It took Mike Olbinski 4 years of failed attempts before he actually got his dream: on June 3rd he and Andy Hoeland managed to capture an unworldly time-lapse video of a rotating supercell thunderstorm near Booker, Texas.
Even though the chase started off from the wrong side - north - the two storm chasers took their chances and actually drove through storm system to the other side of it. The risk paid off, and Mike could film the cloud formations with his Canon 5D Mark II and Rokinon 14mm 2.8 lens.
"There are no words really to describe the moment we saw this storm. Seeing something like this has been a longtime goal of mine. This was my fourth year chasing in the plains and I’ve never come CLOSE to this kind of structure. Pictures don’t do it justice. This was with a 14mm lens. It seems like it’s far away and safe, but in reality it was crazy close and we were ready to bail at any moment," says Mike.
How does it feel to finally get what you've been seeking for? "When I finally had all the cameras going and sat back to just take it all in…tears filled my eyes. I yelled with joy at the top of my lungs, I gave Andy a big hug, thanking him for picking this spot almost a week before as our target location. It was a magnificent moment." Make sure you watch the footage full-screen and in HD!