What are the legal restrictions and copyright rules?
Unless otherwise noted, all images are Copyright © 1986 through 2008 by Roger Edwards. Photographic images containing my copyright notice must
not be altered, must not be traded in any manner (including but not limited to sale, barter, or
gift), must not be duplicated by any means (including but not limited to broadcast, photography,
electonic transfer, printing, or photocopying) and must not be reproduced or downloaded for any
purpose other than personal viewing, without my expressed written consent -- All rights
reserved. I won't tolerate unauthorized redistribution, display or reproduction of my work. I take copyright protection seriously and will vigorously
prosecute if necessary. Photographs with NSSL or NHC designators are public domain -- taken on-the-job using government equipment and/or film, as part
of an official assignment, and cannot be sold. However, by downloading any such photo, you agree to this
stipulation: if you decide to use such a photo, you must acknowledge the photographer (me) and the
agency (labeled on the photo).
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Why did the address in my browser change?
I'm using two addresses for SkyPix:
What is SkyPix?
SkyPix is a purely educational, nonprofit website devoted to sharing the beauty, majesty and power of wind, weather and water, through images and stories.
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I am interested in publishing some of this photography. What are the terms?
Publication requests are handled through a stock agency, Insojourn Design and Imaging. Please e-mail me (the photographer) or Insojourn for more details, and be as specific as possible about your needs.
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I represent a school, nonprofit or government agency. May I use your photos on our website?
First and foremost, this gallery exists to educate and inform. Therefore I almost always grant such requests with written permission. Please write me with your request, stating the purpose and web URL (address) of every page that would include my imagery. If the URL changes in the future, you must promptly inform me so I can update my mutual links. Each page containing an image of mine must include a working link to SkyPix. There must be no alteration or distortion of my imagery without consent, and the copyright notice must remain visible.
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I am a student or teacher. May I use your photography for a class project or demonstration?
I am pleased to provide images for this purpose, as long as you write in advance to let me know.
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I am an NWS storm-spotter trainer or WCM. May I download your photography for use in spotter training?
Yes. No advance permission is required to download my imagery for government, university or nonprofit spotter training purposes only; though I do appreciate knowing if my imagery is used in your spotter education talks. Should you desire higher resolution or larger versions of any particular image(s) for your spotter training needs, please write.
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What is the history of SkyPix?
I have been observing storms and attempting to photograph them since early childhood in Dallas; but it wasn't until 1986, while in college, that I got my first 35 mm camera and began shooting slides. Now I take my cameras everywhere I go, whether for work or pleasure. It pays to be prepared; since our sky can reveal its most stunning and mysterious forms at any time! The SkyPix website began back in 1995 and three web domains ago. It was a single-page collection of stories linking to 256-color GIF scans (now 16 million color JPGs) from slides and a few prints. This was probably the first image gallery on the Web exclusively devoted to a large variety of work by one weather photographer. It has expanded a lot in its 13 years, and will do so for the rest of my life, as long as there is a World Wide Web. The gallery grows as does my passion for the interplay of light, wind and water (in all its forms); hence, the newer categories of Unusual Weather Damage (2001) and Water Works (late 2003).
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What does the "GPS" link mean on most of the photo pages?
In January 2004 I began adding "GPS" links to many SkyPix image pages, beneath the location text. Each "GPS" link will show you a public-domain, USGS satellite image (courtesy MS TerraServer) at 2 meter resolution, covering the spot where I shot the photo. I plot my location at shooting time to within a few meters, give my specific GPS coordinates and show the direction of view. I plan to do this for every image, both recent and in the more distant past, where I can accurately and precisely reconstruct my position. Unlike most outdoor photographers, I see no compelling reason to "keep secret" my shooting places -- just the opposite, in fact; I want to share the information! As of this writing I am the only nature photographer freely publishing exact GPS points for most of his images. If one isn't linked, either
Why are a few of the older images a little fuzzy?
In 1995, when I inaugurated this website, most PC video displays were still 256 colors or less, including those I used to scan the first SkyPix images. That has since changed. All new images are in JPG format, and I have re-scanned the older images
into JPGs as well. The reason for this is because of disc space limitations brought on by the growth of this collection, and the commonness of video cards supporting 16 million color display. I am also gradually replacing older JPGs by rescanning some slides on newer equipment which renders far truer and sharper images. I now scan all new SkyPix slides into giant TIFs for archival and professional use, and resize to small JPGs for web display. Older images will be re-scanned and uploaded as time permits. So please keep checking back for what's new -- replacements, improvements and new windows into the windy and wet wonders around us.
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Are there any digital photographs in SkyPix? Film?
Yes. Yes. SkyPix images from 2006 and onward were shot with (at a minimum) 12.8 megapixel Canon digital SLR equipment. Photos from 2005 and before were taken on assorted varieties of 35 mm slide film as conditions and specs warranted.
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Are there any video captures in SkyPix?
Never! Use of freeze-frames from video is a common (and when not explicitly stated, very misleading and deceptive) practice on many pages containing weather "photos," especially by storm chasers. Not here! I only use actual photographs which I have performed using a still camera. Video captures are not photographs.
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How authentic are SkyPix photographs? Do you alter them (i.e., insert a tornado or lightning where there was none, or substitute a new foreground)?
Absolutely, positively not! A few well-known weather photographers -- and many nature photographers at large -- have resorted to altering their images, e.g., placing a major feature like a tornado or pretty foreground where there was none originally, or removing a boring part of a shot and replacing it with a more interesting part of another photo. I don't engage in such fraud -- and never, ever will! Such practices are patently dishonest and deceitful...a diabolical cancer spreading through the art and business of outdoor photography. All SkyPix images were minimally processed from RAW digital files or were scanned from authentic still photography -- no video captures posing as photos, and no swapping out for another foreground or background. I do edit for artifices like dust, glare spots, film scratches, vignetting and off tones introduced by the scanner, so that the image can look as close to the original slide or scene as possible.
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Are all these photos yours, or did someone else take some of them?
Every photograph in this gallery was taken using my right index finger on my camera equipment.
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What equipment and film do you use?
Digital bodies are Canon SLRs with minimum 12.8 megapixel, full-frame view. Film bodies were Minolta, Pentax and (in the 80s) Mamiya manual SLRs, and of course manual focus lenses with those mounts. I use tripods by Manfrotto, Vivitar and Sunpak, with accompanying clips as needed, and a Manfrotto ball-action window clamp. I have some ND, GND and polarizing filters but seldom employ them, preferring instead to bracket through exposure ranges and employ filters only on the most unfriendly light-contrast situations. Compared to many outdoor photographers, I am something of a minimalist, by necessity. Many of my shoots occur in rapidly changing and sometimes dangerous situations, such as under storms producing tornadoes, painful hail and frequent lightning strikes. Under such duress, I can't afford to waste time opening and closing things or fumbling around with this gear and that. Therefore I prefer to travel light and well organized, with just one or two bodies, a handful of easy to swap lenses, memory cards, and a filter or two. During the last 8-10 years of film, my film of choice was (overwhelmingly!) Provia 100F, for its broad-spectrum versatility and unmatched lack of grain.
Older SkyPix images also were shot on Velvia 50, Sensia 100, Ektachrome 100/200, Kodachrome 64, and (in three cases) print film.