A DOCUMENTARY FILM
DIRECTED BY MATTHEW TESTA (2018)

Photographer James Balog uses his camera to reveal how environmental change is affecting the lives of everyday Americans. Following the four classical elements— earth, air, fire, and water— to frame his journey, Balog explores wildfires, hurricanes, sea level rise, coal mining, and the changes in the air we breathe. With compassion and heart, THE HUMAN ELEMENT tells an urgent story while giving inspiration for a more balanced relationship between humanity and nature.

DIRECTED BY JEFF ORLOWSKI (2012)

Chasing Ice tells the story of nature photographer James Balog and the findings of his Extreme Ice Survey, a project that set out to study and expose the impact of global warming.

Balog, who was once skeptical about climate change, travels to Greenland, Iceland, and Alaska to capture images that will communicate the effects of human activity on the climate. His Extreme Ice Survey is an artistic study of landscapes in Arctic and alpine regions through single-frame photography and a far-flung network of time-lapse cameras.

DIRECTED BY JAMES BALOG (2015)

Utah’s Canyonlands National Park is known for its spectacular arches and pinnacles, its canyon mazes, and pristine solitude. James Balog finds that drilling for oil and gas is transforming the rugged, primitive land he loves—right up to the boundaries of one of America’s greatest national parks.

DIRECTED BY DANNY SCHMIDT (2015)

James Balog embarks on a journey to get a visceral sense of how the air we breathe is changing and how those changes affect the climate. His voyage of discovery takes him to Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii where he comes away with something far greater than a photo.