Photography by Chris Burkard
Chris Burkard is one of the best and most inspiring surf and adventure travel photographers in the game, as his near three million followers on Instagram would surely attest to. Following the release of his seminal short film, Under an Arctic Sky, which features some mind-blowing sequences of surfing under the northern lights, we caught up with Chris to ask him how it’s all done.
I started shooting photos when I was 19 years old after experimenting with drawing and art in high school. I realised it enabled me to do art in a mobile state, to explore and adventure, and show people the beauty in the world around me. The first camera that I bought was a 35mm Pentax MEF.
“For the first part of my career I slept in my car a lot. Nothing happens quickly.”
I realised I enjoyed photography but the idea of turning it into career was overwhelming. I knew I had to give it 100 per cent if I wanted to make it into something, so without any formal training I quit my job (at a magazine store) and started shooting anything for anyone.