Photography Books: Under An Arctic Sky
I've been following adventure photographer Chris Burkard's work for a few years. I first saw his work in surfer magazine and on Instagram and was intrigued at the lengths he and his team would go to catch waves and tell a story. In this book/film, Chris Burkard and Ben Weiland (writer/cinematographer) go even further in pursuit of this goal.
The premise of the book is that surfing seems to have forgotten its adventurous roots, but Chris and Ben argue that there is still more out there to be discovered. The destination is a remote section of Iceland only accessible by boat, and the conditions they are looking for are lining up to occur in the dead of winter, making the trip treacherous and difficult. Looking to surfers who have done similar arctic adventures in the past, they are able to locate a legendary ship captain familiar with the area. They enlist his help and the journey begins.
Photo By Chris Burkard
The weather up north is extremely unpredictable and volatile. The team faced the worst weather in nearly 20 years for Iceland forcing them to abandon the idea of sailing to their destination. They are left with the decision to cut the trip short, or power through to get as close to the area as they can by convoy. This is where the real story begins to unfold as the team has to grapple with the dangers of driving through stormy weather, avalanches, road closures, and blizzards in search of waves.
My overall impression of the book and film is that of bewilderment. The level of quality in both the film and images are incredible to begin with, topped off by the fact that they were able to accomplish this under such harsh circumstances was really inspiring. As I've said, I have followed their work for a few years, but what I notice each time they bring something out, is that they continue to up their game in both technical and storytelling quality. They manage to make you either feel like you were there, or make you want to go there. For me it was both.
The book is a small square, with a nice sleeve. It is structured with simple paragraphs separating the story into parts each with groups of photos showing the journey. It includes single images, image groups, and full bleed two page spreads. It is almost like a little magazine which I thought was cool and interesting. The photos tell the story well, with the paragraphs giving context to the transpiring events.
Photos By Chris Burkard
Another thing I appreciate about Chris and Ben, is that they show their work in person. I got to see their last film at Molusk surf shop in San Francisco, and I saw this one at the Victoria Theatre. They also take the time to meet every single person attending which is really cool of them. It adds a personal element that helps to personalize the story and connect you with the person telling it. If you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't into surfing, the story and imagery are worth the admission. The book I received by preorder, but it is also worth picking up if you get the chance. It is a nice story and impressive photographs that inspire me to challenge myself in my own photography.
Thanks for reading!
I am a photographer and content creator from the Bay Area of California.
