D700 Update and Email Overload

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:31:02 -0500

Dear Friends,

The response to Nikon’s new D700 DSLR that I recently tested has been overwhelming. The JRP Web site alone has received nearly a million visitors during the first half of July. I’m receiving A LOT of daily email. I will try my best to respond to all of your questions and comments, but please be patient with me.

Colleagues and I have just begun to review, in detail, the relentless 2008 tornado season, and I’m still shooting. Your thoughts, good wishes, and questions are important to me. Given time, you will hear back!

Thanks for understanding!

-- Jim

Hurricane Season Off To Ominous Start

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:56:59 -0500

Jim Reed Photography is continuing to monitor the Atlantic. Hurricane Bertha (now T.S. Bertha) is already one of the earliest, strongest, and longest-lived hurricanes in July in the Atlantic Basin. New storms are showing signs of developing right behind it.

This type of activity supports the concern that this will be an active hurricane season with a higher than average threat for a major land-falling storm. Be alert. Be ready.

To learn more about hurricanes, JRP recommends the following Web sites: Weather Underground. HurricaneTrack.com, and The National Hurricane Center.

The Secret Assignment: Nikon’s D700

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 01:45:11 -0500

Dear Friends,

Today, Nikon announced it’s newest FX-format digital SLR, the D700. Shortly after the new year, I was asked to test the durability of the camera and gladly accepted. The catch? I could not talk about it. Now I can -- and happily so! I worked covertly with the camera April 3-May 31, 2008, -- 105 days, 8,830 miles, and more than 200 severe weather warnings, and I can honestly say, this is a terrific camera.

I write about the D700 here. You can also preview fifteen images I captured with the D700 by clicking here. Nikon also has a Web site page dedicated to the camera which includes my images and video of me in action. You can view that by clicking here.

With the record-setting 2008 storm season and my work with Nikon concluding, I will soon begin to catch up on hundreds of emails. This has been an extraordinary year for me, on so many levels.

My very special thanks to Nikon for allowing me to test a pre-production camera -- and to my 2008 storm chasing team: Robin Lorenson, Katherine Bay, and Mike Phelps, and to all of you for being patient with me! :)

-- Jim

Storm Chaser Honored as Notable Book

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:32:42 -0500

“Storm Chaser: A Photographer’s Journey,” by extreme weather photographer and author Jim Reed, has been selected as a 2008 Kansas Notable Book.

The Kansas Notable Books list was created to recognize literary richness. It is a project of the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas. The annual selection of fifteen books reflecting Kansas cultural heritage features high quality titles with a wide public appeal.

A committee considered the universe of eligible books published in 2007 and met over the course of several months to evaluate and discuss titles. The culmination of the committee’s work was a recommended list presented to the State Librarian, Christie P. Brandau, for final decision.

Previous recipients include, “A Hungry Heart: A Memoir” by Gordon Parks; “Words of a Prairie Alchemist” by Denise Low; and The Kansas Field Guide for Explorers” by Marci Penner.

2008 recipients will be recognized with a medal of honor by Governor Kathleen Sebelius this September. An additional reception will be held on Friday, September 26, 2008 in Lawrence on the eve of the River City Reading Festival.

Reed, who is currently on assignment, received word of his honor from State Librarian Brandau, and Roy Bird, Director of Kansas Center for the Book.

“I’m extremely honored to receive this Notable Book award,” said Reed. “Kansas has played a critical role in my progress as a photographer and writer.”

To view a full list of 2008 recipients, and to learn more, please click here.

NOAA Forecasts More Extreme Weather

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:47:37 -0500

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just announced a scientific assessment by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program telling everyone to prepare for extreme weather to increase in frequency and strength.

“I’ve been trying to warn family and friends for years,” says extreme weather photographer Jim Reed. “We should be concentrating our daily efforts on adapting to and preparing for significant weather challenges.”

In Reed’s newest book, “Storm Chaser: A Photographer’s Journey” (Abrams, New York, 2007), the award-winning author writes, “America has reached a critical crossroads with respect to our planet’s extreme weather challenges... To prevent self-made disasters, we must first respect the writing on the wall: future weather hazards will be exponentially harsh, future weather hazards will be greater in number, and future weather hazards will be more abrupt.”

Jim Reed Photography is proud to work hand-in-hand with a variety of extraordinary organizations and climate programs, including NOAA, The World Meteorological Organization, National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center, American Meteorological Society, and many more.