Lightning lit shelf cloud in Salado, Texas. (Jason Weingart/Barcroft Media)

Storm chaser Jason Weingart, 34, has captured everything from eye-blinding lightning bolts to heart-stopping tornadoes, but he has never considered settling down for the quiet life.

“There’s never really been a time when I’ve considered giving it up,” he said. “It’s what I really love to do, I’m very happy doing it and I’m starting to get really good at it.”

Chasing after this passion, however, can sometimes lead him to dry spells as weather can change quickly. “You spend a lot of time forecasting, looking at data and different models trying to figure out exactly where these storms are going to happen,” he said. “And you’re not really sure if everything’s going to work the way you think, so it’s really nerve-wracking waiting for all this stuff to occur.”

When the “stuff” does occur, it’s a good day. “If you saw a big tornado and it went through a bunch of open fields, your adrenaline is pumping,” he said. “You can’t wait to get back to your hotel or your house and edit your photos and footage to show everyone what you saw that day.” A lot of Weingart’s shots are published through his , where his followers can see the vast number of storms and systems he has encountered.

While the storm-chasing career may be full of excitement, it also means encountering a scary reality. A storm back in May 2013 made put face-to-face with the dangers of his chosen career. “We came really close to [a tornado] and it was a really scary situation,” he said. “That was a tough day, definitely really scary and it’s really the only time I’ve thought that I might actually die while I’m storm chasing.”

That storm produced the —the widest U.S. tornado on record. According to Weingart, several other storm chasers got caught in the tornado’s path and were killed.

“The worst part about storm chasing is when you come across some damage or a town being hit or someone’s house being destroyed,” he said. “I haven’t come across anything too devastating yet, but it’s something you have to be prepared for and it’s part of this job.”