Chris Burkard is the Ansel Adams of Instagram with more than a million loyal followers. He is a jaw-dropping photographer, artist, and now director. His website explains, “Searching for wild, remote destinations and offbeat landscapes, Burkard portrays the humble placement of the human in contrast to nature.” Burkard’s popular TED talk explores ‘The joy of surfing in ice-cold water‘. He lives with his wife and kids in California.
You balance a heavy travel schedule and demanding work load. What do you and your wife do to balance your family life? It’s not always easy and when I’m traveling I usually try to spend as much time as possible with my wife and children. I’ll leave the camera gear in the camera bags and try not to touch it during the time with my family. It’s really important to me to keep my business and personal life in balance and I’m lucky to have an amazing and understanding wife that supports my choice of life and stands behind me with every decision I take.
You recently opened a gallery/studio. How has becoming a business owner changed you? Being a business owner has been a great step forward for me. Having other parts of the business being taken care of by a very competent team of people that support me has been a huge help to me. It’s allowed me to focus on what I really want to do: take and share photographs. With the recent opening of my own gallery in Avila I’ve opened a space for the public to see my work away from digital screens. It’s also a great platform to host events and workshops and I love meeting/inspiring people at the gallery.
You brand yourself LDS on your Instagram profile. Has this come up in your travels or interactions? All the time. People reach out and mention they are LDS too. It’s so great to hear from like minded people and share my passion for nature and the world around us with them and inspire them.
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Images courtesy AmazingGrass, Whudat, and Chris Burkard.