About Me
My name is Alister Chapman and I am a professional TV cameraman, editor and producer with a passion for extreme weather.
As well as producing programmes for International broadcasters such as National Geographic, I run an Extreme Weather stock footage library, take the media, journalists and the public on storm chasing expeditions and run several weather related web sites. I have appeared on TV many times, been on national radio and featured in many magazine and newspaper articles.
While I have no professional meteorological qualifications I have a good understanding of Meteorology, especially severe storms, tornadoes and hurricanes. I make my own forecasts and plan my own severe weather intercepts. I understand how and why storms form, how to forecast them and I know where I need to be to get the best pictures.
My years of storm chasing experience keeps me safe in what can be a very dangerous environment. Storm chasing should not be undertaken by the inexperienced, Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Lightning are all killers.
Why chase storms? This is a question I am often asked, there are many reasons but the main reason is that in our modern, safe lives there is little time for true adventure.
When I am out trying to find that perfect storm to film I never really know just what I’m going to see or where I am going to end up. At the drop of a hat, just because the forecast data looks good I have jumped on planes, flown across oceans, driven hundreds of miles in the hope of finding some of natures most extreme conditions. Not every trip is a success, the weather is hard to predict, but when I get it right and come face to face with a huge storm producing torrential, flooding rain, giant hailstones, incredible lightning and ferocious tornadoes my heart pounds and the adrenalin flows.
I feel privileged to have seen and felt the awesome power of nature close up and I hope my pictures and video help to share that feeling of wonder I get every time I experience a big storm.
