Welcome guys we are about to start the party as but before that some of you have been asking where is the best place to listen to a podcast? I wanted to share with you that the podcast is available on Spotify. Yay. Spotify obviously is the best place to listen to music lately and also podcast, so, please download the app. If you don't have it if you already have it in your premium member you can download all my episodes and save them for offline use it and Once You Found Me by searching for the pH Lambert podcast, make sure you add me to your Everett and from there. Here's a quick hack. You can actually pressure it's going to create a preview that you can drop into your Instagram stories on Twitter. It's going to look dope and obviously we want to blow up this podcast. So make sure you do it. It means a ton to me and with no further Ado. Let's get started. For real this time. Good morning podcast. Welcome to pH Lambert show. I am here your host and today I have with me Chris burka. Oh, yeah. You heard it right? We have Chris on the podcast. It's going to be awesome guys. I've been wanting to have Chris on the podcast for several reasons for very long time and I finally had the opportunity to do so, so if you don't know Chris Chris is an amazing landscape photographer Storyteller and also human being who keeps pushing himself to the Limit and goes really deep into his discomfort in order to progress and that is something I personally admire and love to do and in this episode we will be digging into a bunch of different topics. We're going to be talking about the why taking pictures for fun is so fulfilling. Even as a working professional why investing time and what really matters is the most important thing in life and how come cycling took us such an important place in his life and how does it get him to really a greater creative space? How does he find ideas in those moments last but not least what I can of asked him a weird question, which is is Earth better without humans and his answer might be surprising you and last but not least we will talk about creativity discomfort and How to become better and that part is essential if you're trying to create anything in your life if you're trying to progress I think that episode will be purifier for you. So without further Ado let's welcome Chris to the podcast and dive right into it. Welcome to podcast Chris. Thank you man. I appreciate that so much. Appreciate you having me. Yeah. Well, I appreciate your time even more because I know you like the president. No. No, I just kind of kind of life's a little crazy sometimes and I think I'm a big fan of trying to fit it all in and sometimes that comes back to bite me in the butt. But for the most part I just I love trying to make the most of my time. I guess you could say I'm yeah, you know workaholic in that sense. So yeah, that's always the fine balance between you guys write everything and yeah my going to miss out right right there. Sure the Chris. I have a fan question. I asked a few people out the other day and it's like if I say photography what is the first image like photograph that comes in your head? There's not even a photograph that comes to my head when I think of photography. I mean to be honest. Like I'm I think there was a time in my career when I was a real photography like obsessed with out with photographs and with the concept of the I've the idea of Photography and nowadays when you say the word photography or you say, you know, what's the first thing that I don't even I just think about storytelling and like to me it's not so much about A singular image nowadays as it is about like, you know, the overall process of like telling a great story when I think of Photography like the first thing that comes to my mind is like what's my favorite film? Yeah, you know, I don't know why but like it's because I think that what I realize more and more is that there's so much more to the process of creating a great image. There's also like the emotion the feeling of what it was like when you created it, there's the there's the story behind the image. There's the why there's who and I kind of want to know all that stuff. And although I have my favorite images for me, you know, it's probably the volcano photograph of the surfer in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, but you know, I guess I just think more on like I think more on like what is the I just constant questions pop up. Like what's the deeper story behind this a behind that or whatever so so yeah. Sorry. I'm pretty I'm pretty terrible at like the question games or like the you know, what do you think of when you think about this because my mind doesn't operate that way you come to Turbo did there is no right answer. Yeah, I guess there's just one answer true. I'm sure your point but that's I'm asking that because so I've had different photographers and and the older they get the more they talk of a story this is photos and or advance in their career and and that's something I feel and I love about photos is just or even film, you know, it's like what impacts you deeper than just like. Oh, That's pretty you know, like oh, that's more. I think what it is is that there's a surface quality to something. That's like looks beautiful. Right? It's like, you know, I think I think it's just like it's almost easier to relate to like food, you know, it's like it's like, oh I want something that like really gets my taste buds quickly. I want like back potato chips and it's like, ooh yummy, it's all salty and it's good. You just like eating at your thinking your favorite potato chips and like they're great but the bags done in like you didn't really actually get any nutrients and like it's not that great. So I look at like amazing landscape photographs like that. Like I enjoy them. They're yummy. I'm a total sweets and salty fan, you know, and you know, but what I really want is like something a Hardy, you know, like a warm soup that like fills you up deep inside and like a slice of bread, you know, so I think the point being is like there's true real fulfillment that comes from connecting with other people's stories and That's the stuff that changes you like that's the recipe that like changes who you are as a person potentially and makes you in some way a better person right if you can like relate to a story and really take something away from it and that that's just like the things that I really care about, you know, do you feel that the As you move towards like a little bit further into your career. Do you feel like you're going to you want to focus more on like just those stories and maybe the individuals or or or you instill? Yeah, I mean, absolutely. Yeah, I feel like I still love the process of just like not have not. I mean here's the one thing is like I don't want to wax poetic about like every photo you take has to be this deep meaningful thing. Like it doesn't like that's that's totally ridiculous. Like I love the process of just going out and taking pictures because it's fun. Yeah, and it's it is fulfilling like that's it for no other reason but the more and more the older I get I do look for projects that I'm willing to invest my time. Into and that's just what I really am saying is like if I'm gonna spend six months on something. I want it to be something that I'm a hundred percent. Like I'm on board with and I care about and I care about a person and their story and their this know that and they're yeah you got so to me those things are also critical like they're so important and I think that if you're going to be investing your time money energy taking time with your family, it better be a important thing, you know better to be like not like I'm just going to go out and shoot this One great Action Sports image for me. It's like I want to go tell a story about a friend that changed my life or a story that's you know significant and that that's I think where you get down to like the meat of it, you know, also, I like what you're saying because solar resonates with me, especially on that like, can you can you work for something that's a little bit deeper, you know, like we are going to be willing to sacrifice more for something you care about exact that's all there is to it like it's just the same thing as like me hiring you because you can have you have a camera I know how to operate it like that's on fulfilling you feel used but you're making money so you can't really complain but the point is like I I'm more willing to like give everything something I truly believe in. Yeah, and those are the projects that you really suffer for the ones you suffer for the ones are good. Yeah, that's what passion is passion is being willing is over something that is very true. What's your take on creating versus capturing? I got some excellent. That's an excellent. Excellent thing to be honest. Like I actually love this concept of like Capturing an image like in what that means like it's like you're setting a trap and you're like, you're like capturing something to take you're taking it for you as opposed to composing an image which think about like the tact and like the elegance and the the time and the energy that a composer puts into composing an orchestra. Like they're they're fully engaged and all of these elements and they're creating something beautiful and then when it's over it, so I think to me like I mean, it sounds so stupid but like truly the verbiage in which we Which we describe our process of creating images should reflect how much we care about that. Well, you know how that process and and respect it. And I find that like the more you respect to place the more time you dedicate to it the more care concerned whatever like the I think it comes through in the images. Do you have a yeah, I agree. I like what you say, but don't kiss throw because it's that's kind of what happens also. That's why sometimes street photography at Do it just because I'm in cities a lot and there's a magical atom into it where it's like that's you didn't set up anything, you know? Oh, yeah, it's just happened at God's beautiful just captured life at one point that will never be repeated right right time and it just makes me wonder when you when you do landscape like that and and you in those places. Is there a way for you to have the landscape be actually a subject and imagine you wanted to A story you could not add a human element into that landscape. What what would be your thoughts around that I mean a good landscape image is completely an opinion based thing. So that's the hard thing is like it's like impossible to be like, what would you do? You know, like I don't to be honest. I never I never want to add a human subject or and human element or any element to an image unless I feel like it complements the image to me in a lot of ways if I'm adding a human element. I'm adding I'm adding a landscape to a portrait as opposed to the other way around. That's the way I always see it and I grew up shooting surfing so we were it was always I was always shooting a subject. I was shooting people on surf trips and it's funny because from that background I was I was really like shooting surfing with a tight lens. Yeah, and then all of a sudden that show I'd shoot a little wider and a little wider to the point where I was like showing the entire landscape and you're adding the To the subject. It's a for me the story was always like well, I'm shooting this person or this whatever doing, you know, this incredible feat of achievement, you know, or you know, whatever physical you know achievement and and I'm trying to showcase the landscape in which they're doing it, right? So there was always a there was always a relationship between subject and nature now if I'm going into a national park or I'm going somewhere that like is just so beautiful on its own and I'm forcing myself to add. Something to it. That just doesn't make sense to me. That just doesn't seem like it doesn't seem like you're doing that place of service and I guess it's a hard thing for me to see imagery and even in myself. I've done this. This is why I'm using myself in the example. Is that going to a place feeling like man? The only way I can make this interesting is by like in inserting subject here. Like that's not the right answer and I think that what I find is that usually it's the byproduct. Device being rushed forcing ourselves to create something, you know capturing an image so to say and just trying to like get through it right as opposed to like when you do have the opportunity to go somewhere again and again and again and and or go somewhere that you're able to really pay your respect or your time or put in your time. That's when you get like the amazing cloud formation of the rainbow after a storm or whatever the you know, the low Cloud sitting in the valley and your photograph is so interesting and so unique. The adding anything to it would be like asinine and I think that's really the way that I see it is like we go to somewhere. It's crappy. Midday light, you know, it's not a very interesting photograph and you're like, oh I'm just gonna like put a subject in there and try to make it into that doesn't work. Like I don't know, you know, I mean, that's just my opinion again. Well, I know what you mean. Just give scales. You're happy. But part of me also wish that it was solely natural. Not natural. But like yeah that it happened little bit more candidly just because I need the problem is nowadays something that happens candidly and somebody doesn't like people like nobody righteous. Nobody even cares or notices or could tell the difference unless you like take the time to explain it and then by taking the time to explain it you take away the mystery that is that is true. Yeah, that's true the that's why I always like to discuss with with you guys or with other photographers about that because everyone has a little bit of different philosophy around that, you know, yeah, but she want to speak with people who like really composite very deeply images like which goes into for me and totally art mode, you know, it's like completely imaginary which is interesting versus trying to stay in the and more the documentary style or like capturing it always reminds So I think as creators like whatever I'll do you want to take in what story really are you trying absolutely hind it? Absolutely. Yeah, one of your images I have to share that one of your images from Yosemite National Park got me to Glacier Point and okay. I didn't know where it was. But I remember I don't know if it was tutorial video one day. I saw a so that skateboarder, you know like go. Yay. That was like that was maybe five years ago. Yeah, what was struck with me? Yeah, and it was exactly become a VIP pass. Obviously I was like, yeah, I just like Google die quickly and well I found out it was Glacier Point obviously the road it was amazing, you know, and I couldn't help taking a photo there and yeah, yeah stuff and use the skate Barn so it's so popular. It's crazy. Yeah. I mean, it's funny how like Trends form and set and I you know, it's like you don't really do something. I don't I don't aspire to create images and hopes to start at And some capacity. It's just something that like I had done in the past and done before and it all it's almost like it dawned on me to like want to take out the camera and take a picture of it and it's it's so fun. Like I've eaten shit. They're like big time like going around that band and like, you know, like falling off into the rocks and whatnot. And it's like those are I always just think of like, I love our outdoor spaces our national parks and finding interesting and new ways to Perience them whether through climbing or you know flying over and like a paraglider a trike of some sort or or whatever skateboarding or cycling through it or you know it to me like I just enjoy documenting The Human Experience. Yeah, and whatever that may be, you know some capacity. So yeah speaking of Trends. Do you feel like Don take some time to post off just thinking like God everyone's going to do the same or not? Carry me. I don't I don't I don't think of I think that that's like man. It's so hard because like, you know, always it always comes back to your intention, right? I understand that and that's so important, but I think the reality is like if you're afraid of sharing something because You know of how somebody's going to perceive it, but it's really meaningful to you that's going against your greater your nature, you know, and like I think that in some ways like I also think there's something to be said for being a photographer or just a person in general who has a perspective who's willing to like stand up for what they believe in even if some people don't agree like I think we're all too busy trying to please too many people and I've always loved the advice the advice of you Monty. Hard like if you're not Pitch pissing off 50% of the world, you're not doing your job like not everybody should think what you're doing is great or it's cool or it's whatever like there should be naysayers. That's a part of the process and I think we have created we fostered a culture where we're just trying to please everybody all the time. Yeah, and that's so unhealthy like I I mean to not live in a world where there's some like I I just I celebrate like differences of opinion. I love that like it doesn't need to be controversial. It just needs to be like well somebody might like this somebody might not that's okay. Well and like somebody might think this is dangerous. That's okay. Yeah, I don't need to you know, I don't need to appease everybody. Yeah, but at the same time, I'm also not that type of person where if somebody's like gonna call me out or say something. I'm just gonna like roll over, you know, like I will tell them give my my opinion and make them realize like I am a human being with thoughts and intentions and if you want to communicate with We do so effectively via email or through DM or whatever. It might be but like simply, you know, you know voicing your opinion online as if it matters, you know, when you're basically at your privilege to you know be able to take part in someone's creative process. That's not really I think effective in my opinion what that is that sorry that's a long-winded answer to probably like a not a very long, you know when question but no, I think it's great that it's something that I think More and more nowadays you did because you were in an age of instant feedback. You know, it's like you put a video on YouTube you you instantly see what happens when it's also challenging because like what do you want to see? Do you want to see something that's always just like rainbows and Meadows and you know, it's just like so soft like everything just like Best Day Ever amazing this amazing that like, I just get bored with that like I want to know something about somebody I want to know somebody's opinion. I want to know like a perspective that means And if that means that person is going to share something that's potentially controversial great. I welcome that because it might it allows me to see things from a different perspective. Yeah. Why would we want everybody to see things the same way? We do just like going shooting with someone who shoots only low angles and you think it's done, you know, you like well actually maybe yeah, maybe there's some sure that's cool. I want to segue into something. That's a little bit off the top fee. It's your adventure in Iceland. With the bikes. Mmm. I want a cycling. So can you just I want to see did you learn anything from that experience because that's a little bit off of what you've been doing so far. I don't think so. I think the reality is just I've allowed people to know more about my life. That's all there is to it. Like there's a lot of stuff. I don't do there's a lot of stuff. I don't tell people because I don't have you been biking for a long time. I've been cycling for like 5 years, but I stopped when I had My son because I want to it's hard to take the time and I started writing again. And you know, I just I've learned to become more open with people and share more of my personal life. You know, I'm also a certified yoga teacher like I don't talk about that all the time. Do I need to know do I do I need to share every single thing? I ate every morning and you know, like do I need a shove it down people's throats that I'm vegan and I don't care right? So the reality is I've tried to a little more share insights. Of my personal life because it seems like people are interested, you know, but I'm also a sensitive creature and I like, you know, I it's hard because sometimes I'm like, oh well if it's not photography related people won't care, you know, and so I now I'm trying to open up more and be and that's a that's a part of getting outside. Your comfort zone is like, okay. Well, I'm going to share a little more of the Insight that makes me me and to be honest cycling is just good exercise, but more than that to be honest. It's forced time. For me to be able to think and it's forced time to allow myself to create space for creativity. That's all it is. And I'll tell you what, there's no greater creative space. You'll ever enter Then when you're 58 hours without sleep and your you've exhausted your body writing 850 miles and you're seeing things and you're hallucinating and you're about to fall over and you're bleeding and everything hurts like you get some really unique parts of you. You that I cannot express to others how fulfilling that is for me to like not only understand like of course like how far can you go? It's not about that. It's and I think there's just this masochistic perspective people have of like, why would you do that? And the reality is like I just want to create space for For creativity to happen. Yeah, and I'm just like you I'm always on my phone and I mean, I'm sorry, I'm kind of judging here. But like I'm just like everybody else right? I'm always on my phone and I'm always, you know inhibited by the day-to-day and you know, I'm getting it all in but when I go out and ride my bike or I go out and rock climb or I go out and do whatever I'm like, you can't do anything else and I love that and that's actually why I like to ride is like when I'm climbing you stop and then you can pull out your phone and you It only goes for like 20 30 minutes at a time and a chunk. I love climbing and running is like just hard on the body and I used to do it a lot. But like there's just this long and I urge everybody to find that thing for them swimming or whatever is I've dabbled with a bunch of different sports over the years and I just I love something about that like that that gift you've given yourself, you know the gift of like being fully there. But if you're creative like how do you call that like spring or whatever, you know, you don't like the second sound cycle goes out to me to be honest. That's what it is. Like I can't tell how many voice notes I've recorded on my bike ride. Like this is a great idea like stopping like record something because they come to you. Yeah, and it's usually after like a couple hours of like you're not bored, but you're kind of like, okay. Well this isn't as visually stimulating as like scrolling Instagram, right? But that's what you need. You need to like Purge that yeah for a bit and then when you do come back to things you see them with fresh eyes. Really? It's really powerful. Yeah, II can only a hundred percent confirm what to say. That's what I was telling then he was just he's like, I'll come late to go back in the water. And yeah yet everything away from me. You know, I like yeah everything that is like peeling you lay off, you know, like oh, yeah. I mean that's what surfing is. It's like a baptism every time yeah, I feel you feel this like Rejuvenation of like body and spirit. I just it's incredible. But I also think that the more you do something the more kind of Place it you get I mean you see people doing incredible things and still being unhappy and to me I'm just like whoa, that's weird. Like you were unhappy the first time you did it. You were probably overfilled with joy and and it was like this childlike Wonder but you see people go out surfing in our like angry and yelling at people and the reality is like I think that there's something to be said for doing something over and over and over and trying to find different results, which is why I like to mix it up. Like I like to like, I'm not a cyclist. I just ride my bike sometimes. The end I'm not a climber. I just enjoy climbing like sometimes I just like trying new things and for a period of time and getting into it and then like moving on, you know, and then dabbling back and forth. So do you feel like photography is something that always stays with you? No matter what? Yeah, or solutely mean. Were you like, you know what? I mean? I'm not ashamed to say it but I don't pick up my camera for months at a time. Really. Oh, yeah all the time. Like that's the reality is like I don't want to be just a photographer. I wouldn't I I feel like it's limiting and I don't mean that in like a pretentious way. Like I feel like what I feel like is just giving yourself to that craft of Storytelling limits you like there are months and months where I will practice like public speaking or our practice presentations or out practice because that's what I have to do and try this like imagine if you're not a photographer anymore. Yeah, but you had to bring the same level of visual. Intimacy through public speaking. How would you describe things? How would you write things? I've been working on a book this last month that's coming out in October. I've been working on a film and Iceland last week and I might you know, there's a lot of other facets to my creativity that I try to Foster and I guess what I'm saying is that I a lot of those require you to putting a camera down and giving time and space for those. Yeah, and I guess I just hope that more creatives do that. That because I'm excited to hear their voices and other ways or their Vision, right and other ways. Yeah, I felt like what would you say is like something that is being uni-dimensional will keep you in the lane in the box and the only results you can expect is that lane all that? But yeah, if you're not able to like spread a little bit thicker when I can in different directions, you can't no other results will come out none. I mean, that's the thing. I mean, that's the that's what the like what the sign of you know, I forgot I'm totally blanking her but it's basically like the the definition of like being you know crazy is doing the same thing over and over expecting you results, right? Yeah. I think that we do that from time to time and I'm yeah and I guess that's what I'm trying to like get away from is like why am I just doing the same thing over expecting new results how else could I express? This thing that I'm passionate about and the thing that I'm passionate about is not photography. The thing that I'm passionate about is sharing my perspective with the world and the things that are meaningful to me and the things that I fear losing the things that I love and a lot of that is nature and is human experience and is you know people and a lot of things and I just I look for different ways to do it and I feel like that's kind of I guess how I would Define myself, you know. Night, it gets kind of cliche to be like I'm a Storyteller. But like I really do hope to be a Storyteller. Well in any way I can well that's that's great. Yeah, I think you're doing a pretty good job so far. Thanks, man. I really appreciate that. What you've been working on. I have a super with question because something you said like trigger and that's that's me being me was weird questions and I think your question do you think Earth is better off without humans? No, of course not that's like the time he gets the dumbest question you Could ever ask I'm just kidding. No, I it's a great question. No, but I mean personally, I don't I don't think so. I mean the reality is like it's really funny because like we are consumers we consume. Yeah animals consume to yeah, we all consumed by our very nature like I think that I think that the answer to the biggest questions that we have in the world are not going to be like, you know humans are destroying Earth where it is Grace. Like what does that even mean? Like, you're like you're talking about your own race here at people. I'm sorry that not everybody sees the same way or the same perspective and and hey if we could if we could you know in some way you know, and It you know the amount of new people coming into the world all the time, that'd be great. But that's not going to happen. Like like there's not going to be a year where there's going to be a halt and no more people are going to be added to Earth's population based that's not going to happen ever like that idea is done. Like I think that the reality is that we need to Foster more experiences or people can learn to care about the natural world because the greatest issue that humans have is were too smart and we tend to think our way through everything and work out how to make things as simple as they could possibly be and this pursuit of Simplicity and this pursuit of and when I mean Simplicity, I also mean like technological advancements in how we can make our lives easier in this pursuit of he's is what has put us into this situation. Yeah. It's much much For when everybody has to like walk to a well to get their water or walk to a streamer or has to engage with nature every single day. But when you you know, we've made life easier by living in cities and by you know, being able to jump on, you know, this computer that computer and not saying these are bad things. I'm just saying that we have lost touch with nature and our connection to it. And when you lose touch with something, it's out of sight out of mind. I I choose to be vegetarian. Ian because I do I cannot come to grips with killing my own food. Okay, and that's just the reality. I don't have a problem with anybody else doing at all. I'm not here to you know advocate for PETA or for the you know, even for the fair treatment of animals. I love animals and I hope they're all treated fair, but I'm not saying like people shouldn't you? No kill animal. They everybody should do whatever they want. Right? I just know for me personally and I think that that's just me trying to be in touch with my own reality and Nature in general is like if I was forced to I would write but I'm not and I also know that it's not something that's asked of me. So again, all I'm just saying is like I aim to be as introspective and as possible and I just I just want people to be able to have experiences that force them to kind of question who they are be the most a real version of themselves right now, and I think that the more opportunities people have to be out in nature and to experience the stuff. If and not just like what I'm getting at here is like just going to the grocery store buying food not knowing where it comes from not knowing the process that has to go through not knowing anything. And I mean I think food is the best example of out of sight out of mind but there's a million other examples that you could potentially bring up and is that but I'm just saying in general like that that to me is the greatest Crooks. I don't think humans are really the scourge of the earth. I think that we've actually we've actually, you know done incredible things to create an amazing. Distance for everybody here for each other and we bring joy to each other's lives and we do this. We also bring a lot of terrible things but I think that I think the thing that we really need to consider is just is just where are we at in our own personal Journey with interacting with the natural world? Yeah, but I love those thoughts. I think it's it's very it's very difficult to Define. First of all, what is good and bad? That'd be right. Of course. That's the thing is like it's such a unique kind of set yourself up for failure even answer the question. It's crazy. And that's what I keep learning as I go also personally, you know, I'm because I'm very optimal ated on so many stuff. I don't know where it comes from in my life. But I have an opinion on everything mainly because maybe I'm French and we do but it's what you say in what I come to realizing that I would love your answer about who should be no human in a way. It's like the Earth would still evolve. Yeah, it might still get destroyed. Yeah, it might still disappear in 500 million years. Yeah who the heck knows and what I came to realize just like one of the photo you shared with your you I think it was I don't know why it was but there was this guy on the ledge and the one side was dark one side was like, right. Yeah, son and you were talking about that ends and so I came to realize I'm like everything's freaking balance, you know, whether you want it or not whether you would destroy the Earth. Or Earth or like or vision of Earth within the next 200 years and all die or not or go in space or whatever. It doesn't matter. They're like 5 million other planets for disappearing every day a new start is coming up. We are so insignificant like I like I just I blows me away that some people complain like it's their job and I just like, I really question where people's Pursuit Of Joy is in their life and the process Of bringing joy to other people. Yeah, and to me that is a hundred percent. My mission statement is I want to bring joy and happiness to other people's life. And because I feel like life is an Incredible Gift and I've been given the gift of Life by somebody who had to sacrifice a lot for me to have it and that perspective is my own personal perspective. Nobody can take it from And I just feel like I aim to bring joy to other people's life and try not to complain too much and you know try to whenever I and it's a funny thing like when I see something online or in the world that bothers me rather than opening my mouth and just giving someone my opinion about it. The first thing I try to do is think Am I doing that? And is that something that I could be working on is where am I failing in that regard to live up to? You know, X person's expectation not say that you need to but just like I don't think our first reaction should be to like point the finger and blah blah blah. It's like just nice to be introspective. They should be intersection. I just I I've realized a lot about myself in doing so yeah, you know, it's also like what triggers you like? You've probably triggered you because there's something about you know, Your own personal life. That is I feel like it's like you're living your experience of life. Meaning you're experiencing life with your own lands. We're in the same universe or maybe different universe but like my vision of you right now and your vision of me is hundred like a million miles away from each other, right? I might see you one way you see me one way, but you see me based on all your experiences you've had In that current life and same for me and I whenever I get like bog down like you said or like when I realized that I'm know. I'm a little bit too reactive on something that I don't want to take that someday. I'll work on personally not to react and just actually try to switch gears and be like, okay what how did it experience life? What can I take from that and there's perspective and is it and do I really have a better answer than yeah, you know and yeah. it's really puts me in a place sometime where I'm like well there's not it's not that bad it's not that good it's and then I'm just like thinking the not in the middle but you know it's your vanilla yeah yeah it's like I mean if it works for you man like the I personally want to tend towards something that's harmonizing with whatever is around me right versus saying this is good this is bad my I'm more like is it is it creating Harmony or they're creating discomfort yeah or the torment of people around me yeah I also think there's times and places in which like discomfort creating this For is a good thing because you're never going to make change and less safe. Everything just always kosher and easy peasy and whatever. I think that like, you know, but I think this call-out culture. Yes is what I is what I think we're both talking about you which is like which is where it's dangerous. Like it's the call-out culture without introspective culture. And I think that there's an important that you need both, right and I respect both and I which is why when when I see somebody saying something to somebody else or saying something to me or I want to say something that some I just want to think about my own life first big. Well, how could I improve this? If this is something that triggers me or whatever? I don't know. So I don't even know how we got on the topic But ultimately yeah, I think that for me like photography is a tool to bring joy and that is all there is to it and and and I hope that I can my images could do that. That's awesome. Of course, I think we can wrap it up here. That was awesome belts and I think we could go. Forever. No, I like it. I enjoy talking about the more existential questions as opposed to like so what's your f-stops and apertures and what's you know, it's like the cameras just that it's just another canvas, you know, that's it. That's really all it is. It's what I do. It's like do you want the blue bomber or do you want the green? Huh? Yeah, I know. Yeah exactly. I don't know. I just want to yeah, like I just want to hammer the nail. Yeah, exactly. Just give me any right right like and I think that's a great way of looking at it like we're building a house. Yeah, you know and whatever you want to put in that house. Is up to you and ultimately, you know, you're going to use different tools and it takes a variety of different skill sets and you can get there in a very quick way. Yeah, you know you get there in a very slow way, you know, and I think the important thing is what do you tend? What do you what are your intentions on feeling that what do you plan to put inside? What do you what do you plan? I think that what I really try to empower other photographers to consider because I consider this myself is like what is your mission statement? And what are you trying to say with your images it is? So hard to give people advice when they ask it if they don't know what they want. If they don't know where they want to end up. I cannot give you a road map. I cannot tell you which path to take if you don't know where you want to go. It's nearly impossible. So yeah, I think that's a big part of it. I think that's that's probably the mystery of life, too. Anyways, yeah, I never us feedback on my photos anymore. All right, maybe I did want to was told but you know, but I have the hardest time I told you online. They always ask Sookie look at my photos. I'm like, I would love to but I don't give feedback online because I don't know you I can't offer someone feedback. If I don't have a chance to sit with them understand who they are get it would it would be so dishonest. Yeah, just to be like I looked your ribbons for five seconds. They look great or or imagine like telling someone I looked your image for five seconds. They're terrible that will crush them like the whole thing. And it's also like such an opinion. It doesn't mean anything. I just think like I really am too like when I give feedback I want it to be real. I wanted to be honest and I think that requires understanding someone's goals and aspirations because just because I don't like it or just because I don't think it's whatever it doesn't mean it's bad or it's good it. It just means that's my opinion night. But as I think teacher and as a Critic, I've tried to learn to take my own opinion out of things and sort of look at something in the greater context of like yeah, is this work benefiting this person's goal to get here? Yeah, whether I like it or not, that's irrelevant. Yeah, I agree. Agree, my go-to answer is do you like it? Yeah, like I am like literally well, first of all, do you like it? You don't need my approval right know like like I aim to just aim to empower people to be like to understand why they shot it. What was the driving force? What are you trying to say? Yeah, and I think that by asking those questions if someone takes that seriously though, they'll get to a place where they have a greater understanding of themselves and they're working everything. So yeah, it's all about discovering yourself in a way. Yeah. Absolutely rocking question Chris. Yep meditation. What do you stand? Oh, I mean a hundred percent. I think I'm huge into meditation and I've taken like actual meditation courses and I've you know through my yoga teacher training I was able to do quite a bit and through practice. I've done a lot but to be honest, I don't think that meditation needs to be this sitting down being quiet your back straight your legs and you know cross-legged position, you know breathing out your nose. I don't think that's what you necessarily need to do. I feel like meditation can come in many many forms and to me You know being out in the ocean is oftentimes a form of meditation. What I like is I think that meditation is when you ask yourself to shut off. Some of your senses. Yeah, and it's a funny thing because I feel like for me like being on the bike can be a form of meditation and I say that because what I'm doing is I'm engaging certain senses were a lot. Right and I'm kind of shutting off other one's right and and I don't know how to describe that in like the best way but exercise for me has been a really great meditation like, you know, doing something repetitively over and over and over and asking your body and your body is focusing on that and I'm not really focusing on like what somebody saying to me. I'm not like and I'm not really focusing on like, you know other Sensations. It's a weird scenario. The kind of the point of meditation is you shut off certain senses so you can feel even more. Hmm and I think that's kind of the goal and you can find that in many different ways and I would just say to find what makes sense for you while that's sitting in a quiet room, whether it's sitting Asana whether your meditation is just reflecting in some capacity. Like I really like that when I ride on like a trainer at home, I'll put your plugs in so I don't hear anything. Yeah, sometimes I just like close my eyes and just like, you know, my breath is really nice to focus on But I would say that anything that allows you to. You know remove oneself from oneself is which sounds so dumb in like esoteric, but but I think that's the goal in my mind. So yeah, I mean, I think the moment you start trying I don't think what you said sounds dumb anymore. Yeah for anyone who's ever tried to shut his nine down. Yeah, you know the voice that keeps speaking. That's the point in my mind is very active. So I need that like that that you know voluntary effort. To shut my mind off a little bit and that's come through many different things and I just and even through like, you know forcing myself to let go and do public speaking. I don't enjoy it. I'm scared. Right? Yeah, but I do it because my heart starts pumping and you know, I'm getting myself out of my comfort zone. Like I wouldn't be I would be an imposter if I didn't force myself to do things that that were out of my own comfort zone, you know, and this is why I do those things. Things like, you know photography at a certain point becomes comfortable. Oh, you can't like me Can't Always Get Ya photography. It's like, you know getting you it's that doesn't work like that. Like there's a lot of other things in my life. Like even I started learning how to ride horses. I bought a horse because they terrified me and that was something really scary to me and I with my wife and her help like try to overcome that so that you know, I'm just I mean, this is random but like that's what you do to tone to into that on purpose, right? It's something or was it my wife. I can't remember but she's like, you know what it's not really a challenge to ask an entrepreneur to start a business. No, you know, she's like but now ask an intrapreneur to get a daytime job and stick through it for 3-5 years. Yeah. She's like that's challenge. He's like because like everyone talks about you should quit your job and do your thing. Yeah, right. If you intrapreneurial that that feels natural you want to get you new grab do that. What if what if what if we ask those people to actually stay in? The job, you know, she's like she's like so Comfort is a completely totally it's totally perspective. You know, like that's like saying I'm sure renowned is in his element when he's in the mountain you have like struggling. All right wing or like and tough. Yeah fireman renowned for sure. And I think you know, you take renowned like a public setting and force them to interact with people. That's uncomfortable. Yeah, and I I'm uncomfortable in that situation to but I kind of through meditation and being like, okay. This is part of my mission statement. This is part of This is part of my process to spread that Joy because I can share my ideas and thoughts. I have to keep myself in check like this is the purpose and at the point when it turns to like drinks and you know this and that nobody knows nobody cares then I'm like, okay, my time is done. I'm going to bail, you know, but I think that's a part of it. We have to think about, you know, how we can grow and then put ourselves in situations where we can that's the best. I think we can leave everyone with Windows Awesomenauts. Thanks, man. I really appreciate to think it no one knows you're working to find them. I mean, okay. Yeah, I just Google my name. I'll pop up somewhere out there somewhere and I'm in the web. Yeah, thank you so much. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Well guys, thank you so much for listening. I hope you have enjoyed that episode. If you did remember share it with your friends send it to your cat to your dog to your neighbor to photography group tag me on Instagram stories. Make sure you get the word out. I think that episode had so much value in it that you cannot not share it. That's so important and Lasting. Then at least makes you a good check out Chris's work because it goes beyond Instagram. I want you to watch his movie. I like everything in the show notes and also check out this books because that gives you another dimension into a human being and the stories that person likes to share that's always so important and there is always something inspiring that you can take out of it for your own life. And for your own Creations. All right guys, we know for the do get out there. Go shoot try something different try something new. I will talk to you in the next episode have an amazing. Day, bye.
Fire Episode with Chris Burkard that goes way deeper than just photography! Enjoy! 01:30 Start 05:00 Story Telling is more important 09:10 How to tell stories without humans in your photos 16:00 Why negative feedback is good 19:30 It's not all about photography 21:00 Chris' creative "source" 23:00 Doing something too many times will kill the effect of it 26:40 Is Earth better off without humans? 29:00 Introspection vs Reaction 36:00 Why Chris doesn't give feedback online  🔥Watch Chris' film: 👉 Under an Arctic Sky - Chris Burkard 🔥Get Chris' book on Amazon: 👉All his Books here 🔥Check Chris' work on Instagram: 👉 https://www.instagram.com/chrisburkard Hope you learned something out of that episode! Now go crush it out there and remember to be nice with our planet - we only got one! SHARE That episode if you like it & leave a 5* to the podcast on Apple Podcast - thank you!As usual, ask any question you have about photography, videography, cinema, social media or anything related to a modern creator's life. Enjoy & spread the word to your friends about this podcast! 