“Before The Aftermath” - Visual Echoes of Science in Tornado Season - Oklahoma and beyond - Spring 2025
This ongoing photographic and written project runs from mid-May to mid-June 2025. Over the course of one month, Ian embedded with research scientist Sean Waugh—Scientific Advisor with the severe storm laboratory and NOAA in Oklahoma and scientific advisor to the Hollywood Twister film—and his team, documenting their journey as they pursued some of the most extreme weather events on earth. The resulting imagery offers a raw, intimate look beneath the surface of storm science: the human stories, the technological innovation, and the relentless pursuit of understanding one of nature's most destructive forces.
Alongside lead meteorologist Sean Waugh Ian deployed with Hail Cam—a rig at the forefront of severe weather research, bespoke designed photographic and lighting assembly uniquely designed and engineered by Sean—to one of the lead research vehicles. The revolutionary Hail Cam is built to illuminate, track and photograph hail at high speed, even in the depths of the storm. Hail causes billions of dollars of damage to buildings and vehicles each year, making it one of the most costly forms of severe weather for homeowners and insurers. Hail Cam aims to deepen the understanding into hailstorm behavior and impact by providing real-time visual data and analysis to improve forecasting and mitigation strategies.
