Professional photographer Mike Olbinski will present at the meeting of the Sedona Camera Club starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 28, 2022, at the Sedona Creative Life Center, 333 Schnebly Hill Road, Sedona. Doors open at 5:30.
With Covid testing now indicating safe levels locally, the Club has modified their position regarding safety measures. The Sedona Camera Club will now hold our monthly member meetings using the standards recommended by CDC’s latest updates. The Club asks attendees to be fully vaccinated. Wearing masks are at the attendees’ discretion.
Mike Olbinski is an Emmy-winning photographer and filmmaker based in Phoenix, Arizona. He’s lived in Arizona his entire life and grew up watching storms with his dad during the summer monsoon season. Inspired by the show Storm Chasers on Discovery, Mike started chasing storms over a decade ago in his home state and quickly expanded to cover the central United States as well.
Olbinski will share the story of how he got into chasing storms, where it’s led him, how his footage was licensed by Marvel Studios, how a monster dust storm helped the word “haboob” go mainstream, how he’s failed and succeeded, how he forecasts for a chase and highlights of some of the best chases from 2021 – illustrated by spectacular images and time-lapse photography.
“It’s been insane,” says Olbinski. “I got into this and still do it because I love it. But it’s amazing what people are looking for out there. I’ve had my storm time-lapse and fine art work seen across the world in movies, sports, commercials, documentaries, magazines, websites and countless other ways. I have a blast shooting weddings year-round, families in the fall/winter/spring, and then I go nuts chasing storms in the spring and summer.”
His work has been featured in Arizona Highways, he won Weather Photographer of the Year in 2017, runner up in the National Geographic Photography Contest, and his work has been licensed by clients such as Microsoft, Netflix, NatGeo, Marvel Studios, Lamborghini, The Weather Channel, the BBC and all major car brands.
When asked what keeps him going, Mike responds: “This is what I love to do. It’s an addiction, it’s a passion, and I can’t help but do it.”
Presentations, hosted by the Sedona Camera Club, are free to members. There is a $5 fee for guests. Local photographers are encouraged to join to support bringing high-quality speakers to promote interest in photography and develop photographic skills. Membership costs $35 for the whole year. For more information on the Sedona Camera Club, go to sedonacamera.club.