Chris Burkard is a freelance surf photographer known for his distinct and creative photos. Unlike many professional photographers, Chris has not had formal training; instead, he developed his photography techniques through years of practice. His main style is natural lighting– the main inspiration behind his outdoor photos. Burkard, however, is continually experimenting, especially with different types of flash in order to create the perfect imagery. The vision, he claims, behind each photo is to document  the time and place; to capture the moment in still photography. Chris has shot mostly in California throughout his young and decorated career.

Chris Burkard has been the Senior Staff Photographer for Water Magazine and Surfline.com and has already published his first book, The California Surf Project. Chris won the first annual Follow The Light Foundation grant and has worked with more than 35 national and international surf publications including: Surfer, Surfing Magazine and many others.  His tips on composition and style will help any photographer take better outdoor photos.

Key Points

• Sometimes the simple moments are the best
• Image you’re painting a picture
  • contrast, depth, shadows
• Try not to always shoot at eye-level
  • try new things
• Main elements
  • composition
  • light
  • depth
  • contrast
  • mojo
    • the moment where all things come together
• Create your own style

Take what you learned and share with us in our photo share.

View more tips on outdoor photos from Chase Jarvis.

See more of Chris’ work here.