| “The places I go and the images I make are shaped by a need to understand the world.” — Chris Burkard |
Burkard doesn’t shoot landscapes. He explores them. The image is the artifact of a curiosity that drove him somewhere uncomfortable — a frozen coastline, a remote surf break, an undersea kelp forest — to understand something he couldn’t understand from a distance.
That curiosity is the engine. The images are the evidence.
For photographers building a business and a content presence simultaneously: the curiosity that drives your photography can also drive your content — and content built from genuine curiosity is the kind that actually attracts the clients you want.
Who Is Chris Burkard?
Chris Burkard is an adventure and surf photographer based in California whose work has taken him to some of the most remote and extreme locations on Earth in pursuit of images that combine natural beauty with the human presence in wild places. He’s a staff photographer for Surfer Magazine and has published extensively with National Geographic, TIME, and Sports Illustrated. His social media presence — built on the same exploratory curiosity that drives his photography — has attracted millions of followers who are there for the journey as much as the images.
The Business Lesson: Document the Exploration, Not Just the Output
Most photographers post finished work. The final image. The curated gallery frame. The polished, lit, edited output of a session that represents their best effort.
Burkard built his audience by documenting the process — the location scouting, the near-misses, the equipment failures in freezing temperatures, the five-hour drive to a beach that was completely wrong, the unexpected shot that came out of a moment of genuine curiosity about what was behind the next ridge.
The process content does something the output content can’t: it makes the client feel like they’re part of something. It gives them a relationship with you as a person — your way of seeing, your willingness to go further, your genuine investment in finding something worth making — before they’ve ever hired you.
For a wedding photographer: the venue walkthrough videos, the reason you arrived two hours early, the story of how you found the light in that one spot nobody else knew about. For a family photographer: the honest session recap — what went hilariously wrong, how you redirected, what surprised you. For a commercial photographer: the behind-the-scenes of a complex setup, the gear decisions, the problem-solving.
Content built from curiosity and genuine exploration attracts clients who share that curiosity — which are the clients who trust you creatively, give you latitude, and produce the work you’re most proud of.
Real-World Application: Document Your Next Shoot From the Inside
On your next session, take three minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. Not a polished video — just what’s actually happening. The setup, the moment before the moment, the adjustment you made when the light changed.
Post it with a caption that explains what you were thinking. Not what happened technically — what you were curious about. What you were trying to find.
That content will outperform the final image post. Almost every time.
Take the Next Step
The OTODEO Complete Marketing Checklist includes a content strategy section designed for photographers who want to build an audience that books — not just follows. Get it free at otodeo.com/complete-marketing-checklist.
Read More
- Quote of the Day – Chris Burkard on Curiosity, Exploration, and Turning Your Photography Journey Into Content That Books Clients
- Quote of the Day – Martin Schoeller on Proximity, Clarity, and Why Photographers Who Niche Down Book Better Clients
- Quote of the Day – Platon on Trust, Safety, and the Photographer-Client Relationship That Drives Referrals
- Quote of the Day – Jeremy Cowart on Creative Responsibility and Why Photographers With a Mission Book More Referrals
- Quote of the Day – Lindsay Adler on Lighting, Transformation, and What Photographers Get Wrong About Highlighting Their Best Work
