Get the Free Good Newsletter

Click Here!
To learn more about the newsletter

 
 

About Me

October 14, 2009 by admin

Snapshot

Me, posing for a 'Point & Shoot & Don't Slip' moment. Click the image to see just how scary and dark that hole is.

Howdy, my name is Justin Balog and welcome to my humble corner of the internet. I’m a photographer, filmmaker, storyteller, and explorer of the creative frontier. With a name like Balog, you expect I was related to James. Well, I don’t know of any relation, however both of us Balogs having a passion for photography seems like a pretty strange coincidence? We both shoot Nikons too! If you would like a more complete photographic history keep on reading, if not click here to see the photos.

Looking for a quick guide to LightAsMagic.com Click Here.

Random Facts

  • I am an Eagle Scout
  • Super Power: Uncanny sense of direction. I would be Magellan if there were ‘The Fantastic 5‘.
  • Although my Doctor says I am 5’8.5″, I pride myself on being 5’9″
  • Official member of the Unofficial A-Team
  • Times 2006 Person of the Year
  • I don’t mean to brag, but my tweets are archived in the Library of Congress.
  • Favorite Road: D26
  • Vegetarian
  • I play a 1975 wine red Gibson Les Paul Deluxe with factory routed humbuckers.

Other Ways To Find Me On The Web

The Way I See Things

The world is a beautiful place full of wonderful people. Seeking out its beauty and sharing it with others is what I do. If only to encourage others to do the same. There is something transcendent about art and beauty. It’s a common ground that breaks down the barriers that divide us. I’m a dreamer, but in my heart of hearts, I know if we all recognize and share the beauty of this world, we will make it a better place.

My Relation to Light

My passion for photography began by observing my Grandfather’s unyielding pursuit of the family portrait. Armed with a used Konica and a flash he had re-engineered to work with what appeared to be a car battery he would document all our family functions. I was never quite sure if the battery was intended to improve battery life or cycle times? Either way, the flash was bright and family moments were captured. My academic pursuit of photography began and ended in Mr. Wagner’s high school photography class. A review of my early portfolio would reveal a healthy blend of both sophomoric humor and teenage angst. To support this claim I submit my final class project pictured below.

B- Due to dirty negs
Grade: B-

As my passion for making images grew (and continues to grow), I became aware of a subtle shift in my perception of the world. New meaning was found in the morning and evening light. I became hyper-aware of the way the sun’s rays would illuminate a distant and finite horizon at sea. It wasn’t immediately apparent; however, over time this newly discovered sense began to dominate my perception and offer new meaning to both the sublime as well as the trivial in my daily life.

With encouragement from my friends, family, and most importantly my wife, I decided to start this site to share my images. I hope that sharing these images will inspire everyone who takes a look to begin to see light as magic.

Out My Front Door

It is easy to forget the beauty that is around us everyday. We get caught up in booking travel to chase the grandscapes of the world. Don’t let it become a hassle to take your camera on a hike or even a commute to work. As an attempt to combat this type of personal complacency I have challenged myself to document all the images that I have found within a bike ride from my house. As a well trained cyclist that gives me about 60mile radius (120miles if I bend the rules have have my wife pick me up). I will be posting all those images under the “Out My Front Door” category in my blog. I challenge everyone to do the same. Click Here to view images from out my front door. Feel free to send me photos from your front door.

Photographers

Other than my grandfather, whom I cannot thank enough, there are a few other photographers who have directly or indirectly inspired me along the way.

  • Bill Sallaz – Long ago Bill talked me into a D1x and told me to shoot until you can’t shoot anymore. He believed, and I agree with him, that the instant feedback from digital is better than any classroom work you could ever do.
  • Graham Watson- Not only does he keep me in the Pro Tour action, he has always answered my questions posted to his site.
  • Bob Krist- When it comes to photography, you think National Geographic. When it comes to travel photography you think National Geographic Traveler. Bob Krist is a photographer for Nat Geo Travel who shares his experiences as a traveling photojournalist on his personal blog. The writing is on par with the photography and well worth the read.
  • Bruce Percy- His work speaks for itself, but if you can catch an adventure photography podcast while delusional with insomnia, you have the makings for some serious existential mojo.
  • Trey Ratcliff- Trey runs the #1 travel photography site on the net..and for good reason! His images are fantastic, and he is very generous with his knowledge. You can find his Award Winning HDR Tutorial here. Or, you can learn from a variety of his eBooks here.

Other (non-photographic) Stuff About Me



What I’m Listening To
Here is a sampling of what I’ve been listening to past and present. Its pretty hard to consolidate 10,000 songs into a representative sub-sample. If you are looking for new music, just sign up for our monthly newsletter. I recommend a few new songs in every issue.

iTunes Playlist

Click It! It will load the playlist in iTunes for you.



Movies I Could Watch A Couple Of Times



Some Recommended Reading