We have already shared a few snapshots by one of France’s greatest lightning hunters, Alex Hermant.
We’ll soon give you the low down on the important role this hardcore lightning devotee played in the making of the film. We’ll create a dedicated space, highlighting his world and work.
But let’s first take a look at these image-chasers who remain little-known. Similar to tornado chasing, part job part passion, which has already garnered the interest of American cinema (notably Jan de Bont’s Twister in 1996, or more recently the documentary Les chasseurs de tornade in 2011), storm chasers, tirelessly braving the cumulonimbus, in the hopes of immortalizing the lightning bolt he yearns for. In the eyes and hearts of the enthusiast, the lightning is a remnant and from pass-time storm hunting becomes a passion.
The storm hunter’s equipment can be quite limited: a traditional or digital still camera, webcam or camcorder. But digital cameras have been a blessing these last few years. Whether to snap to one’s heart’s delight, rework the image on a computer, or visualize the photos, a digital camera’s advantages are numerous; The Internet has become the platform of knowledge and one can find sites dealing with all aspects of storm hunting, photo galleries, descriptions of radio systems to listen to storms and of course the forum for storm chasers.
If one day during a memorable tempest you run into a contemplative chap armed with a tripod and camera, remember these few lines and appreciate the magnificent images on loan from nature. Passing in front of this dark sky, and the immensity and force of the giant cumulonimbus, the storm chaser becomes nature’s humble witness and reconsiders his place in a truncated world where the human species believes itself king.
source : Chasseurs d’orage
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knO1eCtSaJw&feature=related[/youtube]
Who has never been simultaneously awestruck and frightened by lightning?
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