Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Metz.
Hi Melanie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born to chase tornadoes, just as some people are born to sing or become doctors. I’ve always been drawn to the storm, wanting to understand it, watch it and feel it. Standing in the wind of a passing supercell is where I truly come alive. By following my passion, I hope to inspire others to live their dream and reach for the sky.
I have had a passion for storms since I was a young girl living in Arizona, where I would stare in awe with my father at the incredible lightning shows. I would also often dream about tornadoes, and in the dreams, I was always looking for shelter. Despite the element of fear, I was very curious and drawn to see a tornado in real life.
As I entered high school, photography became my other love. I was the yearbook photographer and learned the details of SLR cameras as well as developing film and photos in the darkroom. Wow, have things changed! I love the digital photography era. Now I can shoot thousands of more images in one day!
Just before my 16th birthday, I saw my dad one last time before an accident that put him in a coma for 13 yrs. That day he said to me “YOU can do anything you want to do!” Those words stuck with me and gave me the strength and courage to follow my dream to document storms, despite how crazy it seemed.
I began actively chasing storms and tornadoes after earning my B.S. in Chemistry and Biomedical Science. I also studied meteorology and photography. Finally, after wrapping up coursework, I was ready to get in the field and chase. I reached out to a few people at the University of Oklahoma, where I was dreaming of attending grad school. I asked one of the Doppler On Wheels (DOW) Team research members if I could tag along for their next deployment, and they said YES!! The crew let me come along. I was overjoyed. And thus began my first real experience chasing storms with experts.
I have been on the road with my camera every spring for over 20 years now. Outside of the storm season, I have also worked as a Wedding & Portrait Photographer, Chemist, Corporate Manager, Foster Care Provider, and Massage Therapist.
During my earlier years of chasing storms, I partnered with Peggy Willenberg. Together, we became known as the “Twister Sisters” with a reality TV show on the WE Network. We also worked as Chasers for FOX 9 News in Minneapolis, taught NWS Skywarn classes and did many severe weather presentations for various audiences, including “Girls in Science” for FOX 9. Peggy and I hosted storm tours as well, to help others learn how to chase and witness the power and beauty of severe weather.
For the past several years I have been living my dream as a solo storm chaser, as Melanie Metz Storm Chasing. I work to capture the power and beauty of the storm on film as best I can! When I am in the field, I also report storm features to the National Weather Service as needed, to help them determine when warnings should be issued. I have been working hard to build my YouTube Channel and other social media platforms as a way to share my passion with the world and to help fund this expensive hobby. I consider myself to be a content creator. I absolutely love editing photographs and videos I capture in the field! I also sell my video footage to networks during the storm season. My work has been featured on National Geographic Television, The Weather Channel, ABC, CBS, FOX, WE TV “Twister Sisters”, Outside Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Weatherwise, and Restless Skies. I am also the official photographer for the tornado used on the Movie Cover & Poster for 13 Minutes, released in theaters on October 29th, 2021.
In 2021, I joined the NFT community and have been building my NFT Storm Photography portfolio on OpenSea, Foundation and soon on Sloika. I have made some NFT sales which really helps fund my passion. I am excited to share that one of my Storm NFT Photographs was chosen by the President of TIME magazine, Keith Grossman, to be part of the gallery at the upcoming NFT Liverpool event in England.
I recently partnered with Girls Who Chase (GWC), founded by Jennifer Walton. GWC is an initiative to elevate the content and voices of female & female-identified storm chasers. The mission is to empower and inspire girls & women to pursue the sciences, weather, and their passions. I am so excited to be part of this mission! I hope to set an example and help other women realize they have all the strength within them to do what they want to do and take the World by storm!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Following my passion to document storms has definitely not been a smooth road! Not only is it a constant challenge to forecast and target the best storms to photograph, but life also offers many obstacles along the way.
The biggest struggle has been finding the balance between work, health and my passion. I would definitely love to make a sustainable income from chasing storms, but that is a difficult goal to accomplish. Also, the joy I find in chasing and photographing storms might be diminished if it became a full time job.
Chasing storms requires great flexibility in my schedule between the months of April and July. During most of the years I have chased, I have also had a full time job, often working for another company as a chemist and Corporate manager. Thus, my time on the road was limited. I can only call in sick so many times, LOL!! For the past few years, however, I have had my own massage therapy practice. I limit my hours during the peak season so I have more time available for chasing. During the pandemic, I was able to be in the field documenting storms full time for the very first time in my life. I was spoiled with two full seasons of chasing! As a result, I ended up documenting 37 tornadoes in 2021. It was the best storm photography year of my entire 20 years of chasing.
For several years, between 2012 and 2016, I had to deal with very limiting health issues related to my digestion and heart. Doctors were never able to diagnose the issue, or find solutions. All my blood tests would come back “normal”. I had to quit my higher income job as a Corporate Manager and focus solely on my spiritual and healing journey in order to find my own road to recovery. I was forced to rest, reflect and find more balance in life. This means less time on the road chasing storms as well. I still made it out for a few amazing chases, but it was very difficult to be in the car for more than a few hours, much less a few days. This health journey was one of my greatest struggles on my journey. But it was also one of my biggest lessons about balance, self-care and self-love.
Chasing storms comes with a long list of challenges alone! As I mentioned, the biggest challenge is attempting to accurately forecast where and when the most photogenic storms are going to develop. Sometimes the forecast models show data that support the most epic, beautiful supercell setup, but at the end of the day you don’t see a single storm because the cap was too strong. Honestly though, this is what keeps me going. Every chase is different. Some days I nail the forecast and capture the best footage ever. Other days it’s a total bust. I love a good challenge. It keeps me coming back for more.
One of the biggest limiting factors can also be money. Documenting severe weather is an expensive hobby, especially if you want to keep up with the latest and greatest photography equipment. Not only is the camera gear expensive, but the cost of computers and hard drives to keep up with editing 4K or 8K video adds up fast. Not to mention the cost of gas and hotel rooms, which are both currently ridiculous.
On a personal note, being on the road often can put a strain on personal and family life. When I was on the road more the past couple years, I really felt like I missed out on special days and weeks on the lake, in the sun, enjoying life with family and friends. There is a balance that needs to be found.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
During my years of chasing and documenting severe weather, I am most proud of setting and example and leading the way for other young women to find the confidence to pursue their passion for storms, photography or weather. Storm chasing has historically been very male dominated. When I began my work in the early 2000’s with Peggy Willenberg as the “Twister Sisters”, there were only a handful of women in the field. Through our public speaking and media appearances (Twister Sister show, National Geographic, etc), we were able to reach many other girls and women across the Globe. It is the most rewarding feeling when other women share with me how much I inspired them and helped them to find their way in the world of weather and storm chasing. It is more than I ever hoped for. Not only have I heard this from women, but also men. It is always an honor to know that I have inspired others to have the courage to walk their path of passion simply through doing what I love.
More recently, I am very honored to be working with Jennifer Walton on the “Girls Who Chase” initiative (GirlsWhoChase.com), to continue the mission to inspire and empower girls & women to pursue the weather, the sciences and their passions. We work to elevate the content and voices of female and female-identified storm chasers. Oftentimes, women are still over-looked in this field, or don’t have the confidence to step forward and share the incredible work they are doing and creating. We want to help women rise in their power and find their passion.
On a more personal note as a storm chaser and photographer, my biggest accomplishments have included being featured on the reality show “Twister Sisters” on WE TV, participating in the National Geographic Special “The Tornado Hunters”, and being selected as the official photographer for the movie cover & poster of “13 Minutes”, released in theaters on Oct 29th, 2021.
I am also very proud to be part of the NFT Community, where I have connected with incredible artists and collectors worldwide. It has been an amazing journey with such a supportive global community. NFTs are the way of the future for artists. We are just getting started in the web3 era. It was a huge honor when one of my NFTs was recently selected by the President of TIME Magazine, Keith Grossman, to be displayed in a gallery as part of the NFT Liverpool event in England on April 26th, 2022.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The impossible becomes possible when you listen to your heart and follow your true calling. Listen to your intuition, your inner voice. Don’t let others discourage you. Remember, as my father once said, you can do anything you want to do.
Contact Info:
- Email: melanielmetz@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.melaniemetzstormchasing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniemetzstormchasing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melaniemetzstormchasing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetzStormMedia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelanieMetzStormChasing
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/girlswhochase
Image Credits
Melanie Metz
Jennifer Brindley
