Chris Burkard

Chris Burkard is an American photographer and artist, based in the California Central Coast region. He photographs landscape, lifestyle, surf, outdoor, and travel subjects. Burkard takes a photojournalistic approach to make editorial projects, using multiple media. He uses natural light to capture humanizing moments.
Burkard specializes in photographing in cold places, including in Iceland, Norway, the Faroe Islands, India, Cuba, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland, and Italy. Burkard has been named a top travel influencer.
Burkard was born in San Luis Obispo, California. He was raised by a single mother; she married his stepfather when Chris was 12 and they joined a family of five. He is a graduate of Arroyo Grande High School. After completing high school in 2004 at the age of 18, Burkard enrolled in classes at Cuesta Junior College. He became exposed to photography as an art form and the idea of composition quickly captured his attention. Growing up near the ocean and participating in water sports such as body surfing, bodyboarding, and surfing, Burkard sought to use photography as a mode of expression to highlight the movement of water and document his friends.
Burkard purchased his first camera from a Goodwill auction for $65, and after shooting and developing an entire roll of slide film he realized the camera didn't work. He then borrowed a camera from his girlfriend's mom, and began shooting regularly, experimenting with different lighting and contexts. Raised on the cusp of photography's mainstream transformation from film to digital in the mid-2000s, Burkard is self-taught in both.
In 2006, Burkard shadowed large format landscape photographer Michael Fatali, whose images of the American Southwest desert are published frequently. Later that year, Burkard interned under Transworld Surfing photo editor, Pete Taras.
In the early years of his career, Burkard worked as a freelance photographer on both editorial and commercial projects, as well as having work published on over 35 national and international covers of magazines including Surfer Magazine (both print and digital), The New Yorker, National Geographic Adventure EandSPN.com.
Beginning in 2009, Burkard was contracted by Patagonia, Inc. as a project photographer. Burkard also operates a full service studio in Grover Beach, California shooting commercial and editorial work. Burkard has spoken at TED.
In 2006, Burkard interned at Transworld Surf Magazine for four months prior to becoming assistant photo editor. In 2008, at age 21, Burkard earned a position as the senior staff photographer at Surfline, a global surf forecasting and content site, based in California. At this time he also served as senior staff photographer at Water Magazine until his departure in 2010. Burkard was hired at Surfer Magazine in 2010. As of May 2013, he holds the position as senior staff photographer.
After traveling and photographing Iceland for many years, Burkard is now sharing his local knowledge on Rexby, a platform that enables creators to set up and sell travel guides and consultations.
Burkard is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burkard lives in Grover Beach with his wife Breanne; they married in 2007 and have two sons, Jeremiah and Forrest.