Speakers
- Jim Tang - Keynote speaker
Jim Tang is an award-winning storm photographer and storm chaser, with work featured on platforms such as FOX Weather and The Weather Channel. He has been storm chasing on the Great Plains since 2015 and in Arizona since 2017. He has been fascinated about weather ever since he was a young child, and maintains that fascination with every chase today. Originally based out of California, Jim moved to Oklahoma in 2023 to be closer to the weather and the meteorology community, but continues to chase the monsoon for the challenge of forecasting unique thunderstorm and landscape combinations in the beautiful desert southwest.
- Jeff Boyce
Jeff Boyce is a storm chaser, lightning photographer, and electronics developer with more than a decade of experience chasing storms and photographing lightning. Having spent much of his life traveling to Arizona and the Desert Southwest, he developed a deep appreciation for the monsoon and the dramatic lightning displays it produces. Jeff works professionally in public safety, but over the last several years he has spent his monsoon and Plains storm seasons studying lightning behavior, collecting data, and developing Bolt Hunter, a new lightning camera trigger. His goal with Bolt Hunter is to make sure that when that bolt you’ve dreamed of finally happens, you don’t miss it, while also giving newcomers access to a tool that makes lightning photography easier to understand and far less frustrating to learn.
- Spike Davis
Bio to come
- Jeremy Perez
Jeremy is a Flagstaff-based storm chaser, photographer, graphic artist, and author with more than three decades of experience observing and photographing storms across the Southwest and Great Plains. After beginning as a casual observer in the 1980s, he transitioned into active storm chasing in 2010, developing a disciplined approach that blends meteorology, terrain awareness, and visual composition.
His work is shaped by a problem-solving mindset—analyzing evolving weather patterns, navigating complex landscapes, and identifying the conditions that produce compelling storm structure. Drawing on a background in art and natural science education and exploration, Jeremy focuses on translating technical weather data into practical, in-field decisions for photographers.
In his presentations, he emphasizes how understanding the data behind storm behavior leads directly to stronger positioning, timing, and composition—helping photographers consistently capture more dynamic and intentional images.
- Donna Ruthruff
Donna Ruthruff is an award-winning photographer and storm chaser, celebrated for her powerful landscape and lightning images. Donna was born in Washington State, where the cool rainy climate shaped her early years. However, after relocating to Tucson, Arizona, she quickly fell in love with the beauty of the vast open skies of the desert. She started chasing monsoon storms in 2019 and was instantly addicted. Her work has earned widespread recognition and awards, including 2024 Lightning Photo of the Year. With a deep love for nature, Donna developed an especially strong affinity for capturing the desert monsoon storms. Armed with a camera and a sense for adventure, she chases lightning storms across the southwest, determined to capture nature’s most powerful and intense moments in time. She has also developed a love for the “big” storms of the plains, but the Arizona monsoon will always be her favorite storms to chase. Donna values building relationships with fellow photographers, storm chasers, and the broader community, believing that shared experiences, collaboration, and support are key to growth both creatively and personally.
Outside of her creative work, Donna is dedicated to helping others succeed professionally. She serves as a Community and Workforce Manager at a local career center, where she supports individuals in building skills, finding jobs, and encouraging others to follow their dreams. When not chasing storms, Donna enjoys playing with her dogs, spending time exploring the desert with her husband, hiking the surrounding mountains, and learning more about the wildlife and cacti that thrive in this unique environment.
