“I was photographing awful things like weddings and babies and plates of French fries and pickles and stuff like that.”
That’s what photographer, storm chaser, and star of Netflix’s Tornado Hunters Greg Johnson jokes his life as a photographer was like before he happened to fall into taking pictures of sublime weather phenomena.
At the end of November, Johnson will bring what he has learned to the Pembina Valley for a crash course on photography.
Extensive experience on the ground
For Johnson, the transition to taking pictures of the weather was linked to the prairies.
“I moved out to the prairies from Ontario in 1995 and I'd never seen an honest . . . thunderstorm before,” he says. “I've experienced weather and storms and stuff, but there's something about the prairies. You can see that thunderstorm coming from 100 kilometres away. It's to the west, and it's coming across the landscape, and that's something that you only get on the prairies. I was just totally into it right from the first one that I saw.”
Following this introduction, Johnson had the opportunity to take photos of the weather for “a few bucks” beginning in 2009.
“It wasn't something that I consciously made a decision to do, but it turns out that everyone in this country, I mean, I think everyone around the world is fascinated and impacted by weather,” he says, adding that lately, whether it’s hurricanes and tornadoes or comets and aurora, people are fascinated by looking up — and they want to capture it on film.
Over the years, travelling through Canada, the US, and even across seas has provided Johnson with a unique education. He’s now teaching it to the communities on his circuit.
His first lesson is for anyone wondering how to capture pictures of tornadoes safely.
“Here’s the safety part of the course: Don’t go after tornadoes,” he says.
Simplifying the process
What he does strive to teach, however, is how to use one’s camera “properly,” regardless of the situation.
“If I can do it in high-stress, high-pressure environments where it's windy and stuff is flying around, and I can simplify the process of the camera to the point that I can get good quality images in that environment — if I give you that same toolset when you're out photographing your kid's hockey game or you're trying to photograph birds, [you’ll be able to get good shots],” he says. “We . . . put [those same skills] in the hands of somebody who's shooting something that's maybe not quite as stressful.”
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Johnson says his “procedure” for photography is overall straightforward. He aims to demystify the camera.
“The problem with the cameras is that they feel overwhelming. They feel too complicated, so we all end up pulling our phone out to do the photo,” he says. “But my camera can take, and your camera can take way better images than . . . the cell phone.”
Dust off that camera
Johnson says his course is for anyone interested in photography, but especially those who have started down the path only to have come away discouraged.
“In general, I'm targeting anybody who's sort of tried using the camera and has ended up putting it in the closet somewhere [where] it's collecting dust in a bag,” he says. “They’ve spent good money on it, they tried to figure it out for themselves, and they had limited or no success at it. That's the primary audience.”
The photographer says he is also looking for people who are not using their camera to its full potential, those who aren’t using manual mode, or those who just can’t seem to capture desired subjects in the way they imagine.
“We've had an incredible year of aurora. If you own one of these cameras and you haven't got a picture of aurora yet, you need to come out to this workshop because I'm going to show people,” he says. “Whether you're a pure beginner or you've been using the camera for a while, everyone's going to walk out of there knowing how to shoot in the middle of the night in the dark. If you can do that with these cameras, there's nothing else on earth that you can't do.”
Johnson’s 2-day class takes place in Winkler on November 28th and 29th at the Days Inn meeting room. The course runs 9–4 on both days, and registration can be found here.
With files from Connie Bailey