where there’s smoke there’s fire

Today’s guest post on water photography is by Chris Burkard (burkardphoto.com | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr, click on images for larger view):

Growing up near the coast the ocean has always held a place in my heart. From a young age I have been captivated by it and engulfed in its power and beauty. Feeling the power of the ocean up close and personal is a unique feeling. That’s why I love bodysurfing and surfing. You are able to be a part of the ocean and experience its movement. Capturing images from the water is taking something I love to be apart of and documenting it, hoping to express this wonder and excitement for others to enjoy.

Light Underwater

Water shots often do an amazing job at showcasing the ocean’s surreal beauty. It’s similar to going to a super foreign landscape. Your senses are exposed to new sensations and you are often highly alive and alert in those moments. The beauty that surrounds you is often so vast it is nothing short of humbling. Water images are definitely the type you dream about. The type of images that put the viewer into a place that they most likely have never seen. It’s such a beautiful thing, the way that light plays on the ocean. You are never going to see the same thing twice, no two waves break the same. Water surfaces play with light in unique ways. Backlit waves can have a glowing effect with the water refracting the suns ray and illuminating the wave. Often I use the evening light to silhouette the subject and create a more timeless look to an image. I try to use the natural light as often as possible and rarely need flash. When you get that perfect evening light it can really enhance a surfer’s action as displaced water can be illuminated. The window when the light is perfect is a short one and thus you and the athletes have to be dialed and ready. You can only prepare so much for that moment of perfect light though and ultimately mother nature has to come through at the right time too. That is what makes capturing that special moment so rewarding.

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