To classify photographer and 500px guest editor Vadim Balakin as just a landscape and wildlife photographer would be a mistake. In fact, he shoots cityscapes, concert photography, sports photography and a smattering of others as well. But it’s his landscapes and wildlife photography that you’ve probably seen more than once on the Popular page.

A member at 500px since the beginning, Vadim’s work ranges from impossibly vast landscapes and aerial panoramas like the photo at the top, to closeup wildlife ‘portraits.’

Here are some of our favorite images of his:

With a portfolio like this, you can see why he made it onto our list of guest editors! And so, back before almost anyone knew about it, he was made one of the inaugural members of the program, leading the way for the top-notch 500px photographers who followed in his footsteps later on by picking the best 500px had to offer.

Unfortunately, Vadim didn’t have time to sit down with us and answer questions like many of the other guest editors have, but below we’ve compiled all of his personal picks for the Editors’ Choice page. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed… we certainly weren’t:

To see more Editors’ Choice picks, visit the special category on the Discover tab. And if you’d like to browse through the rest of Vadim’s portfolio or keep track of him as he uploads more, head over to his website or follow him on 500px.