The Pursuit of Power — Severe Weather Calendar 2026 showcases Europe’s leading storm chasers through their most powerful weather imagery. The ninth month, September 2026, features storm chaser Jonas Piontek with a photo of a multi-layered shelf cloud sweeping across the sky near Dorfen, Germany.
The interview series for featured photographs in each monthly edition of the calendar offers a closer look into the photographer behind the scenes, his approach to photography, his passion, and his striking storm images.
Don’t forget to follow Jonas’ social channels and support his work — you’ll find all the links at the bottom of the interview.
About the Photographer – Introduction: Jonas Piontek
Let’s start simple — who are you? How old are you, and where in Europe do you call home?
My name is Jonas Piontek, I’m 30 years old, and I’m from a small town near Frankfurt in the middle of Germany!
When did your passion for storms and photography begin? Was there a specific moment that pulled you into chasing?
I’ve always been interested in nature’s extremes. After a tornado devastated a village near my hometown in 2009, I started looking into weather, and my interest in severe weather really ramped up.
Once I became interested in photography, I quickly realised that storms can yield incredibly unique photos, so I decided to look more deeply into the topic. Back then, I met some like-minded people through the “Stormchaser Europe” internet forum, and about a year later, in 2011, we began to chase locally, before getting crazier and further every year.
Gear & Chasing Setup
What’s inside your camera bag and chase vehicle today? Any must-have gear you never leave home without?
I shoot mainly on Nikon cameras, currently the Z8, Z6, and D850, so I can use two cameras to set up Timelapses while I still have one to focus more on singular images.
Also, I use my iPhone for a lot of behind-the-scenes footage, which captures raw moments rather than polished photos.
I love using a lightning trigger (Strikefinder 2) for daytime lightning photography and a super sturdy, giant tripod from FLM that extends to more than 2m to really get good perspectives.
I’m not a big laptop-in-the-car guy, so I check all my essential data on my phone, which makes this the most must-have gear next to the cameras I always have with me on storm chases.
What part of storm chasing gives you the biggest adrenaline rush or emotional high?
Storm Chasing has always been about the experience for me, and photography helps me share it with everyone out there.
I am not too much of an adrenaline junkie when it comes to storms, maybe because I’ve been chasing them for literally half of my life, but anything abstract yet photogenic will really get my senses tingling and will always keep me itching for more.
While many people are in it for the extreme things, it’s always been a matter of beauty for me, so I’d call myself a big structure guy for sure!
The Chase Experience
The photo we selected for the calendar is genuinely inspiring. What was the atmosphere like around you — the mood, the light, the energy of the storm — and what went through your mind as you pressed the shutter?
The Dorfen shelf cloud remains the most beautifully layered shelf cloud I have witnessed in many years of chasing through Germany and central Europe.
The most amazing part about it all is definitely the fact that this storm was very inconspicuous-looking at first, trailing behind a supercell, which was the “main event” that day, but failed to turn out all too photogenic.
We decided to push our luck, since we were already more than 400km away from home, so we blasted through this scattered line of storms, almost got lost in the whiteout, but emerged on the other side to a view I wouldn’t even have dreamed about.
I remember showing my friend Boris Jordan my phone screen after taking a shot from the car window, and he legitimately thought I was trolling him with a picture I found on the internet.
Once we arrived in a good spot to actually take a look, one of the rare moments when we all cheered loudly in the field happened, which was such a blessed feeling that made all those kilometres worth it. I knew I had to take a panoramic view, since this amazing shelf cloud was spanning almost 180 degrees in the sky!
How far has this passion taken you? In how many countries have you chased or photographed storms so far?
I’ve basically chased through most of central Europe, including, of course, Germany, all the Benelux countries, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Croatia, Slovenia, and even Spain.
I’ve been to the States multiple times and even went to Venezuela a few times, where I witnessed the Catatumbo Lightning, or how they call it, “El Relampago del Catatumbo”, the most lightning-active place on earth. I’ve been around quite a bit!
Tell us about your chase vehicle — is it a normal car, or have you turned it into a lightning-hunting machine? Do you chase solo or with partners?
I personally drive a Mini, so it’s not really a classic chase vehicle, but we’ve got used to all kinds of cars over the years, so as long as it moves and fits a few people, we’re all good!
Over in the States, we of course need to rent a “tank” so we don’t get blown away by a nasty downburst!
Describe your ultimate dream chase: location, storm structure, light, terrain — the perfect scene.
I have witnessed my personal dream storm earlier this year, when watching a sculpted LP Supercell over the scenic plains, perfectly aligned with the sunset behind rain curtains.
The structure was burning orange and red with very intense green in the upper parts, marking one of the few times that left me literally speechless.
I have never before found myself standing in a field and not understanding what I am witnessing and actually doubting my eyes, but this one time, it really happened.
It can’t get any better, but of course, adding a scenic landscape to that, other than the open plains, would absolutely top this, so there’s always hope for more to come in the future!
Be honest: a powerful supercell forms 20 km away… right as a boring work meeting is about to start. What happens next?
Well, my meeting will be rescheduled due to that storm! Unless I am actively dying, there’s no holding me back, hehe!
Inspiration & Milestones
Which storm chasers or photographers have inspired your journey? Anyone you look up to, even today?
I’m lucky enough to call many of my especially early inspirations friends nowadays. This includes (but is not limited to) Dennis Oswald and Marko Korosec for storm photography and, of course, Mike Olbinski for time-lapse photography, which I have really gotten into in recent years!
What moment in your chasing or photography career are you most proud of — a capture, a trip, or a personal milestone?
My journeys to the Catatumbo Lightning in Venezuela have contributed significantly to both my personal development and my development as a photographer.
It’s such a crazy place and yet so rarely visited, so having the chance to be there multiple times really helped me grow in both those ways. There are a lot of storm chasers out there nowadays, but I’m one of the very few lucky ones who have had the experience of experiencing this place firsthand.
What’s the closest call you’ve ever had? Any dangerous moments you’ll never forget, and what did you learn from them?
I’ve had many close calls with lightning over the years, and even barely got hit once in 2016 while under a freshly forming updraft. Once, my friend Guido and I likely got swiped by a weak tornado at night, which was very intense too.
Ultimately, lightning will always remain my personal nemesis. As long as it strikes somewhere in frame, I’m usually happy about it, though!
Connect With Photographer’s Work
And finally, where can people follow your work and chase adventures online? (Facebook, Instagram, X, website, TikTok,…)
You can find my photos and adventures online at:
- Instagram: @jonaspiontek Instagram page
- Facebook: @Jonas Piontek FB page
- YouTube: Gewitterjagd YouTube page
Final Note
Thank you, Jonas, for being part of the Pursuit of Power project!
Your story and visuals help showcase the strength, beauty, and diversity of European storm chasing.
The Calendar has 13 pages – a cover page plus 12 monthly pages.
