2025 High Plains Storm Photography Tour II
June 19-25, 2025
Guide: David Erichsen
Tuition: $4699
Spots Open: 1/3
Come join David Erichsen this storm season as you venture out across the high plains of Tornado Alley in search of photogenic thunderstorms. This tour is NOT about photographing tornadoes, but yet all the beautiful aspects of severe weather. If you do see a tornado, that's just the icing on the cake. Be prepared for hours in the car and some of the best gas station food around as you do your best to find the perfect storm! We will go wherever the weather takes us, however it is more than likely based on annual weather patterns that we will be in Northern Plain states (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana) which typically provide slower moving storms across photogenic scenery. All of these photos were taken by David across the Northern Plains.
How It Works:
This workshop is a bit different then others as these tours will consist of only three participants on the tour. May and June are the most active months of the year for severe weather, but even with that said, there can be days without a cloud in the sky. If your tour happens to fall upon a period of time that looks to be incredibly slow, we will travel to a national park or point-of-interest nearby to work on landscape and night sky photography while we wait for the action to return. During our tour, expect to be on the road early in the morning to late at night. Sometimes we can travel hundreds of miles in a day in search of thunderstorms. We will do our best to stop for meals during the trip, but some days we will be crunched for time and a simple fast food sandwich may have to work.
You will not only learn about the weather and science behind these storms, but also how to safely and creatively create compelling imagery of storms.
The tour will depart out of Denver, Colorado.
We will go and stay wherever the storms lead us, but don’t worry, we will wrap back up in Denver.
What You Will Need:
A DSLR or mirrorless camera.
A wide angle and medium zoom lens.
A sturdy tripod.
Cable release or intervalometer.
A lightning trigger (not required, recommended).
A circular polarizer.
Shoes in which you don’t mind destroying in mud!
Patience.
What You Will Learn:
What to look for when photographing severe weather.
How to photograph lightning during the day and night.
How to create stunning panoramas of storms.
How to position yourself in relation to a storm to safely create an image.
How to utilize filters to balance a scene.
How to use a death grip on your tripod so it doesn't blow away.
What's Not Included:
Airfare to Denver, Colorado
Meals
Lodging
What's Included:
Travel within the tour
Fuel and tolls
Vehicle maintenance
Any park entrance fees and permits
Is There A Risk?
Absolutely. Photographing severe thunderstorms is a dangerous activity and there are risks that could result in injury or even death. Before attending any tour, participants will be required to sign a liability release. Our safety will always come first and there is no shot worth losing your life over, but we are not in control, Mother Nature is.
Where Will We Stay?
That is all dependent upon where we end up! We will stay at whatever accommodations are available in the area...motel, AirBNB, hotel, etc.
Where Do We meet?
We will begin our adventure by meeting in Denver, Colorado (specific location will be sent out 1 month prior to the workshop date). From our destination city, we will depart to wherever the weather looks active. This could range from anywhere in Texas to Nebraska to South Dakota. On our final day, we will finish chasing and head back to our originating city.
Arrival & Departure:
Considering we will be leaving early in the morning on Day 1, and arriving back late on the final day, you should fly into Denver a day prior to our tour starting and fly out the day after we wrap.
Do I Need A Rental Car?
A rental car is not required. You can simply take an Uber or Lyft from your accommodations to our meeting place and vice versa.
Will We Go To Badlands National Park?
Our top priority will be to photograph supercells wherever they may appear. However, weather can be unpredictable so we may end up anywhere from Texas to North Dakota. That being said, we have permits obtained for Badlands National Park so that if storms take us there or if we have multiple down days, there is a good chance that we will shoot there.
Your Instructor
David Erichsen is an extreme nature and landscape photographer who has spent the past nine years chasing storms and capturing the world’s most breathtaking natural phenomena. Under the mentorship of Mike, David expanded his knowledge of meteorology to develop his own expertise for storm chasing. He is drawn to photographing sensational scenes, from the northern lights glowing over Arctic peaks to volcanic eruptions in Guatemalan forests and tornadic supercells sweeping across the northern plains of the US. His work reflects his thirst for documenting the awe-inspiring power and beauty of the natural world.
JOIN THE ADVENTURE!
*A 50% Non-refundable deposit is required to register.*
*Final balances are due March 26, 2025.*
Please make sure you agree to our terms and conditions. All deposits are non-refundable.