When photographer Bryant Austin came eye-to-eye with a humpback mother whale swimming with her calf, it changed his life. He decided he wanted to recreate that experience for others by making a life-sized print of a whale – something that had never been done before. So he quit his job, sold his house, and flew to the South Pacific armed with only a snorkel and a camera.

Bryant has just released his first book, “Beautiful Whale,” and was recently interviewed on Forum with Michael Krasny. Find more images and audio of the interview here.