That is what I thought when I ran across a program the other night on Discover HD Theater. Discover HD has a program called Risk Takers which is essentially a documentary of a high risk profession. To my surprise, who was the subject but outdoor photographer Jim Oltersdorf. While I wasn’t familiar with Jim as a photographer, I am familiar with his work. I recognized a couple of his images from his website’s slide show; I’ve seen them in various commercial publications. It is too bad that he doesn’t have more of his images available online for viewing, or at least point you to his stock agency, as he has some great nature photos. (thought a quick search found some of his photos on Index Stock)

What I found most interesting about the episode was the background view of how Jim gets some of his shots. While there is definitely some “made for TV moments” in the episode (maybe I have become too jaded with reality TV…), Jim does push the limit in his quest for great photos. I don’t think I would have ever thought of repelling from a rope with 50 pounds of camera gear on my back…

If you have Discover HD and want to catch the High Risk Photographer episode, check out the Risk Takers schedule. This episode will air a few more times in the early part of June.