When I was researching this post (yes, we actually do a little legwork on some of these things sometimes, thank you very much), I came across savetheredwoods.org, which has on its front page a beautiful mosaic photograph of a redwood tree.   I’m going to show you a small version here, but I think you probably need to click the link to see a larger, more beautiful version.

I recognized (and not only because his name is at the bottom) this as the work of James Balog, who has received the title of “extreme photographer” in some circles.   This is probably due to the fact that to get that image of that redwood, Balog has to repel from the top of another giant redwood, taking pictures all the way.

Balog takes pictures of more than just trees; his portfolio includes a series on endangered species, the aftermaths of the tsunami and of Hurricane Katrina, glaciers, and so on.   Through his photography, Balog wants us to realize how tied to nature we truly are.   He says, “At this point, nature is part of us and we are part of nature.   There’s no separating the two.   And until we find a better balance and dialectic between us, we’ll never do the right things.”

Here’s a great video of Balog explaining his craft, as well as some amazing footage of him in action taking photos.

The guy’s pretty damn good with a camera, no arguing that.   You can takepart and look through his portfolio to get a better sense of how Balog views nature, and maybe find a new perspective yourself.