After using 39 Nikon cameras to take photos throughout the day at 22 different glaciers around the world, James Balog made breakthroughs in understanding climate change through the study of glacial melting.

Balog, an environmentalist and photographer, will speak Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel as part of the Syracuse University Lectures Series. 

During Balog’s lecture, ‘Earth in Sight: Ideas and Images to Inspire Individual and Social Action,’ the photographer will use a high-definition projector to give the audience the best possible viewing of the photographs of glacial melting, said Esther Gray, senior administrator for academic affairs.

Balog’s presentation must not only be heard but also seen to understand the full effect of climate change on the world’s rapidly shifting landscape, Gray said. Balog’s photographs are featured in more than 100 museums and galleries globally, as well as in publications such as Sierra, Audubon magazine, National Geographic magazine and The New Yorker, Gray said.

Gray said she believes Balog is the perfect person for SU students to learn from because he has broken new ground in the art of photographing nature. Balog, a current Colorado resident, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in geomorphology, Gray said.

In 2010, Balog won the Heinz Award for his environmental work, Gray said. The award recognizes individuals for contributions in various areas, including arts and humanities, the economy and employment, according to the Heinz website.

The Heinz Award staff called Balog ‘one of the world’s elite nature photographers,’ according to its website. Balog did not fully believe climate change was real until he began using time-lapse photography to test the theory, according to the website.

Balog was also named the Outstanding Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photography Association and received a visual arts and design award at the Aspen Environment Forum in 2009, according to his website.

Students from several local high schools, as well as 1,100 middle school students, will attend a second lecture by Balog on Wednesday morning, which will also take place in Hendricks, Gray said.

Carol Borg, a sixth grade teacher at Eagle Hill Middle School in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, said she is very fortunate to bring her students to the lecture. Borg said the middle school students are excited about the opportunity and ask wonderful questions. 

rebarill@syr.edu

Published on March 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm