Warren Faidley Biography — Storm Chaser, Photojournalist & Disaster Survival Expert

Biography

Warren Faidley is a prize-winning American photographer, cinematographer and adventurer. He is officially credited as the first professional storm chasing photojournalist.

Warren and his images have appeared worldwide in National Geographic, The Weather Channel, the BBC, Discovery Channel, CNN, Fox News and many more. His photography has also been used for advertising and promotional work for Paul McCartney, Universal Pictures, Sheryl Crow, MTV, The NFL, NASCAR, Warner Bros., and thousands of books, editorial publications, television and social media outlets.

Pursuing thousands of individual thunderstorms, tropical cyclones and assorted natural disasters, Warren has survived a mind-numbing number of extreme and deadly situations, including hurricane winds of over 175 mph, tornadoes, lightning bolts, rattlesnakes, gunfire, swarming spiders and even angry farmers with rusty pitchforks.

Warren began his pursuits at age 12 when he was carried away and nearly killed by a flash flood. A few weeks later he was riding his bike into the core of violent dust devils.

In 1997 he captured the first tornado ever shot on motion picture film. He was a consultant for the motion picture Twister and serves as a disaster survival expert for corporate and media interests. He often provides live reports for news media and public safety outlets during extreme storm events.

Warren is a graduate of the University of Arizona, a Certified Tactical Combat Medic (EMT), Registered Gemologist, Wildland Firefighter (past) and Pilot.

Warren's private activities include road bike riding (he is a former 25-mile Tour De Tucson and Tour De Phoenix champion). He is an historical fencing instructor.

He resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Literature

Storm Chaser - In Pursuit of Untamed Skies - Best-selling Science and Nature Book. "A quick but lingering read," The New York Times Review.

Wicked Weather: A Visual Essay of Extreme Storms - Over 150 stunning weather images.

The Ultimate Storm Survival Handbook - "Survival tips from the man who has survived it all."

Eye of the Storm - Children's publication by Stephen Kramer.

Wild Weather - "Storm photographer Warren Faidley takes the reader on a voyage to find extreme weather."

Lightning! - Children's lightning adventures. Text by Stephen Kramer.

Media Credits - Television / Radio / Internet

ABC News
Art Bell Radio Show
The BBC
Bill O'Reilly
CBS News
CNBC
CNN
Discovery Channel

Fox News
The History Channel
Maury Povich Show
NBC News
National Geographic
Nova
Craig Ferguson
The Learning Channel

Rivaldo Rivera Live
South Dakota Public Radio
Voice of America
Real TV
Eye to Eye w/Connie Chung
Tom Snyder
To Tell The Truth
The Weather Channel

Media Credits - Print

American Photographer
Arizona Highways Magazine
The Arizona Daily Star
The Tucson Citizen
The Arizona Republic
Associated Press
Der Spiegel - Germany

Time Magazine
The LA Times
National Geographic
Newsweek
The New York Times
The Kansas City Star

Life Magazine
Men's Journal
Panorama - Germany
Popular Photography
Popular Science
Scientific American
US News & World Report

The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post
The Weather Channel
USA Today
Weatherwise Magazine
Weekly Reader

Sponsors & Major Commercial Clients

DuPont, Canada Goose, NASCAR, MTV, Paul McCartney, The NFL, Warner Bros., Universal Studios, Miller Brewing, Wells Fargo, Johnson & Johnson, NOAA

Awards & Education

William Randolph Hearst Journalism Award

National Weather Service Citation

Eagle Scout Certification

Cycling Champion Records

Documents & Certifications

First tornado captured on 35mm film — Energy Productions, July 14, 2007.

Consultant for Twister motion picture — Warner Bros., Jan 3, 1996.

Wildland Firefighter Certification

Tactical Casualty Combat Certification

Gemologist Certification

Media Photos

Note: Images for media use only with written permission. All images © Warren Faidley. Click on images for larger digital files if available.

Tornado Storm Chase Truck

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