For nearly 30 years, James Balog has consistently broken new ground in the art of photographing nature. His work grows out of a lifelong passion for nature as an artist, scientist, explorer and adventurer. A former mountain guide with a graduate degree in geomorphology, James is equally at home on a Himalayan peak or a whitewater river, the African savannah or polar icecaps. The June, 2007 cover story for National Geographic showcased Balog’s work on melting glaciers. The experience led him to organize the Extreme Ice Survey, an unprecedented documentation of fast-changing glaciers around the world. Balog is the author of six books, including Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest and Survivors: A New Vision of Endangered Wildlife, which were hailed as major breakthroughs in nature photography. His images are regularly published in magazines like The New Yorker, Life, American Photo, Vanity Fair, Sierra, Audubon and Outside and he is a contributing editor to National Geographic Adventure. He is the first photographer ever commissioned to create a series of stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. Awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence and the premier awards for both nature and science photography at World Press Photo in Amsterdam, Balog’s photos have been exhibited at more than a hundred museums and galleries from Paris to Los Angeles. The documentary film, “A Redwood Grows in Brooklyn,” explores his thoughts about art, nature and perception.