Frozen fingers capture the best moments!
Chris Burkard describes arctic photography as Type-Two fun. The kind of experience that is dreadful in present but memorialized in the highest regard. Comparable to surfing big waves, road trips, high school.
Burkard grew up chasing the windblown blahs of Cental Cal, only to discover that its hilly and diverse terrain was better geared towards photography than high quality surf. Picking up a camera at 18, he conceived a new form of expression that would come to redefine him and his bank account.
Burkard was quick to realize that surf photos don’t pay for shit, so he expanded his interests and captured the world as a whole. He’s now one of (if not) the most coveted and successful surf photogs in the world. Cold and stormy are his M.O., making this Icelandic sojourn something of a peak moment for Chris. “This is maybe one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen in my life,” says he.
I found this video to be simultaneously inspiring and destructive. I don’t generally get all mushy about surf, but gliding under the Northern Lights might be the pinnacle of our art. The whole ordeal appears so palpably spiritual, even existential (hey Chas!) in nature. That said, it’s hard to conceive of circumstances that would lead to my experiencing it. I just don’t want it bad enough. The cold, the waiting, the trying to fit my Beachgrit boardies over a 6-5-4 — it’s too much!
So I’ll continue to chase tropical perfection until my skin cancers and dilapidates. But something tells me I’ll never be fulfilled until the light at the end of the tunnel screams green and blue and blood orange. Take me with you, Chris Burkard!
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My friend just got back from a five day trip to Iceland. He doesn’t surf, he had a good time but as it was cloudy the whole time he didn’t get to see the northern lights, and everything was ludicrously expensive, to the point of it being funny. €10 for a foamy pint of beer, €37 for a 12″ pizza and a can of coke! He didn’t have any success with the ladies either! Apparently the waterfalls were impressive…
Going on Thurs, looked into the viability of a surf day trip ($450 = not viable) just sussed renting gear… $100 for wetsuit hire another fiftyish for hood, booties and gloves, an extra $100 if you don’t take your board.
Is torturing yourself in 5deg water for 2-3ft peelers with a pretty backdrop worth it?? The worst thing is I can’t even afford to drink away my sorrows if it ain’t
Surely Beach grit will pay for your expenses if you write a 300 word article?
Derek?? After 9 months of dirty eastern euro hostels promise I won’t spit the dummy and go awol if the hotel bed’s a bit lumpy
Whoa, three posts in a row?! Keep that up for about 10 days or so and you’ll have more posts here than Rory.
… and, I like his title of “Adventure Photographer.”
They’ve got me locked in the basement Karl! With nothing but a laptop and wilted photo of Neal Kearny for inspiration.
5 posts per day gets me a hot meal. Click click click!
is the inspiration not to be him?
Nice go pro entry btw.
<3
A worthy entry.