Nate Tyler in Cayucos, CA. Photo by Chris Burkard.

Capturing the perfect surfing photograph requires a combination of immense skill, patience, and dumb luck. Here photographer Chris Burkard fills us in on how he managed to harness all three into one beautiful image.

“One of my favorite shots is this one of Nate Tyler doing a sick air in Cayucos, CA., with the fiery sunset in the background.

My settings — ISO 250 // f4 @ 1/640 with my telephoto lens zoomed at 250mm — allowed me to freeze Nate in the air while still letting enough light in to capture his silhouette against the deep, vibrant colors of the red sunset. Notice the low ISO? That helped keep the image relatively noise-free.

And that’s how I got the shot.”

– Chris

Chris Burkard is a photographer, artist, and traveler with a passion for adventure and exploration. He is a widely-revered surf photographer and is the author of the new book The California Surf Project, a fully illustrated travel diary that beautifully chronicles two surfers on the trip of a lifetime. Check out more of Chris’ work at his website, www.burkardphoto.com, or by following the links below.

Chris on Facebook
Chris on Instagram
Chris on Twitter
Chris on Google+
Chris on Tumblr

Get the gear Chris Burkard uses: