James Balog (born July 15, 1952) is an American photographer and the founder and director of Earth Vision Institute in Boulder, Colorado. In 2017, Balog founded the Extreme Ice Survey, a project that documents glacial melting.
Balog has photographed subjects such as endangered animals, North America's old-growth forests, and polar ice. In 1996, Balog was commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service to create a complete set of stamps.[1] In 2024, Balog received an Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society.[2]
He is a senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.[3]
Early life and education
Balog was born in Danville, Pennsylvania. He has participated in climbing expeditions in the Alps and Himalayas, and completed first ascents in Alaska.[4]
While working on a master's degree in geomorphology at the University of Colorado, he developed his photography skills during frequent climbing trips, and later switched from science to nature photojournalism.[5] He began with a series of documentary photography assignments for magazines such as Mariah (the predecessor to Outside), Smithsonian, and National Geographic.[1] Later, he moved into self-directed projects, many of which would ultimately lead to large-format photography books.
Extreme Ice Survey
In 2007, Balog initiated the Extreme Ice Survey, the most wide-ranging ground-based photographic glacier study ever conducted. National Geographic magazine showcased Balog's ice work in June 2007[6] and June 2010,[7] and the project is featured in the 2009 NOVA documentary Extreme Ice as well as the 75-minute film Chasing Ice (which premiered in January 2012).[8]
Documentary films
Balog's efforts to publicize the effects of climate change were the subject of the 2012 documentary film Chasing Ice, directed by Jeff Orlowski.[9] The documentary includes scenes from a glacier calving event that took place at Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland, which lasted 75 minutes, the longest such event ever captured on film.[10][11] Two EIS videographers waited several weeks in a small tent overlooking the glacier and witnessed 7.4 cubic kilometres (1.8 cu mi) of ice crashing off[12] the glacier.[12] The film received the 2014 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Nature Programming.[13]
Balog's feature-length documentary The Human Element, exploring the effects of humans on the environment, premiered at San Francisco Green Film Festival in 2018.[14]
Bibliography
- The Human Element: A Time Capsule from the Anthropocene, (Rizzoli, 2021) ISBN 084787088X
- Wildlife Requiem (International Center of Photography, New York, 1984) ISBN 0-933642-06-7
- Ice: Portraits of the World's Vanishing Glaciers (Rizzoli, 2012) ISBN 978-0847838868
- Extreme Ice Now: Vanishing Glaciers and Changing Climate: A Progress Report (National Geographic Books, Washington DC, 2009) ISBN 978-1-4262-0401-2
- Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest (Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 2004) ISBN 978-1-4027-2818-1
- Animal (Graphis, New York, 1999) ISBN 978-1-888001-80-8
- James Balog’s Animals A to Z (Chronicle, San Francisco, 1996) ISBN 978-0-8118-1339-6
- Anima (Arts Alternative Press, Boulder, Colo., 1993) ISBN 0-9636266-0-4
- Survivors: A New Vision of Endangered Wildlife (Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1990) ISBN 0-8109-3908-8
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b James Balog, National Geographic
- ^ Fidler, Matt. "Royal Photographic Society awards 2024 – in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "ILCP search". International League of Conservation Photographers. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "James Balog". Haiki Summit. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ Cook, Terri. "Down To Earth With: James Balog". Earth Magazine. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ Appenzeller, Tim (June 2007). "The Big Thaw". National Geographic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2008.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (June 2010). "Melt Zone". National Geographic. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010.
- ^ Kennedy, Lisa (January 24, 2012). "Sundance: Colorado Represents". Denver Post.
- ^ Collins, Mark (January 10, 2013). "'Chasing Ice,' documentary with Boulder ties, fails in bid for Oscar nomination". Denver Post. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ Carrington, Damian (12 December 2012), "Chasing Ice movie reveals largest iceberg break-up ever filmed", The Guardian, UK, retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^ "Media reviews", Chasing Ice, 2012, archived from the original on 9 February 2014, retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^ a b Dudek, Duane (2012), "Chasing ice pursues chilling evidence of climate change", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, retrieved 24 January 2014
- ^ "Winners Announced for the 35th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards - The Emmy Awards - The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". emmyonline.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ "SFGFF co-presents: The Human Element". San Francisco Green Film Festival. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
