Lead image by Chris Burkard
Adventures, almost by definition, start with a search. In days gone by this would have meant digging out an atlas, leafing through back issues of surf or bike magazines, or drooling over the descriptions in a guide book. These days, it’s more likely to mean typing a few keywords into Google’s search box.
There’s no doubt technology has removed some of the romance from the process – when the whole world’s information is literally at your fingertips, searching is no longer a skill in itself. And there’s no denying the idea of dusting off an old map sounds more appealing than pinching and zooming.
“The idea of dusting off an old map sounds more appealing than pinching and zooming.”
But as anyone who’s booked a trip recently knows, the end result – poring over contours, or working out the time it’ll take to travel between strangely-named cities – is still just as exciting, regardless of whether the map is on an old scroll or an iPhone screen.
Just ask Chris Burkard, who we interviewed for our My Life in Pictures series this month. The photographer cut his teeth at the tail end of the analogue era shooting for print magazines, before becoming one of the first surf snappers to realise the potential of Instagram. He’s since amassed a frankly incredible 2.8 million followers, and a quick read of his comments show that he inspires thousands to go on their own trips with every shot.
