Jim Reed is considered to be one of the, if not the most influential storm photographer of his day. His subjects range from the quaint to the deadly, including dream-like cloudscapes, miles upon miles of snow deposited by blizzards, funnel clouds of every shape and size, and the destruction wrought by hurricanes (including Katrina.) His work has earned him several awards and has been featured on popular media such as National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. He has even conducted interviews with Pete Suza, the chief photographer for the Obama Administration. Jim Reed grew up in Albany, Georgia and later graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from the University of Southern California. In spite of finding major success in writing and screenplay, his fascination with severe weather prompted him to pursue a career in documenting his passion, something he has done twenty-three consecutive years to the present.
As someone who suffers from mild Lilapsophobia (or the fear of tornadoes/hurricanes - mostly tornadoes in my case) I find such beautiful photos as these to be therapeutic in a way. The manner in which Reed composes his photographs makes clouds - something that usually functions as a backdrop - the main focus. Cloud formations are so erratic and change so often, that I can imagine the time and effort it takes to capture the perfect photograph. The clouds themselves look as if they belong in a painting and I find that Reed takes full advantage of an otherwise drab palette of greys, whites, browns, greens, and blues to to make the images come alive.
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