James Balog, "The Big Thaw," part of his long-term photography project "The Extreme Ice Survey," photo published by National Geographic in June 2007; Photo credit: James Balog The documentary Chasing Ice , directed by Jeff Orlowski, follows National Geographic photographer James Balog as he photographs the ominous arctic landscape. The film begins with the requisite montage of news clips heeding the contentious debate surrounding global warming and climate change. Balog, who is introduced shortly after the film begins, is a self-made photographer with an M.A. in geomorphology. Despite his adoration of science, he did not identify as a scientist by profession. Balog became a photographer and set off to capture the world's most stunning untouched landscapes. By Allison Palenske The film documents Balog's long-term photography project The Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) , founded in 2007. A momentous project unfolds before the camera's eye as Balog and his field assistant Svavar Jónatansson assemble a team of engineers, climatologists, and glaciologists to capture the life of glaciers in the Arctic range. The team installed 24 cameras mounted on military-strength tri-pod apparatuses across the terrain of Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, and Montana.

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