an eventful Year - 2016 year in review

If one were to only pay attention to social media they would think that 2016 was the most awful year known to man.  As for myself, I was pleased with the way the year went and had a lot of exciting things happen along the way and had some photos to show for it as well. So, without further ado I'd like to take a look back at what was an eventful 2016 for Southern Plains Photography.

Events
I never thought it would happen in a million years, but early 2016 saw me walk away from a good paying full time job to focus my time on weather and landscape photography.  The seeds were planted a couple of years ago but through hard work, long hours and dedication to my goal I made the leap and haven't looked back.  If there's one achievement other than getting married and having kids that I'll look to the rest of my life with pride it's this one.

Tornadoes
It was a great year overall for capturing shots of tornadoes, and I was lucky enough to be there for most of it although I did miss a couple of important events.  I'm a little bummed that I missed the beautiful Wray, CO tornado that everyone and their dog seemed to get, and I missed the powerful Wynnewood tornado in May.  On the flip side, I got to witness every single tornado that the Dodge City, KS storm produced...such a historic event.  It made up for everything I'd ever missed out on before.  Here are some photos of tornadoes I captured this season:

Eva, Oklahoma - April 15th, 2016

Felt, Oklahoma - May 16th, 2016.

Dodge City, Kansas - May 24th, 2016.

Dodge City, Kansas - May 24th, 2016

Dodge City, Kansas - May 24th, 2016

Storm Structure
2016 also saw some of the most extraordinary storm structure and it made for some unforgettable scenes.  Leoti, Kansas on May 21st in particular stood out for its incredible look and I was lucky enough to be there.  Chases in Colorado with linear storms as far as the eye could see yielded incredible views, and meanwhile just down the road from my house I'd get to capture one of my best photos of the year.  Here are the highlights from my (non-tornadic) weather adventures.

Leoti, Kansas - May 21st, 2016.

Leoti, Kansas

Walsh, Colorado - June 13th, 2016

Yukon, Oklahoma - May 13th, 2016.

Places
It was such an incredible year to travel different places and get the opportunity to shoot some iconic scenes and not be rushed to move on.  I traveled to northern Arizona and saw Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and set my eyes upon the Grand Canyon for the first time.  I made my way to eastern Utah and shot Delicate Arch and spent time in Canyonlands National Park.  I spent a full week in the Grand Tetons letting my camera feast upon the most beautiful scenery in the world.  I also spent plenty of time in Rocky Mountain National Park, drove slowly over the Million Dollar Highway in southern Colorado, hung out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and relaxed on the white sands of the Emerald Coast near Destin, Florida. All in all I visited 18 different states in a 12 month period.  I have quite a few more on the list for 2017.  Here are some shots I caught along the way:

Monument Valley, AZ/UT

Horseshoe Bend - Page, AZ

Delicate Arch - Arches National Park, Utah

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Longs Peak in Colorado.

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

These are just the highlights of what was an incredible year.  I could go on endlessly but it's time to look forward to an active 2017 with so many places to see and photograph ahead.  Thanks to everyone for their support, including my incredibly supportive wife and kids.  It's not easy being gone to spend time in these beautiful places but knowing that I have their support makes it all worthwhile.  Here's to a great year that was, and to even bigger things ahead!