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Kelsey DeLaere
Professor Norkus
WRT 150
21 Sept. 2012
Mitch Dobrowner
Natural disasters are just that: disasters. Everyone has seen a thunderstorm that has
possibly either fascinated or terrified him or her. Most people don’t try to capture these storms
on camera, because being out in these storms are dangerous, but the landscape photographer
Mitch Dobrowner does just that. He follows brewing thunderstorms, tornados, and ominous
clouds for however long he can until he believes that he can get just the right photograph. Mitch
Dobrowner does a fantastic job of capturing these natural occurrences in a beautiful view.
Imagine chasing a storm that you knew was going to be severe with professional storm
chaser, Roger Hill. Then, add in the fact that you are chasing this storm for nine hours, and to
add on to that, you chase it from Sturgis, South Dakota all the way into Valentine, Nebraska
after passing through Badlands National Park. You have now experienced what Mitch
Dobrowner, weather and landscape photographer, experienced when he chased a towering supercell storm that had winds of over 60 miles per hour (“Mitch Dobrowner: The Storms”, Mitch
Dobrowner). When Mitch Dobrowner was in his late teens, his father gave him an Argus
Rangefinder. Even though, at the time, it seemed like a small gesture, that simple act of his
father giving him that camera changed Dobrowner’s life. Dobrowner grew up on Long Island,
Ney York and was worried about his future. When his father gave him the camera, Dobrowner
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researched Ansel Adams, an American photographer best known for his photographs of
Yosemite National Park; and Minor White, a photographer best known for detailed photos of
landscapes and architecture; and quickly became fond of photography. When he was 21,
Dobrowner left his home, family, friends, and job to move to California where he met his wife.
There in California, Dobrowner and his wife had three children and owned their own design
studio, causing him to stop taking pictures. In 2005, Dobrowner took up photography again,
allowing him to show viewers how he sees the world around us. Mitch Dobrowner believes that
landscapes are living eco-systems that exist with or without humans. (“Mitch Dobrowner Fine
Art Photography, Mitch Dobrowner).
Many of Mitch Dobrowner’s photographs are taken in a farmland setting. For example,
in Dobrowner’s photo of the tornado titled “Rope Out” (Appendix, fig. 1), the viewer is able to
tell that the storm was photographed in a farmland area because of the expanse of open fields at
the bottom of the photo. The shapes of the clouds direct our attention to the tornado, which our
eyes follow down to the ground, letting us observe the farmland setting. In an interview with
Sarah Phillips, journalist for The Guardian, Mitch Dobrowner spoke about capturing the tornado
on camera (Photographer Mitch Dobrowner’s best shot by Sarah Phillips). He stated that fifteen
seconds after he got his picture, the tornado was gone, and that he felt he was lucky that he had
been in the right spot when the tornado roped out. The leading line of storms is also present in
Dobrowner’s photograph of the lightning bolt (Appendix fig. 2). Our attention is first drawn to
the lightning strike itself. After the initial observation of the lightning strike, the viewer’s
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attention is drawn to the curving structure of the storm cloud. The way the cloud curls leads our
eyes back to the lightning blot that is at the center of the cloud. Just as the photograph of the
tornado was, it looks like the photograph of the lightning strike was taken in farmland. If the
viewer were to look closely at the ground where the lightning hits, the area looks flat and open,
just like the fields in the tornado photo. These images make the viewer feel fascinated because as
devastating as storms like these can be, they are beautiful and attention grabbing. I believe
Dobrowner is trying to show us that even though these storms cause destruction and wreak
havoc, they are still beautiful. In the interview with Sarah Phillips, Dobrowner stated that he
“Envisioned a tornado as one of its cornerstone images – not for the death and destruction they
can cause, but because of how beautiful they can appear.” (Photographer Mitch Dobrowner’s
best shot by Sarah Phillips). Showing these images in black and white and centering them on the
storm allows the viewer to really pay attention to the beauty of the storm, even in the midst of
the destruction.
The shape of the clouds in all of Mitch Dobrowner’s photographs direct the viewer’s
attention. The first photo I will be using to demonstrate that the shapes direct a viewer’s attention
is one of a thunderhead (Appendix fig. 3). The thunderhead itself takes up most of the photo and
the first place your eyes are drawn to is the dark spot of the mass near the lower right corner of
the cloud. The dark spot of the thunderhead looks to be collapsing in on itself, leading our eyes
to follow farther up the cloud. At the top it looks twisted down into thin strands that look like the
pillars of Mount Olympus in Disney’s film Hercules. Although, in the second photo the cloud
looks layered with different shades of gray (Appendix fig. 4). The main part of the cloud is
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shaped like a triangle that is leaning severely to the right. Our attention is drawn to the top of
triangular shaped cloud and is then directed to the bottom portion of the center of the photograph
where it looks like the sun is starting to appear through the cloud. The first image makes the
viewer have a sense of uneasiness because this cloud is dark and menacing looking. The
thunderhead in the first photo looks as though it will release a terrible storm at any moment,
making the viewer feel on edge. Although, while the first looks menacing, the second photo
makes the viewer feel hopeful by leading our attention to the point where the sun is starting to
shine through. Through these two photographs, I think Dobrowner is trying to say that storms
can bring hope, even when they look awful.
All of Mitch Dobrowner’s photographs are taken in black and white. There is a large
contrast between the light and dark areas in the images, making it easy to see where it looks like
the sun is attempting to shine through each of these storms. For example, in the first image,
called Bear’s Claw (Appendix fig. 5) the clouds are extremely dark and terrifying looking, but at
both the left and right edges of the picture, the sun is shining through.
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This contrast is shocking because when you look at this cloud that looks like a sheet of black
with claw marks in it, hence the name Bear’s Claw, at first all the viewer sees is this dark
expanse, but then their attention is drawn to the lights at the edges of the photo In the next photo,
the light shining through is not on the edges of the photograph like it is in Bear’s Claw but it is in
the center of the photo. This cloud does not look at menacing as the one in Bear’s Claw, but it is
still dark enough that the light shining through the middle of it is noticeable. The first photo
makes the viewer feel small, scared, and even vulnerable; the second makes the viewer feel
lightened and relieved I believe Mitch Dobrowner is trying to tell the viewers that no matter how
dark the day or events in life may get, the sun will always come back and give you hope again.
Mitch Dobrowner has used his photographs to show his viewers how he sees the world.
He sees the world as a beautiful place, even in the midst of destruction. Having been inspired by
the photographs of Ansel Adams and Minor White, he respects the world and shows that respect
through the amazing and breath taking photographs that he takes. Ansel Adams and Minor White
inspired Dobrowner and helped him determine what he would do with his life. Mitch Dobrowner
now helps viewers see the beauty in even the most disastrous of times.
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Works Cited
"Ansel Adams Information." Anseladams.com. The Ansel Adams Gallery, 2012. Web. 20 Sept.
2012.
Davidson, Barbara. "REFRAMED; The raw power of nature." Proquest.com. ProQuest, June
2012. Web. 8 Sept. 2012.
Dobrowner, Mitch. Bear’s Claw. 2010. Mitch Dobrowner Fine Art Photography. Web. 4
Sept. 2012.
--. Clouds. 2010. Mitch Dobrowner Fine Art Photography. Web. 4 Sept. 2012.
--. Jupiter. 2011. Mitch Dobrowner Fine Art Photography. Web. 4 Sept. 2012.
--. "Mitch Dobrowner: The Storms." TIME LightBox. Time Inc., 13 Sept.
2011. Web. 8 Sept. 2012.
--. Mitch Dobrowner Fine Art Photography. Ed. Mitch Dobrowner. N.p., 2012. Web. 4
Sept. 2012.
--. Rope Out. 2011. Mitch Dobrowner Fine Art Photography. Web. 4 Sept. 2012.
--. Veil. 2011. Mitch Dobrowner Fine Art Photography. Web. 4 Sept. 2012.
"Minor White." Mocp.com. Museum of Contemporary Photography, 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.
Phillips, Sarah. "Photographer Mitch Dobrowner's best shot." The Guardian. Guardian News and
Media Limited, 2 May 2012. Web. 9 Sept. 2012.
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Appendix
Fig. 1. A tornado touching down to the ground in Regan, North Dakota (Dobrowner, Rope Out).
Fig. 2. A lightning strike in Mobridge, South Dakota 2011 (Dobrowner, Jupiter).
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Fig. 3. Pillared thunderhead near Limon, Colorado 2010 (Dobrowner, Clouds).
Fig. 4. Triangular shaped cloud with layered gray scale and sun shining through the middle in
Buffalo, South Dakota 2011 (Dobrowner, Veil).
Fig. 5. A cloud formation in Moorcroft, Wyoming 2010 (Dobrowner, Bear’s Claw).