Chris Burkard has been a huge inspiration to me over the past four years I've known about his work. He is a well known surf and nature photographer and an all around rad dude. I first came across him when I purchased The California Surf Project for my best friend as a birthday present. The book chronicles a road trip taken by Burkard along with Eric Soderquist down Highway 1 while they surfed the entire California coastline. Its a wonderful story of adventure, surf, and beautiful beaches told through photos, a few anecdotes, and a short film. That book created a spark in me for travel and adventure that has continued to grow. It inspired me to move to my own beach in Oregon for one unforgettable summer, and later to take a similar road trip(sans surfing) down the California coastline. He has an amazing gift for capturing the created world in a way that connects it so strongly to us, and I can never get enough of his work.
About a year ago, I had the opportunity to go to one of Chris Burkard's film showings at a surf shop in Laguna Beach. I got to meet Chris at the event, and I'm still just so happy I sucked up my fear of new things and took my little ol' self to that event. He was extremely nice and was completely stoked when I told him his book got me to take my own road trip. The event was so relaxed and friendly, and you could really tell he just wanted to help other people see the world in the same way he got to. I will forever treasure the encouragement he gave me to live my own adventure with a simple "Enjoy the ride." scratched inside one of his books.
One thing I love about Burkard's work is that his photos aren't strictly nature. He captures the places he travels to in a way that emphasizes people's relationship with nature and the world around them. The result is not only beautiful, but really gives me a sense of wanderlust and creates a personal connection to the place I'm seeing, even though I've never been there.
He's done a number of fantastic projects that have resulted in books and short films of his adventures, and they are well worth a look at. They usually focus on faraway places, extreme weather surf spots, or other things most people don't get to experience in their lifetime. However, Chris takes you into his world. I think its safe to say one of his goals is to inspire people to go see the places he has, and he shows you his trips in a way that makes you believe you can. For more amazing images, and all of his books check out his website: www.chrisburkard.com
All photos were taken from the Chris Burkard Photography facebook page.
Also, for loads of inspiration on a regular basis check out his Instagram.
I really encouraged you to explore more of his work on your own, picking just a few images was pretty much impossible cause he has way too much good stuff.
