Chasing an Arizona Dust Storm. It’s 6:30 PM on a Tuesday evening in July. I should be preparing for dinner right now but the dark clouds are rolling in from the east and the wind is picking up. The dust and clouds are also going to produce one heck of a sunset if the rain can be delayed another hour or so. Siri has confirmed it, Mesa Arizona is going to get hit with a storm! My adrenaline has taken over and I am ignoring the grumbling sounds in my stomach.
A few minutes later my storm crew posy is blasting my phone with text messages. A dust storm is rolling in, lightening will follow! “Let’s go! Pack up your gear and let’s do it!” We discuss ideal locations, check out the radar and find the “active” weather spots to shoot.
From time to time lightening gets a little close and I have eaten dust but while most people are dreading July and complaining about high weather temperatures, I am charging my batteries. It’s not just about capturing mother nature at it’s finest, it’s about living in the moment with a few people that see it as clearly as I do. I have had the best moments of my life chasing a shot that never produced anything more than a blurry flash of light but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
In the future I may travel to Oklahoma and throw a few hundred little balls up a tornado but for now I am loving the furry and madness of a good ‘ol fashion monsoon storm in Arizona. I love my crew and I love my life as a photographer. A storm may be rolling in this Saturday, I will be ready, how about you.
