So I just ran into photographer James Balog. He’s the
photographic eye behind the new photo book
Tree, a New
Vision of the American Forest, a mind-blowingly luscious photo
book about endangered forests and, well, trees of all kind. He’s also one of the most respected nature
photographers in the world.
As expected, he was very passionate about old growth forests and the future of the world’s natural resources. His
famous composite image of the Stagg tree,
the world’s fifth largest tree was featured in National Geographic Adventure last month (a poster of the image is also
behind him in this photo). I asked him about the photo and he told me he took 451 frames by suspending himself from an
elaborate pulley and wire system between two trees and lowering himself a specific notch where he would shoot numerous
frames.
Why take pictures of trees? “These are sacred objects,” he tole me. “And I wanted to keep the feeling of the
photo fractured, more the way we as humans see things.”
Balog is off in a few weeks to Sumatra for another shooting expedition.