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Will Tornado Chasing Eventually Become Passé?

I joked a while ago that the next generation of chasers will be orbiting tornadoes with drones and then flying through them. Well, that's already happening:

The stuff OTUS has been publishing this year is so good it really begs the question about where we go from here (pertaining to storm documentation). I'm sure there will be angles and views that remain to be captured of different tornadoes, but sheesh it's gonna hard for anyone to top that kind of footage lol. Maybe the future really is tons of drones surrounding a tornado, possibly creating 3D images in the future.

Crazy to see how far things have come in the last 10 years or so.
 
This thread is highlighting that some of the phenomena mentioned (hordes of "YouTube famous" chasers live streaming close intercepts on almost every event, amazing drone footage becoming the norm, etc.) are contributing heavily to a vibe shift in my personal chasing the past few years.

I started in 2006, and I was immediately focused on shooting stills with DSLRs. It was a small niche at first, which was great. It felt like for at least my first decade, on storms that weren't completely swarmed by the hordes (still an occasional possibility then), I had a realistic chance of getting some of the best quality stills for any given storm I saw. There were other chasers shooting with DSLRs who were better than me at it, but not that many; the vast majority were more focused on video, whose image quality lagged much further behind pro-grade cameras than modern 4-8K footage does. There's something about the possibility of being the only person to document a storm with excellence through a relevant medium that makes chasing fundamentally more captivating, compared to when that possibility collapses from oversaturation... or because the medium is no longer very relevant.

Anymore, the probability that whatever media I collect on a chase will be "the shot" (even just from one subcategory... like, say, the best quality stills of the structure+tor) is ~0. To be sure, it rarely worked out that way even 15 years ago. But it could happen every so often, if only 2 or 3 other people on the same storm were laser focused on stills, and the quality of most video kinda sucked. Now, it's not only extremely likely that someone else among the hordes will get better stills... it's also likely that traditional stills from the ground won't even be that impressive or relevant compared to other novel forms of media.

Accepting this compels me to let go of whatever subconscious ego-driven or competitive elements may have be lurking in my chasing motives. I have to recognize that since circa 2020, the only legitimate reason for me to chase is the raw experience... forget everything and everyone outside of my own vehicle. It's like the next evolution in the "no one cares" mantra that I believe @Dan Robinson coined to emphasize that 99.9% of us shouldn't expect to quit our day jobs. That's been obvious and easy to accept for decades. But now we must also accept that, as individuals outside the YouTube-famous or Twitter-famous contingent, no one even in the weather community is likely to care about what we capture. The Amistad NM storm a few weeks ago gave me some of my best captures ever, but before I could even get to a motel in Amarillo, social media was filled with dozens of nearly identical shots... so I was and still am in no rush to finish editing them. That pretty much sums up the media/content environment now.

I still put a lot of (perhaps too much?) effort into capturing media, but realistically, it's only for personal enjoyment and documentation. The bar for capturing content that will stand as the definitive documentation of a good storm, let alone make a meaningful profit, just keeps floating higher out of reach. In order to be "competitive" in that sense, you probably have to stray so far from the experience I'm after that it would ruin everything. Maybe that's the crux of this thread topic. Shooting reasonably good stills just came naturally as part of chasing the way I want to. Whereas trying to compete for the best drone footage, for example, I imagine would feel like a big sideshow that distracts from the reason I'm out there in the first place. Similarly, trying to compete with the now sizable clan of successful streamers who have teams dedicated to running their channel is grossly unappealing.

I imagine myself and others like me are basically just going through the same core experience that veterans like Warren, Chuck, et al. did in the 90s-00s when stock photography and videography began plummeting in value... minus any financial stress, since profit was already a pipe dream even when I started!
 
Interestingly.... when I posted this thread I was "mostly" referring to waning public interest in chasing, not so much chasers, although there is certainly a discussion to be had regarding that side of things. I have lost little interest in chasing over the years, although I have no interest in the conga lines or aggressive, getting too close for profit angle. As a journalist and professional photographer, it serves no purpose other than accumulating paying followers who mostly watch to see if you get hit, e.g., killed or injured.

We may not understand the ultimate effects of AI on live chasing, but it will play a part. It's now within the realm of possibilities to create AI-generated, live chase(r) events during the big days, by learning from live feeds. I've already see this tested and it's mind blowing.
 
I'm just wondering if the overload is going to eventually desensitize and overload the public and chasers to point where we lose interest.

I think the mention of chasers in the OP is what led to the discussion. It’s hard to generalize about any public reaction, since this has always been a niche area, except for the occasional mainstream interest in big outbreaks that cause death and destruction. The direct connection between the two (chasers and the public) of course only boils down to the demand for images and the resulting financial benefit (or lack thereof) for chasers. I have *never* participated in that arena, despite having begun chasing in 1996. Since then, with the exception of a few posts over the years on Instagram, I have posted nothing chase-related on social media, and I don’t even have a YouTube channel. Not because I’m a Luddite, but just because that was never part of the appeal of chasing for me, it was nothing I ever spent time thinking about. I’m in it for the experience. The rest seems too much like work. I’m just the sport fisherman, not the commercial fisherman trying to sell his catch at the market.

Given how things have evolved, I consider myself fortunate to have never become dependent on the financial aspect or social media adulation. But I do empathize with those who used to depend on at least making back some chase expenses, or perfected a craft that has been devalued in the market, or guys like Warren that literally invented a genre, only to see it bastardized over time. At this point, like many artists and craftsman, chasing is something to do for your own personal enjoyment and fulfillment.

Having said that, I will admit to one area where my ego does rear its ugly head. The years have passed quickly, and I suddenly find myself a “veteran” chaser, yet am in complete obscurity relative to the newcomers that are now “famous” in live-streaming. As Warren pointed out in a post elsewhere, there is no respect for veteran chasers like there used to be. It’s kind of ironic how we used to know all the names of the previous generation of veterans, even without such a thing as an online presence at the time.
 
At this point, like many artists and craftsman, chasing is something to do for your own personal enjoyment and fulfillment.

Having said that, I will admit to one area where my ego does rear its ugly head. The years have passed quickly, and I suddenly find myself a “veteran” chaser, yet am in complete obscurity relative to the newcomers that are now “famous” in live-streaming.
Your statement above rings true for most chasers, James.

The way I've rationalized that reality in my case is to look at how storm chasing has fit into my life overall, especially as one gets older and personal interests change or enlarge over time. Remember that storm chasing us supposed to be an enjoyable pursuit; if it ever becomes a stressful (whether emotional or physical) task, it's time to hang it up as far as active participation. Fortunately, for most chasers, their livelihoods do not depend on income derived directly from storm chasing. Those few who have succeeded in building a big internet or social-media following (e.g., Reed Timmer, Ryan Hall, and Hank Schyma) have already acquired sufficient assets for themselves and their families to live comfortably, so it becomes important only to maintain "the gravy train" and keep it going.

The other point is that it really does not matter, in the overall scheme of life, whether your peer chasers see you as a "veteran" or not. Who is keeping score? Likely no one, so you shouldn't, either! It's really all comes down to whether you are happy spending your time doing storm chasing, for whatever enrichment it brings you...and that's all that matters. In the "business" of storm chasing, fame is fleeting...and you will be remembered for just being part of it, not by how much money you made or notoriety you had achieved. Chuck Doswell pointed that out to me many years after I had left Norman and the tornado research profession when he reminded me that I "played a role" and was still considered "one of them" even after more than forty years of absence. Believe me, you will not toil in "obscurity"...
 
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As far as I can tell, with the general public these days, it doesn't matter what you've done in the past, it only matters what you are doing *right now*. You could score the big shot of the year, but you'll be forgotten 2 days later. There's no concept of legacy or reputation in chasing now that it's truly gone mainstream. To most of the public, the veteran chaser and newbie are in the same category.

As to Warren's original question of whether tornado chasing will ever fall out of fashion with the masses: I don't think so. From everything I can see, the interest has not only survived, but grown. There is a huge surge in interest by young people now as evidenced by tornado groups (like Reddit's r/tornado) on social media. They'll be the next generation of chasers and meteorologists.

To tie these two points together, most of those younger people don't know much about anyone in the community other than the big-name live streamers who are always active. You could have seen 500 tornadoes in the past 10 years, but if you aren't live streaming today, they have no idea who you are. So the only thing really becoming passé with the public is the old ways of chasing. Maybe you could call it the "NOVA special" aura that's fallen out of fashion. The things that are getting attention these days are completely different. If history is any indication, the public interest in chasing may not change, but what parts of it get that interest probably will.
 
Remember that storm chasing us supposed to be an enjoyable pursuit; if it ever becomes a stressful (whether emotional or physical) task, it's time to hang it up as far as active participation

This topic may be worth a thread in itself! I do find chasing emotionally/mentally stressful, but only in the same way that stress can arise with any pursuit in which one cares about performance and results. Athletes come to mind as an example. Bouts of second-guessing, self-doubt, and the occasional sense of failure are just inherently part of chasing, as is the drive to finally “catch” something good on the dwindling days of a short annual chase trip… especially for Type A over-achieving personalities like me. 😏

The other point is that it really does not matter, in the overall scheme of life, whether your peer chasers see you as a "veteran" or not. Who is keeping score? Likely no one, so you shouldn't, either!

You are absolutely right Randy, which is why I prefaced my post as just my “ego rearing its ugly head”… Maybe it’s more of a nostalgia for the days when chasing had its “elder statesmen.” Or lamenting that, as Dan described it, there’s “no concept of legacy or reputation in chasing” anymore.
 
This thread is highlighting that some of the phenomena mentioned (hordes of "YouTube famous" chasers live streaming close intercepts on almost every event, amazing drone footage becoming the norm, etc.) are contributing heavily to a vibe shift in my personal chasing the past few years....
Accepting this compels me to let go of whatever subconscious ego-driven or competitive elements may have be lurking in my chasing motives.
The years have passed quickly, and I suddenly find myself a “veteran” chaser, yet am in complete obscurity relative to the newcomers that are now “famous” in live-streaming.
You guys succinctly captured the feeling for where I'm at with chasing that I've been working through the last couple of seasons.

I got into this hobby for nothing but the love of storms. I didn't even know a community existed until I found this place back in 2010. After that, FB and Twitter/X started to take off and I became a part of those communities as well. I picked up a camera along the way and did some video too, but I reached a crossroads and had to choose a path and I chose photography which has served me well. Like @Brett Roberts , I found enjoyment out of excelling in producing high quality images, and would be rewarded once in a while with capturing one or two of the best images of certain storms, and so things evolved where I still enjoyed storms, but I also enjoyed the attention and rewards that came with it. Chasing was full circle at the time because I loved storms, found people who also loved storms, had grown a following and roads were open where I could pull of and catch the right shot whenever I wanted.

Over time, things began to change. Social media grew and the number of chasers began to grow as well. More content began to flow and it became higher quality as time went by. Standing out was a little harder, and a lot of the imagery was pretty much the same as mine.
At the same time social media began to become toxic. Algorithms became a thing and not only was I seeing so many photos and videos from the storm I was on, but many of the people I followed in the weather community started posting political content, so SM became a toxic place I had to leave. One less thing about chasing I enjoyed.

Still I had storms, photography and chasing itself to enjoy. But, as years have gone by the roads have gotten consistently harder to navigate and it's tough on many storms to even find a pull off to take a photo, much less one that I want to compose. The encroachment on the photography and chasing itself has led to a bit of disillusionment. I still love storms, but am losing the other aspects of chasing I enjoyed rather quickly. Throw in aging and the body aches from long drives and all of a sudden I'm left wondering whether to continue.

Now, chasing has evolved into live streams and drones. To @JamesCaruso point, all eyes are on YouTubers and it's like to the rest of the world nobody else exists in the chaser world. I'm a competitive person at my core and have even tried streaming (and found a bit of success), but at the end of the day I don't want to drive endlessly on junky storms or be out day after day away from my family. It's not a fit for who I am or the life I've built, but that's where everything is going.

So, I've been at a crossroads which is well documented in many of my posts here on ST. Do I love storms themselves enough to overcome much of the loss of my photography (or its impact on anyone else) or the loss of the freedom to enjoy storms on my terms as I used to (clogged roads)? Now that the world can see a storm in real time from many different angles and from several different personalities, do I really even need to be out there anymore? Is it worth the body aches, time investment and financial drain for something that's now absolutely just for me, yet several rungs below where I used to enjoy it? Seems like the obvious answer would be to step away, but when it's a part of who you are it's not so simple.
 
Maybe it’s more of a nostalgia for the days when chasing had its “elder statesmen.” Or lamenting that, as Dan described it, there’s “no concept of legacy or reputation in chasing” anymore.
Good point, James.

Tornado chasing, at least for my "Boomer generation" of chaser, was a very personal activity, and we did not think of it as a "team sport," so to speak! In fact, quite the opposite--at OU, there was a healthy, friendly "competition" between some chasers to see who could get the most tornado pictures or who could get closest to the tornado, etc. This competition, over time, determined an informal "pecking order" of student chasers within the OU Meteorology Department back in the 1970s.

Looking back now, a half-century later, it seems kind of silly that we acted that way, as that's what the times called for and what our priorities in life were at that particular time in our lives. "Chasing is not Everything, It's the Only Thing," was our motto back then. That's quite a difference in priorities, not to mention mental and emotional growth, between a twenty-something- and a seventy-something-year old!

What I find funny today is that we treated storm chasing like a game and success measured by how many trophies one has in one's trophy case collecting only more dust as time passes! What we failed to realize at the time was that those experiences were once-in-a-lifetime events, and we should have thought of them at that time (in the present tense) as moments to lived to the fullest, not as material for future scrapbooks! And, many of us on this website who "played" in that era still are around and are communicating with one another on threads like this to this day. So, we really don't need a special reputation or a legacy, only the common thought that our names were part of storm chasing's past and we desire still to share knowledge and stories from our past experiences. That's how the "elder statesmen" remain relevant in the big picture. At least, that's satisfying enough for me at this stage of my life...
 
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The live streaming aspect of this discussion intrigues me. I have never done it because it is too much bother, especially given that I usually chase solo. And I am fortunate that I do not need to make money through my chasing, so I can just do what I want and what I enjoy. Besides, I would have no clue how to make money off of live streaming, anyway. But I keep hearing that a handful of chasers do, which brings me to a question (mostly a rhetorical one, so feel free not to answer, LOL!): Who are all these people that have time to sit there and watch live streams every time there is an active weather cycle somewhere? I know I have neither the time nor the patience to do so. Most of the few times I do watch a live stream, it is someone driving along in the rain with nothing too interesting going on. Maybe a half hour after I left their stream they got a gorgeous tornado, but I have better things to do than sit there and wait for that to happen., knowing full well it may not/probably won't. I guess those watchers must be out there, or it would not be as profitable as it seems to be for a handful of chasers, but I have a hard time understanding how and why. Probably a lot of this is explained by the fact that I am in my 70s.

Regarding the broader question of this thread, I see no evidence of any loss of interest in chasing. In about a week of total chasing this year, I have been in big crowds multiple times and in general seen more other chasers than past seasons. The trend seems to be up, not down. One other thing - the idea suggested in some earlier posts that lots of the people out there in the throngs are streaming and making money seems implausible to me. When I am in the crowds, it looks like the vast majority are doing the same thing I am, trying to see and perhaps photograph or video an interesting storm (and hopefully a tornado or two), not stream and make money.
 
Live streaming can be pretty simple. A smartphone can stream directly to most platforms with very little effort other than a dash mount for the phone. The bigger names have elaborate setups with multiple cameras, video switchers, multi-carrier cellular routers/Starlink and even dedicated crews manning the streams and the live chats remotely.

I *could* live stream, but I think the negatives are just deal breakers. I don’t like the idea of being watched constantly all day by who knows who. That is really off-putting. Any mistakes or blunders you make will just get posted everywhere and you’ll end up being known for those than the few good moments of the chase. I am happy to just remain behind the scenes.

I tried streaming back in the ChaserTV era. It was responsible for my first missed Arch strike in St. Louis. As a solo chaser, it just pushed me over the edge of task saturation, which cost me in tangible ways while bringing nothing in return.

Despite streaming being “the thing” to do right now in chasing, it really is only an option for personalities suited for it. Some do have that and are doing well. It’s just not for me.
 
I'm doing some limited live streaming mainly because I am curious how it works. I also don't want to end my career wondering if I should have given it a go. Like Dan, I'm not a big fan of allowing people to see everything I do. Will I make it big.... 100% no!

It will be interesting to watch live / social media chasing evolve over the next ten to fifteen years, up until the time I am forced to retire. Will people tire of watching live feeds, likely not. Will legislation become a factor, maybe. Will social media outlets become saturated with live chasers -- likely. Will some live chasers die -- unfortunately, the odds favor it. Will outlets like X and YouTube remain in business and / or alter payout algorithms -- little doubt. Will new outlets, technology and AI play a part -- you bet. Will outlets ban posting footage of dangerous storm interceptions -- you never know. Let's see what the time capsule looks like in ten years.
 
… Maybe it’s more of a nostalgia for the days when chasing had its “elder statesmen.” Or lamenting that, as Dan described it, there’s “no concept of legacy or reputation in chasing” anymore.
For whatever its worth coming from one of the relatively inexperienced active chasers (compared to the veterans) on this forum, I definitely find myself looking up to all of the much more experienced folks here. Sure, I could "look up to" all of the chasers who stream, but what's the point? The veterans here in THIS community are the ones sharing their knowledge and experiences, passing on the "old ways" of chasing, and giving advice to us more inexperienced folks. So yeah, maybe it isn't the same as how it was when veteran storm chasers were revered as legends by a huge community of people, but I'm sure I speak for all of the newer chasers in THIS community here on Storm Track, the contributions, legacies, and reputations of veteran chasers are NOT lost on us.
 
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Chasing will not go the way of leisure suits and mini-skirts. I've watched live steams since 2014, and they've only gotten better.
I seem to "tune in" just as big stuff's about to go down. I'm grateful for it when I can't get out for all the reasons mentioned previously.
Many Plains people who live with big weather every month of their lives take tornadoes very much in stride, perhaps even with nonchalance.
But I'm extremely information hungry and want to know all the nitty-gritty, so I check out social-media sites to make sure I don't miss anything.
 
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Chasing may indeed go the way of mini skirts and go go boots per some of the Great Plains photoshoots that have already transpired! ;)

Rather than write a lengthy eccentric response at length to the many wonderful points presented within this discussion, I present this audio visual commentary some of you may call a "podcast" in response to the original question posed by Warren into an expanded ramble on this very topic.

In my humble opinion, people whom are fascinated with weather of any form will always pursue it. The public at any rate will either flock or flee away from it for reasons of their own. The sky fascinates everyone. Nature unites regardless of culture. Tornado chasing will remain, but take on other forms similar to the ever evolving Orienta, Oklahoma tornado of 2 May 1981.

Before you view the attached video, please note that the thoughts and views presented are not necessarily those of the storm chaser or meteorology community at large or the United States of America.

Enjoy and keep up the great conversation! It's great to read and take in from time to time.

All the best!

Blake


BLAKE WILLIAM NAFTEL

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