It’s been 25 years since the inception of the California Desert Protection Act. At the time this seemed like a radical idea to many... as the beauty of the deserts have often been seen as secondary to the beauty of the ocean or mountains & slow to protect. In history no other type of landscape has been more ravaged for resources. Today we get to enjoy the beauty of ethereal places like Joshua Tree, Mojave, Death Valley & many more because of the CDPA. For me it has always been a visceral place to photograph & push my personal limits of what is possible... and this photo is 100% real. @garrison_rowland enjoying the perks of a supermoon in the Desert. . #protectCAdeserts #25yearsofCAdeserts

BOSTON! I’ll be sharing my film Under An Arctic Sky along with a slideshow and Q&A this Wednesday at @hubweek !! Grab tickets & come hang for what is sure to be an Inspiring event ! . In my bio or www.ChrisBurkard.com/events

To all my fellow Alpaca owners or future owners.. happy Alpaca Day. No critters bring me more joy than my Suzy Q & Mistal. That’s why me and the wife and breeding them to hopefully have a proper herd! Love her so much I put her on a T-shirt so I can bring her everywhere 😅 more in my shop. 🦙 🤙

Easily my favorite & most challenging assignment from last year was to document the Tasman Glacier. It’s crazy how long it takes some commercial assignments to come to life & get out into the world. Excited to see this work releasing in the new few weeks. I wanted to share a few behind the scenes images that are always my favorite to look back on. We were tasked to create ‘one’ timeless image that documented the beauty & recession of the Tasman. A glacier that has been the fastest receding in NZ, but like many glaciers has left behind a beautiful lake that many come from from far & wide to experience. It is a sort of silver lining. Looking forward to sharing the full experience & assignment for @icebreakernz ‘s #movetonatural campaign soon. . #climatestrike

We do so much to make ourselves feel significant during this life... but in the end we all seem to crave the insignificance only nature can provide us with.

I’ve been riding my bike from Portland to San Francisco the last few days with an epic crew of humans. @leaveitontheroad invited me to come be apart of their Coast Ride to support cancer research. Thus far we have had some of the best & worst Oregon has to offer ... and even when we are bone cold & soaking wet we can’t keep the smiles off our face. This is such a special ride & we are all here to support their cause. If you want to make a small donation for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy please check my bio link or @leaveitontheroad 🚲 🤙 . 📷 photos the talented lenswomen @natalierstarr P.S. - all donations go directly to ACGT, as we pay for all our own personal expenses out of pocket 🙌🏼

To better understand how the Earth was made we must look at it from new perspectives. This has and will always be the greatest way I have found to appreciate the world around us. Volcanic alignment outside of Bend Oregon.

This morning I’ve been thinking a lot about my kids...who they are, what they’ll become, what they will care about. It struck me that the things that bring them joy are the same things I value, and most of that right now revolves around nature & being outside. I’m feeling proud of this generation coming up... that they care about the environment & protecting it. Climate is an important issue... arguably The Most. But whether you are out marching today or not you can vote by how you eat, what you wear & what you buy everyday. These are simple choices. Factory farming & the fashion industry are two of the highest polluting industries ever. While it’s important to raise our voices & rally for change to big business practices and political policy - it’s never been more imperative to take stock of our personal choices & make changes that we are lucky enough to have under our control everyday.

Filming at ISO 24,000 was something I never envisioned even attempting years ago. This night while filming for Under an Arctic Sky changed everything. I’d like to say it was pure creativity that brought this to life but technology & the gear we used played a huge role. I’ll be keynote speaking about this experience & others at the STOCKED culture conference in New York City Friday Sep 27. Hosted by @gearpatrol . If you are in the city come out and hang - tickets at www.stocked2019.com

That whole, “right place, right time” thing.. that happened.

As a photographer I aspire everyday to communicate through images the beauty of this planet & our responsibility to keep it that way. It’s not necessarily the best tool for the job, but I think it’s one of the most expressive when it comes to sharing ones personal views on the planet. SunRiver Oregon 2019

How many perfect nights like this have gone undocumented. It always frazzles my mind to think that somewhere in the world is experiencing a wild perfect sunset with nobody around to witness. At the same time it also brings great peace. The Kurils will always be in the back of my mind as one of those places that shocked me considering how inviting it was after hearing nonstop of how harsh of an environment it can be. Maybe we just got lucky.