Graeme Green meets the photographer whose thirst for adventure has taken him around the world in search of the perfect wave

Detail image shot in California for Crust Bike.

Chris Burkard

Surf photographer Chris Burkard’s Instagram account reads, “Have camera, will travel.” It’s a low-key description that doesn’t quite do justice to the extremes the 34-year-old goes to for his work – researching, planning and completing epic expeditions to some of the most remote corners of the planet, including beaches and challenging locales in Russia, Norway, Iceland and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.

It’s these shoots, which go the extra mile and serve for Burkard as “a personal crusade against the mundane”, that’s led to him working on profitable campaigns for Land Rover, Sony, The North Face and others, and earned him a committed Instagram following of 3.6 million people.

Burkard’s new book, Wayward, documents his photographic adventures from the last 15 years, as well as telling the stories behind the shoots – including succumbing to hypothermia, destroying thousands of pounds worth of camera gear, and spending time in a Russian jail, all in the pursuit of a great image (or the perfect wave).

Here, he talks to Digital Camera about the call of the wild, risk versus reward, swimming with sharks, and learning from mistakes…

What is it that draws you to wild places?

I grew up in a tiny town in California, and wanted to know what was out there in the world. It was about gazing at photos in magazines like National Geographic, and daydreaming. I had a desire to explore.

I didn’t travel growing up. My family couldn’t afford it. We never went on vacations to exotic places. But if you stare at those photographs long enough, you eventually think: “I have to go.” That was my dream.

Photography happened to be the gateway to get me there. It wasn’t that I fell in love with the camera right away. I fell in love with the idea of where it could take me.