Storm Before the Podcast Episode 21: Storm Chaser/Photographer Alina Cooper

In this engaging interview, Weather enthusiast and storm chaser Alina Cooper shares her journey into severe weather, storm photography, and her aspirations to become a hurricane hunter. Discover her passion for storms, insights into storm chasing, and her experiences with the storm community. Join us as Alina Cooper shares her journey from a novice storm chaser to a confident weather enthusiast. Discover her experiences at the Storm Chaser Summits, her inspiring advice for newcomers, and her breathtaking photography of lightning, rainbows, and mountains.

keywords storm chasing, weather photography, hurricane hunter, severe weather, storm community, storm chasing tips, storm photography, hurricane, thunderstorms, weather enthusiast storm chasing, weather photography, storm chaser summit, lightning, tornado, hurricanes, weather community, female storm chasers, storm photography, meteorology

Transcript

0:26

welcome back to another storm before the calm podcast. I am your host, Lori Grace Bailey. And today I have storm chaser friend Alina Cooper. She is an 18 year old storm chaser from Lakeland, Florida. Hope I got that right. She reports on severe weather when it's near mostly hurricanes and thunderstorms. She's also an editor, photographer, and content creator. Welcome, Alina. Glad to have you on the podcast. awesome to be here! But yeah, like you said, um, yeah. a whole bunch of stuff and I see a bunch of stuff behind you. What's that stuff all about? So this is what I call my weather wall. And basically, since I started out storm chasing and joining the community, have put pictures and collections of things that I've done or collected along my time in the community. I have that neon sign up there. I've got this hail hat from Matthew Cappucci. I've got some stuffed animals up there that are like clouds and stuff. And then lots of pictures from Chaser Summit and know, Josh Morgan's hurricane party. So lots of different experiences up there. You have met a lot of big famous people. I see a picture of Reed up there also. that a signature or is it an autograph? up there. That was the first thing that ended up on the wall when I first met him three years ago, I think. Nice. Isn't it cool to meet these people that you look up to and they're just like the coolest people ever? Yeah, it's always crazy because I go up to these people and I'm scared to talk to them and you talk to them and they're so chill and I'm just like, wow, you're actually real? Wow. Yeah. Yes, for sure. earth got to interview Brandon Copic a few weeks ago and he's just the coolest guy, you know, honestly You can tell when you're watching the live stream it's really nice when people are who they say they are When you're watching their you know their life on the internet and then you meet them in person or you get to talk to them offline a little bit and you're like Hey, that wasn't any different of who I thought that person was, which is a good thing. Has that been your experience coming into the Storm Chaser community? Yes, for sure. Everyone I've met so far has been really down to earth and pretty much exactly how I imagine them to be over social media and stuff. Well, we had Lucy Young on the podcast recently, Alina. Are you all friends or how did you all come to? Because I've seen like, you know, I've seen interactions online with you guys talking to each other kind of thing. Yes. So me and Lucy are actually like best friends. I was calling her right before this podcast. She was hyping me up a little bit. Um, but I met her in 2024, believe in like November and we've been talking a lot, uh, really close. Every time she comes down here, we hang out. Uh, the chaser's summits are always fun and we kind of have this, a friend group that I would, I don't want to like give all the credit to like myself, but when, when I started, I had this group of like four people and it's kind of just expanded throughout the years. So like first year was like four people and then it grew to like 20 and now it is like every young meteorologist aspiring storm chaser in the community. Weather nerd, yep. Nerd, yep. So how long has this been then? let's go back a little bit because you're doing a lot of stuff. You know, the storm chasing, you love taking photos. We're actually going to share a couple of those in a little bit, But how did you fall in love with storms? know, why are you so How did you come to be a water vapor lover? I love that. So when I was in second or third grade, I went to my school library and I love to read. So I wanted to try and read something a little different than what I had been previously reading. I don't know what it was, but severe weather struck out to me. There was this book series called I Survived and I picked up a book, I think about the Japanese tsunami or Hurricane Katrina. And I was just in love with it. I was like, I need more of these books. So would actually ask my librarian to order more books. Like, I know this book is coming out this year, and I need you to get it so I can read it. You're like, just read about death and destruction, can you give me more? Wow. yeah, so and then throughout the years, I wasn't really allowed on social media at a young age. So I kind of just kept the passion alive through watching YouTube videos of tornadoes and stuff. I didn't really know who anybody was. So after the fact, after I joined Twitter and whatnot, I realized, these are the videos I've been watching and these are the people who recorded them. And they actually like are people. And these aren't just videos that ended up on the Internet somehow. Yeah, there are everyday people getting after it who have also developed a similar passion for watching and learning all about it, right? You know, we definitely don't like the destruction, but it is intriguing to find out how powerful extreme weather is. But then to understand that we're not crazy for not only wanting to marvel at nature's awesomeness and intensity, right? But we also want to find other people that are like that, that maybe learn to get close to it and talk about it. It's a passion. How did you find that that passion start to start? it because of the books or was it because you started to finally meet people that were kind of like you as well? I think it was mostly just the books, but my parents have always been interested in severe weather too, especially my dad. When we were younger, hurricanes and stuff, we would always track those and it was always, we call them hurricane parties down here. Whenever one goes to like one house, we all eat junk food and just wait for the hurricane to pass. Yes, I was born in Tallahassee actually, but we moved down to Lakeland when I was one year. or three, three years old, I think. What is wrong with you people that live on a peninsula that just invites, you know, we're not talking small tornadoes, we're talking multiple hundred mile wide hurricanes. I have told people, you know, I see a lot of storm chasers that are hurricane hunters. Is that something you aspire to be in the near future? No. hunter. Flying into hurricanes just sounds so interesting to me. I don't mean to diss you because for me that is out of the question. I just think it's way beyond my pay grade. I would say just to, to, joke about it, but I mean, you're even wearing a, an OAA hurricane hunter shirt. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, so actually I got this shirt at an air show last year that I went to. NOAA had a booth there because they fly out of that airport, the Lakeland airport. They have a hub there. So they had a little booth and they were selling, you know, merch, stickers and cups and shirts. And I was like, I have to get a shirt and a cup. Very cool. Would you actually do that? Is that something like we'll probably get into that a little bit later about, you know, what you want to do with your life. But is that if they just told you this coming year, hey, Alina, you want to you want to ride in the jump seat on the Hurricane Hunter as we go fly into the eye of a hurricane? Would you do that? my goodness. I don't know if I could do that. I'd probably be like, yeah, if you all just give me the biggest barf bag because of all the bumps and stuff. I remember when Matthew Cappucci went on last year and he was getting sick a lot on the flight because it was so bumpy. That would be me. So in addition to hurricane hunting, have you done any storm chasing too? Very minimal because a lot of my storm chasing comes from just the storms coming here because in Florida we get a lot of thunderstorms and hurricanes naturally so I don't really have to do a whole lot of chasing but the only thing that I have chased so far this year is snow believe it or not where I had to drive all the way to St. Pete for snow flurries on the coast and it actually did snow it was really cool. really? That's wild. We haven't had too much snow out here in Arizona and in West Texas. We had a couple of dustings, but that's normal, like a couple of times a year. hurricanes though, have you actually had to, you said you guys do hurricane parties, but have you really had to hunker down like, oh no, this could be a big one? I think was it last year or the year before there was a major hurricane that spawned 30 something tornadoes and there were You know, there's a lot of these videos where I think even a read was chasing down there, but there was tornado warnings after term was, was that the area where you were? Um, I wasn't down south where the tornadoes were. They kind of stopped like as soon as they got to where I live, which I'm grateful for because I don't necessarily want tornadoes while I'm also dealing with a hurricane. Uh, but I know that was Hurricane Milton from 2024 and that was the last hurricane we really had here because last year we didn't get hit with anything. I don't think any of the U.S. got hit with a hurricane last year, so it was very quiet for us. you know, that's a good thing, right? We don't want the severe weather to actually cause damage or destruction or, you know, loss of life. That's the last thing we want. We can still be fascinated by it though, huh? I mean, I don't know. That's something that even as a kid, back in the day, you know, when you've probably seen the old video camcorders that, you know, the over the, you're, The old pops would be running around with the giant, yeah, it's coming kids, get to the basement. And then the old DVDs or the VHS tapes and you would be like, Harold, get in the basement. And the guy's like, I'm coming. And the next thing you see is just the house just gets totaled. It's like, I was fascinated as a kid back then. then Twister, have you seen, what do you think of those kinds of movies? Did those get you excited too when you see Twister or Twisters? I'm not gonna lie, when I was younger, I watched Twister and it scared me a lot, actually. And it kind of made me realize like, wow, these are, these can be really dangerous into a young kid. I mean, I didn't realize how, you know, compared to now the graphics were, you know, not extremely realistic. But when I was little, I was like, wow, this looks really real. did this actually happen? And it kind of scared me, especially like the beginning of the movie. was a little sad for me. was like, no. little PTSD right off the get go, know, watching her dad get sucked out. Spoiler alert, if you haven't seen Twister, you do not need to be watching this podcast, that's for sure. Watch Twister first. Definitely. So you would say that you started to develop a passion for extreme weather and storm photography. So how did you start falling in love with even photography? When was the first time you had a camera? are you just using, by the way, people tell me that, I can't chase because I just have an iPhone or a cell phone. And I tell people, man, you can fall in love. If I were your age and if I was 16 back in the day, and I had something like an iPhone that takes iPhone quality, man, I would, I would totally be, you know, tell me a little bit about that. How did you, how did you develop a passion for just wanting to capture life? started one. I don't think I actually finished it, but I did start one and they had us go around and take pictures of fruits and you know, the grass, the sun sometimes and I really liked doing that. So I just kind of kept that going and mostly was taking pictures of wildlife like flowers or bunnies, my pets even anything that I could find. And then once I started storm chasing, I started with time lapse videos because I've always loved time lapse videos. are just, they're so cool. So I have time lapse videos of clouds in my backyard. was like, I just love watching clouds form. That is so cool. And then I would also for lightning, it took me a little while to really get the guts to go outside in a lightning storm and record some stuff. But I really like the slow motion. videos with lightning so every time we get a storm Mm-hmm. You know, in Florida, Florida actually has more lightning on average than any other state in the nation. I mean, because of that effect, you know, the heat and then, of course, the moisture comes in off of both sides from the Gulf and from the ocean. And then you get these daily thunderstorms. That must be so cool. so Alina, you said that you still have this passion for photography. Is that something you wanna carry through with you in your future adventures? I mean, yeah, for sure. love lightning photography, especially. I find it very rewarding once you really get that lightning strike and it's just right there. And especially with nice structure storms as well. They just look so good. And I love editing photos too, just making them look super crisp and colors. And it's just so fun. I'm smiling from ear to ear now because you said you love lightning photography, you know, kind of like, you know, by the way, this is it is my thing. Like I'm like, I'm already thinking, OK, how can we get Alina out here to the Arizona desert to capture lightning during the monsoon? It would just boggle your mind to see how big and beautiful the lightning gets here. But this is by the way, here's my T-shirt. I always have tons of T-shirt. This is how you how you. Spell lightning folks and I get it all the time. This is lightening. There is no E. Lightning with us with the getting struck, which I have been. This is lighting, know, a ray of sun coming across you. And then this is the lightening. Like your body is, you know, coming out of a tomb after three days and you're going up to heaven. That's the, you you're lightening up. Anyways, ah I know, I know, dumb shirt. I did, I did back in, what was it, 1998. I was on duty working a job out in, in, in the desert and two people that were in my custody got to see me just this bright white light just consumed me. was, I've told the story a thousand times of people, when people ask me to say it was a revolting experience, but it's because of the volts but I'll share that story some other time. But yeah, so you like to take, actually like to capture lightning photography or lightning. What's the method that you actually try to do it? You put it on a tripod and all that. Yeah, so I have a few different methods. It depends on the storm and what time of day and what I have around me. So a lot of times I will take my phone and just take a video of lightning and then go back afterwards and basically screenshot it and find it. And then sometimes I will use my actual camera and I bought an intervalometer like two years ago to try and get the lightning so I don't have to like stand there and click the button the whole time. ah So we need to get you a lightning trigger, right? We need to get you a device. Let me reach over here. We need to get you one of these, Alina. This is the Bolt Hunter. It's coming out pretty soon. Anyways, this, you attach it to your camera. What kind of camera do you have? the Canon Rebel T7. Ooh, I think it will work with that. So we'll have to talk offline about that. yeah, you know, it's it's tricky, right? That's how I started capturing lightning was was the old, you know, fire whole bunch of times trick. But as as night falls, as the at the end of the day, right? Late in the day, you don't need anything, really. You can really just learn to extend your shutter, you know, get longer shutter speeds so that whatever happens in 10 seconds, 15 seconds, if there's a bolt. you can capture that so Yeah, what else are you doing right now? I mean, you just graduated, right? Or recently? Or was that? Are you? well, twice, technically. One in April and then in May. Okay, awesome. And what are your pursuits? know, what do you want to do? Like I want you you to, I want you to like think big and looking back at this video, maybe 10, 20 years from now, like what do you, what do you see yourself doing? I can honestly see myself doing a lot of things in the future. One thing I really wanted to do was just be a full-time storm chaser. And then I realized that it might not work out like that. And then I was like, there has to be another way I can storm chase and have it as a job. Kind of like what Matthew Gavucci does where he just storm chases for my radar. I would love to do that, honestly. That would be incredible. And then was thinking hurricanes. Honestly, it was after I went to Josh Morgerman's hurricane party last year that I realized that hurricanes are like, I just love hurricanes and hurricane hunters. I always love watching the planes fly out because I can see them from here and I take pictures all the time. so I'm like, yeah, I'm not exactly. Yeah. So I would love to be a hurricane hunter. That'd be goal, but that also requires a meteorology degree, which, you know, it depends on a lot of things if I end up going to college for that. So. Right, right. That requires a lot of calculus. requires, that's the kind of stuff that scares me the most is the math. But I have lots of friends that have done it. You know, they're not mathematically inclined and they still got through it. Yeah, I've heard you don't really use a whole lot of the math that you learn in your job, depending on what you do. If you're like a National Weather Service employee, you might, but if you're like a TV meteorologist or storm chaser, you don't really use it a whole lot. You just do it for the degree and the job opportunities that come with it. can you share one of your most memorable experiences, you know, even chasing locally or maybe it was the party, the hurricane party or something? What was one of the most fun or memorable? It doesn't even have to be fun. It could be scary or whatever. What was one of those most memorable experiences you've had? I'm gonna have to say Hurricane Milton was really a... It kind of refueled my passion honestly because it had been a long time since I had been hit with the eye of a hurricane like Hurricane Irma in 2017 I believe hit me. I got the eye of that but Milton was way stronger and it came at us like full force so that one sounded like our roof was gonna fly off. for hours and hours. And of course the hurricanes, always hit at night for some reason. So it's dark out, the power across the street keeps going out. So it's just dark and you hear all these like metal clanging sounds outside your house and your windows are boarded. But when the wind gets under the boards, it starts shaking them. And so it is, it is scary, but we had a lot of, we had some people here. with us, we just slept in the living room, kept all the doors closed because apparently that helps keep the pressure inside your house like tight rather than letting it flow through your whole house. It kind of keeps the roof on in a stuttering way, if that makes sense. Yeah, same with boarding your windows. It kind of does the same thing. If that works. For tornadoes, I don't know exactly how that would go. I feel like in that case, because of the sun pressure drop, would kind of just go. think it matters. think, yeah, in a tornado, you just need to find a, you just need, you just need protection. You need to get into a basement or the interior walls and pray for the best or try to drive away from it if you can, if you're on the road. Yeah, or get in a ditch if you're close to one that'd be the next option. Another thing was the hurricane, Hurricane Milton specifically was the tornado outbreak that was happening. were tornadoes everywhere. Of course, I was outside trying to look for them, but ah there was a time where one of them was very close and we actually did have hunkered down in our hallway. But in Florida, we can't have basements because the ground is too soft for that. And it would just sinkhole essentially. So we don't really have tornado sheltering here at all. So we just kind of hunger down with blankets and pillows and hope for the best. Yikes. Pay a very high insurance home insurance premium and hope for the best, I guess. I can't imagine what the home insurance is over there, but it's probably going to be high. I can imagine. Have there been times when you faced significant challenges or setbacks in your life? Yeah, especially earlier this year in January, I had a major surgery and I was down for two and a half, three weeks. So any motivation I had to really do anything at all was just gone because I couldn't, I wasn't allowed to get up by myself. Someone always had to be in the room with me to get me food, water, you know. So I can only imagine if that would have happened like during storm season that I would be pretty upset that I can't go out and check out the storms, but it was hard to keep the motivation. But after I was able to get up, it was just, I just felt like a new person, honestly. And I was like, you know what, let's go. I am healed and I can do this and let's get back at it like I was before. So you're generally kind of this person that's more on the optimistic side than it sounds like. You feel that internal drive? How did that affect you when you, like, was this the first time you've ever been to a Storm Chase Summit? No, I've, this is my third one this year, actually. So I went to the first one in 2024 in Texas. And then 2025 was in Kansas city. And then this year's was in Denver, Colorado. And next year they'll have it in Kansas city. I've already got my tickets and I'm, ready to go. Yep. Oh, that'll be my fourth one. And honestly, the Chaser Summit is, it happens at a good time of year because there's not a whole lot of storms happening. Now there are snow concerns, like in Kansas City, especially there was a lot of snow and it was, it was scary to not know if our flight would even land or take off because of snow. We actually did get our flight delayed out of Indianapolis after a layover for five hours. So we were kind of stranded there all night and didn't get back here until two o'clock in the morning. oh But the summit definitely keeps the passion going because you get to meet all these people before storm season. Everyone's all hype and you're just ready to go. So after the winter where, you know, not a whole lot happens storm wise, you know, then you go to the summit and just everyone is there because they don't have anywhere else to be. What's your experience been then since you've been to all three? Like I was telling Lucy when I got to see the, you know, the live stream, there's just more and more people going to this as well. But there are a lot of younger aspiring chasers moving up in the moving up to the big times, you know, so to speak, there's a lot of people that are finding their passion also, which is why I'm really glad that, you know, you're willing to come on to the podcast as well, because you've you've already seen three of these different these different conferences. three of these different years and you're going obviously to the next one. Boy, they need to, I need to put you in chart, know, we need to get you chatting with Edgar because you've already had this many experiences. There you go. Do you? That's exactly what I was gonna say. Edgar's such a cool guy too, by the way. Isn't he? Isn't he just the coolest? He is the coolest. He's so down to earth. Like, in his storm chasing videos sometimes, he will be just so hype. But when you actually talk to him, he is so just chill. So what was your experience? How has that changed since you've been to the summit? The first time you went, you were probably terrified. The second time you're like, hey everybody, I'm here. And then last year you were probably just gung ho and everything. But what about all those other people? Like what was your experience going from someone new to someone returning? like what's been your experience and is it getting better? And is it more inclusive or? So the first one I went to in Texas, obviously I was absolutely terrified. I only knew... I had only met two people who were there. Reid being one of them and then Nicholas Kresnablogy. He is a tornado damage crazy nerd. But I only met two people and so out of all the hundreds of people there, I was like, I don't know any of you. So I'm so sorry. And then these people, they would walk up to me and they would, and they'd be like, Oh my gosh, are you Alina Cooper? And I'm like, How cool. You are, I'm sorry. Like, yes, what's your name? And so I met a lot of people that way, made a few friends. And then those friends actually came with me to the next summit in 2025. And I was definitely a lot more comfortable that year, but there were a lot more people there next year. And obviously it was a different space. So what I'd been used to in the year before was not there again. And the setup itself had grown a lot. Like the first year. They didn't really have like, now they have like this massive screen behind every presenter. And when I went there, it was just like a TV and like this just like, it was very low key. and so yeah, last year it was, it was fun. That was when my friend group really started to grow a lot more and we hung out like the whole time, just talking to everybody and walking around. And then this year, I was the most comfortable I've ever been. I was walking around talking to everybody. I was like, Oh, hi guys, how's it going? Like, um, and. probably just would just sit in the corner and just like, Hi everybody. I know, I know here I am doing a podcast and people are like, what do mean you're an introvert? I'm introverted, especially in public, you know, just Yeah, for sure. now you've developed such a cadre of friends and connections. Even if they're not friends, you know so many other people and they know you obviously. That's such a cool feeling that you felt welcomed, especially as a female chaser, as a female weather enthusiast as well. you know, do you feel like there's finally more representation with more women that are getting involved in it? I do think that, yes. It started a lot with Adeline Spears when I first joined. She was really the only young girl I knew who was on there doing weather reports and stuff, but she inspired me a lot to start doing that along with, you know, Reid Timmer. And then over time, there had been more younger women that joined the community. And I just started making friends with all of them. Like, I love this. Yeah. We need more women in the community for sure. And so I always go and hype them up. I'm like, you go do your thing. If you need any help, let me know. What advice do you have to somebody else that hasn't gone to that? They're watching you and me speak, just having this conversation. I feel because of our friendship online, just a little bit that we've met on and chatted on Twitter or whatever. feel like I could just meet you and you're going to be the same person just like I talked about with Brandon Copic It's such a cool thing to be able to see you maybe at the next summit or something. But what about all those other people? You know there are a ton of people out there watching and they're just like, I could never open up. And maybe the young women out there too who want to be chasers and they just see it's predominantly male. What would you say to them as well? honestly, just if you feel that passion, just go for it. Honestly, there's a lot of times where you will go and make a video weather report or something and you're like, man, I did not do very well on this, but you know what? A lot of people truthfully don't really care. if you're just trying to portray the weather and tell everybody about it, people will love it. And honestly, that's kind of something I had to get through when I was younger and just. Just do it. Do it your way. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Definitely like listen to feedback, but don't take it like too personally. It's not that you're bad or anything like that. It's just obviously there's always room to grow no matter how skilled you are. So just, just go for it. Honestly. I love that. I love the fact that you know that you have that confidence. Have you always been someone with that confidence or how did you grow into that confidence? Because people like yourself and Lucy seem to me the exception and not the rule. know most of us are not that confident and but you're I'm looking and you're giggling because I know you're telling me you're like you're like it doesn't start that way Lori with any of us right? It doesn't start off with confidence. I have not always been someone who's confident. Honestly, there are days where I really just don't feel confident at all in what I'm doing. I'm just like, man, I am not going to get anywhere doing this. But honestly, I haven't been doing it for that long in perspective. It's only been like three years. So, you know, as you get older, you get more opportunities. You can start to drive. You can, you know, move, buy more things once you get jobs. So Life will come and help out a lot, but I would say most of my confidence actually came from the Chaser Summits. Just having a bunch of people who know you and will talk to you and share advice and stories and just feeling welcome in the community definitely helps a lot with confidence. But, you know, again, there are times where I just, I'm just like, I don't know. I don't really feel like, like I'm doing this right. So you admit that you're like the rest of us too. We all feel that even when we put ourselves out there, we feel like that rejection is going to come fast and swift, right? I I still feel that way like, totally. It can be very toxic. see you always bring, at least you do your best to try to bring about a spirit of positivity with your posts and trying to elevate other people and just You're trying to be that same person that you would take care of if you were your younger you, you would go up to that person and say, hey, Alina, going to be all right. Go for it, girl. Right? Yes, for sure. So what do you have on tap next as far as weather? Like what do you want to learn next? You do the lapses too. Do you have those? Have you posted those online? I haven't done any recently, so I haven't really had any posts, but when I first started out, I was posting them a lot more. Honestly, we haven't really gotten a whole lot of storms. So it's hard for me to like just take a lot of time lapses of clouds moving across the sky because it's like the same pretty much. But yeah, and one thing I wanted to say about social media, especially because that's pretty much where I sit. don't I haven't really made a mark in like the tornado community a whole lot because I have never seen a tornado before, surprisingly enough. just, Florida does not really get tornadoes a whole lot. ah I mean, what are the requirements for you to be called, you know, a storm chaser or weather enthusiast? I mean, if you get out and you enjoy it and you do something, does it really matter? mean, Yeah, I really don't think it does. feel like the storm chaser label, like there are a lot of younger kids who they want to be a storm chaser, but they've already gone in their backyard and looked at storms or they've driven in their mom's car and even just drove to like a nearby area just to go see the storm from a better spot. Like to me, that is storm chasing because that's how I've done it for the longest time. So, I mean, I really don't think you need 100 tornadoes under your belt to really be considered a storm chaser. If you've got the passion and you're going at it, I mean, it really matters. I totally agree. I'm not someone that gets so, hung up on semantics. I don't care what you call yourself. Honestly, it doesn't matter in the end. You know, I'm, I, I was just kind of a monsoon chaser for so many years, cause I finally started to chase my passion starting off here in Southern Arizona, you know, seeing that little, you know, that, that picture of lightning that I captured and wanting to lift others up and even wanting to just kind of carry that spirit about with you. Honestly, it started when I was really young. All of my friends, they would always just do things and I would be like, you know what, maybe that's not for me, but you do your thing and I will cheer you on because you know what, if that's what you like doing, do it. Was it parents or what do you credit for having that kind of character built into you? Honestly, my parents for sure were a big play in that because they always did the same for me. They always supported me in whatever I wanted to do. If I wanted to be a teacher, they would get me books or a whiteboard and I could pretend to play teacher. I mean, it was just always supportive. So I've always wanted to do the same for others who may not have that kind of support system like Lucy, for example, when she first started out, I was very, you know, guys go check out Lucy, look what she's doing, this is so cool. you know, obviously we became really good friends after all that. And so I love just shouting people out and because honestly it doesn't hurt me, I just, love doing it. It feels great to lift people up and celebrate stuff, especially like you said with your first tornado that you saw and people were like, oh, it's a bird fart. Like I would have been like, woo hoo, yeah, I saw a tornado. That's what I'm talking about. right. I just, I usually don't see the negative side of things at first though. It, you know, a lot of times there is no negative side to be seen because if you see a tornado, then that's amazing. And you saw one you chased, you got up that day and you went out and you did, you did your thing. So, you know, cheer on. to chase? Obviously it's in Florida since you're kind of not too mobile yet. Do you have plans maybe when you get some wheels and maybe getting out to the plains at some point? You want to get out there? Honestly, this year I really want to try maybe fly out to the plains and chase with like Edgar because he's inviting me on a chase out there and I would really just love to see a tornado this year. So whether it's with Edgar or my mom, I'd be like, what are you doing? Get back up. But yeah, right now Florida is of course that hurricanes just because I live down here, I've been more know, interested in hurricanes when I was little and then now of course. So I do want to get out there this year and try and chase a hurricane in Florida or along the coast somewhere. I don't want to drive like too far away but you know Mississippi or Louisiana, Alabama area I would I would go to try and intercept a hurricane. I can see you and Lucy chasing together. That would be such a phenomenal pair out on the plains. That would be so cool to see. I would love to do that with her more sometime. That'd be amazing. So Alina, I'd like to actually share a couple of your images that you shared with me. um Can you tell us a little bit about these images and run us by why these photos mean something to you? they might not be your best work, so to say, or so to speak, but they have a special meaning to you. So I'd love to know. your thoughts on this one as we go, as we take a look at this one. By the way, I do love lightning and rainbow. That's my favorite combo that I try to get when I'm chasing lightning. Okay, so with this one actually came a lot of the inspiration came from seeing your pictures and I put it on my bucket list I'm like I need to see lightning with a rainbow because Laurie's pictures are so amazing and I just have to see it So there was this one day last year There was this one day last year Yes, you and Jim tame hidden more lightning but you with the rainbow combo. was just like wow that's incredible I want to capture that so bad. And so last year there was I walked outside and there was this double rainbow and I went to go take a picture with my actual camera and there was lightning and I was like whoa I've never seen lightning with a double rainbow before. So I ran inside I grabbed my phone and then I ran back outside started taking slow motion videos of the lightning with the rainbow and this is one of the screen grabs I got from it and it's just I was just so excited. It is. one right in here. That's awesome. Yes, I love it. so cool. Gosh, and to know that, you aw, you, you know, me and Jim and I were responsible for that too. So this is a really great closeup of the blue angels. These guys are rocking, rocketing through the air. Yes. So with this one was at an air show last year, but every other year, I believe they switch out with a Thunderbird. So this year, the Thunderbirds will be here. But I've always wanted to get a picture of the Blue Angels with my actual camera, but taking pictures of jets moving really fast is really difficult. So thankfully they flew around a lot the days before the actual show and Hmm. picture and it's one of my favorites because I love the trail behind them and they just look so like they're in formation and it's just so cool. And honestly, I've loved the blue angels for the longest time. Yeah, you can see that you can see that they're even their helmets are, you know, you can zoom in and see friggin helmets. But and you see the, you know, the chemtrails in the back too, you know, chemtrails, contrails. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I bet people are going to see this and like, no, they exist and we're going to get the HAARPers and the, you know, I know me neither. I just blocked three people today, by the way, because they were like, oh, you got that thunderstorm in Arizona in March. You know, it's because of the weather modification. I was like, block. No, you don't get to share my photo with your friends. Sorry. It was totally goodbye. It a great shot though. Thank you. Got us a big bolt. yes, so this one I took two years ago. This was the first lightning picture that I got on my actual camera using the intervalometer. The sun was setting and I saw a lightning strike out of my window. It took me 30 minutes to an hour to see another strike and this was the strike and there were none, there were no others after that. that was, and I saw it. was, I was, yes, I was taking pictures. I got it and I was like, wait, did I actually get that? So I'm like going back in my camera because I took like a million pictures at a second and I'm like, tell me I got that. And then I looked, I was like, oh my gosh, I got it. And I was actually jumping around. I was very excited about that. And then I also edited this picture and it, I mean, to me, it doesn't look horrible. I was, I was taking after you again. was like, Lori edits her photos like this. So I should try and like, make them look kind of like that. it definitely looks a lot better than the original picture and the lightning kind of. and you brought some darkening. You added contrast and maybe some blacks. I actually learned that from John Surland, by the way. I've modified. I'm always doing my own, right? You I'm trying to do my own edits. And then I go back every year, I go back to my previous years and then I go, I don't like how I edited my photos back then. But last year I thought I was doing great. So I'm always changing my style. But, you know, I always wanted kind of that just a little bit of mood to it, right? And it was John Serlin that told me that, just bring in some blacks, know, add like on the black slider, bring it back, take it the other way, that, you know, negative and kind of help darken without going de-haze or too much contrast. And it just kind of creates more of a mood, right? Cause I'm sure all of this was, was a lot lighter because you're trying to capture, you know, the right exposure. Yeah. and that's what you do. Like the house isn't important. That's not the shot. What is the subject here? It's the lightning. But you also have the setting sun also in the background. That's kind of cool too. And you don't want to blow that either. Yeah, so you did great. I love it, you know? So calling it a Lori edit too, that's kind of, oh that's, I'm honored, you know? Cause honestly, for me, one of the best things not winning a trophy or not you know, speaking at this conference or whatever. One of the best things for me is when someone tells me they go, you know, you know, Lori, I saw this photo and the moment I saw it online, even before I looked at the name, I knew it was your photo. That was a Lori Grace photo. And I was like, are you serious? And many people have told me that. And I'm just like, yes, I want my own identity. I want my own photos. I want to be known for. you know, that that represents me when I'm editing, when I'm capturing the shot. So this is an Alina Cooper shot. So I love it. I love it. What about this, what we got here? so these are mountains. And the thing about this is I did edit this picture as well, just to try and bring out the mountains a little bit. But this was from the Chaser Summit this year. I have never seen a mountain before in my life. OK, so when I went to Colorado, I was like, wow, they are actually real. Like, and sometimes it's hard because you would think like something you've never seen before that. Other people, they would just know that that's that's real, like that they're here all the time, but they're not in Florida. We just have hills. So seeing a snow capped mountain was like. If it felt like a whole nother world, it was like, wow, and then the clouds above it were just so cool. was like, I've always wanted to see that. And honestly, that was great. So. And they happen to be a little lenticular there too. You got some lenticulars over the mountain. Also. and I was like, wow, those clouds, like are we seeing these clouds? You know, scene, scene mountains like here. I live in the Rockies, obviously in Arizona. And then I get to Colorado and I'm like, you do this. You're like, these are huge. They're really, really big out there. And I'd love to hike those sometime after I get back in shape, which I'm really desperately trying to get. But you know, this is a, this is a great picture. I love the blue, by the way, the, the edit. did something to the blue also. I think you maybe. Did you like decrease the luminance on that or increase? Do you remember what you did on the edit? I remember like tinting it in a kind of like a yellow way, but not like too much because I kind of wanted it to look rustic, but not extremely rustic. I just wanted it to have some color. So. It's actually perfect. This kind of tint of brown compared to the blue sky, it's really just, I don't know, it almost gives you kind of a film look. You know what I mean? Like using an old 35 millimeter color. You accomplish that. I think it's a really good balance between the brown and the blue and the skies and then the white. Well, thank you. it's a special shot too because you got to go there and who's this? Sorry, I'm looking over my microphone here. that's you. Hello. I just see legs. OK, maybe if I move the microphone so I can see it. There we go. Yeah, so this was last April. um, one of my neighbors was a hurricane hunter. Well, actually he still is, but he's not my neighbor anymore. Um, so one day we walked over the street and we talked to him and he gave my dad his phone number and we set up a, a tour, the hurricane center light, um, operation center visit and. I wasn't sure what planes would be there at the time because they go in and out for maintenance all the time and little trips and stuff. But we walked in this massive room and there is Kermit just sitting there and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is first of all, a lot bigger in person. And second all, like. Yes. Yeah, so the Hurricane Hunter planes, they name them after the Muppets. So this one is Kermit and then they have an identical one for Miss Piggy and then they have a jet for gongzo and i don't know if they named the other ones but those are the three that i know of um and they were kermit was here for maintenance and it was almost done and the hurricane hunter he walked up the stairs and was like i wonder if the door is unlocked and so he opens the door and we're like he's like you guys can come in i was like my gosh so i got to tour the inside of kermit uh i got to see all the seats the the front pilot seat and then the seat next to that and then the meteorologist seat, the data analysis seat. I was like, this is insane. And then in the back, they actually have beds that you have to like strap yourself into so you don't fly all over the place, kind of like in a spaceship. So that was just a crazy experience. Yeah, I would love to do that again. It is. Yes. You know, maybe if that's your dream to actually fly into a hurricane, maybe this is, you visualizing that, that would be so cool. Like I would love to see in, you know, X amount of years, all of a Who knows someday, right? I know you never know. Well, that has been amazing. Gosh, I love those photos. so as we wrap this up, Alina, I wonder what is next for you? What would you like to do next? you already have your ticket to the conference next year. Yes. Honestly, next, I would really like to get out there and start chasing for real hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, especially because I have a hail hat and I can't use it unless I find hail. you know, last year, actually, I saw my first hailstorm in my life. So 17 years of living pretty much in the same spot. And I've never seen hail before. And then a storm just came in and. I was like, this is insane and I need to see more of this. It's kind of scary. I'm not a fan of hail, by the way. It was small hail so it didn't do too much damage but it was, you know, the bigger it gets it's like, wow, okay. But yeah, I'd really like to get out there and chase a hurricane and I've been doing a lot of editing actually, like video editing and photo editing for a lot of different people actually, Edgar being one of them. cool. Yeah, so just. your hands in a lot of different things then. That's awesome. Yes. So, know, if one thing doesn't work out and I actually start to like, or well, I actually do like everything I do, but, know, if I like this one thing, like editing, then I can take that and run with it. I just keep going and, you know, grow it and just until it becomes my job, essentially. I love that. So Alina, it's been really great getting to know you a little bit more. How do other people find you? What's your social media? So we can put that down right here underneath, you know, so people can find you. so my social media on everything is JustStormChasin not with a G, just an N, and that's it. Just Storm Chasin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Blue Sky, everything. Holy cow, so you have a whole bunch of social media accounts. I only know of your Twitter one. I'll have to go follow all the other stuff, the Instagram and all that stuff. Awesome. So there you have it. Is there anything that you would want to say to that, to someone who found themselves kind of mired in the negativity and they want to come out of that? They need a friendly voice or a friendly word What would you say to those people and how would you encourage them to get out of that? Honestly, I would recommend starting with just taking a step back from social media, maybe either limiting your screen time on it, just so you're not constantly what people consider doom scrolling, but or just scrolling on social media, you know, seeing all the negativity, all the news and just drama that is there pretty much every day. So you can take a couple day break or just step back or just practice not involving yourself in it. And over time, you'll just naturally not want to involve yourself in it. And that's kind of what I had to do when I started out. I was just like, yeah, I'm not going to get into this. And I never really have gotten into any drama or crazy stuff. So definitely do that. if you are, and if you don't want to take a break, then, you know, maybe just remember that not first of all, not everything people say on the internet is true about you and that You are your own person, do your own thing and don't try not to worry too much about what other people are doing because that can hold you back sometimes if you're always comparing yourself to other people. Try to compare yourself to yourself two days ago or a month ago and just kind of build from that. Like if you were editing your photos two months ago and you're like, don't like that, you know, work a little harder and just try to get it to where you actually like it now. And over time, you'll just keep getting better because you're focusing on yourself. not just trying to beat other people. Girl, you're spitting facts. I love it. I love the fact that it is. That's why I didn't stop you, because you were just going on and on about basically believe in yourself. Don't worry about listening to others. Don't don't get mired in the negativity. That's why I let you talk, because you just spit facts and I love it. And I think that's a perfect way to end this as well, just on that high note of positivity. Alina, it's been great. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Thank you for having me. It's been awesome. I love this. If you're listening in, I encourage you to watch the YouTube video because then you can see the interaction and all of the mistakes. it's been wonderful having Alina here on the podcast. So as I always end with, make sure you shine your light while you still have it. Everybody be safe. Take care. Thanks, Alina.