explore/photograph scenic local attractions and dedicate more time to covering topics such as weather forecasting, storm chasing resources, and in-depth post-processing.
Q: Are your plains chasing adventures "Tornado tours"?
A: We love a great, photogenic tornado and we think you will too, so if that's the best opportunity of the day, that will be one of our objectives. With that being said, the scope of our weather workshops extends far beyond just chasing tornadoes. Our goal is to put you in position to experience the most spectacular weather nature offers on any given day and teach you how to capture high-quality images along the way. That could include tornadoes, supercells, shelf clouds, lightning, or simply spectacular light on a storm at sunset.
Q: What experience do you have?
A: John has over 30 years of successful storm chasing and forecasting experience. You can read more about John and his team in the "About Us" section. Greg has nearly two decades of experience chasing storms and capturing stunning images of a wide-variety of natural phenomena.
Q: How do I know if this the right storm chasing opportunity for me?
A: When we made the decision to offer weather tours and workshops, we spent months brainstorming and discussing the things that we liked and didn't like about storm chasing. We made a list of the things we thought were essential to having an amazing experience, made a list of the things we didn't like and needed to find a way to do better, and interviewed past guests of other tour companies to find out what they loved and what they wished could've been done differently. Though that process, we developed a set of guiding principles that we believe will give you an enjoyable and unforgettable experience.
Q: Do your workshops cover post-processing?
A: Yes! There are two critically important parts to creating an impressive weather image. The first involves capturing an amazing moment with the proper focus, depth of field, exposure, and stability. We will work with you in the field to improve your skills in these areas and give you a collection of base images that are ready to shine in post-processing. When time allows, we will cover in-depth editing techniques in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop that will help you bring out beautiful detail in your images, correct color issues, effectively use contrast, control shadows and highlights, and handle digital noise. In the event that the weather action is non-stop (it happens sometimes), we will offer additional post-processing instruction in an online webinar and all participants are welcome to participate or view the material in recorded format.
Q: Is there a minimum age required to participate?
Guests must be 18 years of age or older to travel solo. Guests ages 14-17 may participate when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Q: What are your booking/refund policies?
All bookings are fully refundable up to 60 days in advance. Trips cancelled between 30 and 59 days in advance of the scheduled start date will be refunded, less the deposit amount assigned to that trip. We always allow guests to apply the full amount of any deposit towards the cost of a future tour or workshop. Cancellations inside of 30 days before the scheduled start date are non-refundable. We recommend securing travel insurance to cover the cost of any unexpected, last-minute cancellations. In the event that we would have to cancel a tour or workshop for any reason, we will provide a full refund to all guests of the scheduled trip. Please note that private tours those with fewer than 5 guests may be led by a single guide.
Q: Do I have to be a photographer to participate?
A: No. There are many ways to enjoy our weather tours and workshops. We welcome weather enthusiasts, aspiring storm chasers, media, film-makers, and photographers alike. We encourage our guests to participate in any of the instructional sessions that interest them including meteorology, forecasting, photography, and post-processing.
Q: What happens if there aren't any storms to chase?
A: Your guides will work hard to put you in position to experience interesting weather as often as possible. Some days, it will make sense for us to travel and put ourselves in the best possible position for the next day. We will always make an effort to stop and explore various points of interest along the way. In the unlikely event that Mother Nature decides to be stubborn and limit our storm chasing opportunities, we will explore/photograph scenic local attractions and dedicate more time to covering topics such as weather forecasting, storm chasing resources, and in-depth post-processing.
Q: Are your plains chasing adventures "Tornado tours"?
A: We love a great, photogenic tornado and we think you will too, so if that's the best opportunity of the day, that will be one of our objectives. With that being said, the scope of our weather workshops extends far beyond just chasing tornadoes. Our goal is to put you in position to experience the most spectacular weather nature offers on any given day and teach you how to capture high-quality images along the way. That could include tornadoes, supercells, shelf clouds, lightning, or simply spectacular light on a storm at sunset.
Q: What experience do you have?
A: John has over 30 years of successful storm chasing and forecasting experience. You can read more about John and his team in the "About Us" section. Greg has nearly two decades of experience chasing storms and capturing stunning images of a wide-variety of natural phenomena.
Q: How do I know if this the right storm chasing opportunity for me?
A: When we made the decision to offer weather tours and workshops, we spent months brainstorming and discussing the things that we liked and didn't like about storm chasing. We made a list of the things we thought were essential to having an amazing experience, made a list of the things we didn't like and needed to find a way to do better, and interviewed past guests of other tour companies to find out what they loved and what they wished could've been done differently. Though that process, we developed a set of guiding principles that we believe will give you an enjoyable and unforgettable experience.
- Safety First - Your safety and that of our team is our #1 priority
- Success - We work hard to put you in the best possible position to view and photograph amazing weather
- Comfort - Group sizes are kept small (maximum of 4 guests per SUV or 9 guests per van) and we travel in premium vehicles, chosen specifically for reliability and comfort.
- Instruction - We want to teach you everything we can about storm chasing and creating stunning weather images
- Fun - We love what we do and have a great time doing it!
Q: Do your workshops cover post-processing?
A: Yes! There are two critically important parts to creating an impressive weather image. The first involves capturing an amazing moment with the proper focus, depth of field, exposure, and stability. We will work with you in the field to improve your skills in these areas and give you a collection of base images that are ready to shine in post-processing. When time allows, we will cover in-depth editing techniques in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop that will help you bring out beautiful detail in your images, correct color issues, effectively use contrast, control shadows and highlights, and handle digital noise. In the event that the weather action is non-stop (it happens sometimes), we will offer additional post-processing instruction in an online webinar and all participants are welcome to participate or view the material in recorded format.
Q: Is there a minimum age required to participate?
Guests must be 18 years of age or older to travel solo. Guests ages 14-17 may participate when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Q: What are your booking/refund policies?
All bookings are fully refundable up to 60 days in advance. Trips cancelled between 30 and 59 days in advance of the scheduled start date will be refunded, less the deposit amount assigned to that trip. We always allow guests to apply the full amount of any deposit towards the cost of a future tour or workshop. Cancellations inside of 30 days before the scheduled start date are non-refundable. We recommend securing travel insurance to cover the cost of any unexpected, last-minute cancellations. In the event that we would have to cancel a tour or workshop for any reason, we will provide a full refund to all guests of the scheduled trip. Please note that private tours those with fewer than 5 guests may be led by a single guide.