Interview: Chris Burkard of MODE BY FLICKR FESTIVAL at Dayton Minneapolis

Chris Burkard has spent the past 20 years traveling the world and photographing some of its most remote places. His work as a photographer, filmmaker and explorer has taken him from glaciers and mountains to coastlines around the world.

Burkard is in Minneapolis this weekend for MODE by Flickr, the first MODE Photography Festival, taking place September 18–20. The three-day festival brings photographers and creatives together for workshops, talks, screenings, photo walks, live music, performances and more.

Burkard will be a keynote speaker at the festival and will share Searching for SuperCrust, a film about crossing Europe’s largest glacier by bike, followed by a conversation and Q&A.

Before the festival, I spoke with Burkard about how he got started in photography, what continues to inspire him, his first visit to Minneapolis and what he hopes people take away from MODE.

Chris, what got you into photography?

I grew up in a small coastal town in California, and I was yearning for more. I’d flip through National Geographic and Outside and dream about distant beaches and places around the world.

I didn’t aspire to be a photographer. I just wanted to travel. Eventually, I realized a camera could be my tool to see the world.

It wasn’t easy. I spent years living in the back of my truck, shooting anything I could to make ends meet. But eventually, it became something much bigger than I imagined.

More importantly, photography gave me empathy. I learned that a camera can be a tool not only to see the world, but to share it—and that sharing creates a responsibility to protect the places and people you encounter.

I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’ve never been more excited. Everyone has access to a camera now, and I want people to realize they can use it to share their own perspective.

I’ve always seen the camera as a paintbrush. If you see it as a paintbrush, the whole world becomes a canvas.

What is your involvement with the festival this weekend?

I’ve been a user of SmugMug and Flickr since the beginning. I used them to find images, research locations, sell prints and get my work into the world.

I’m here as a keynote speaker. I’ll be sharing a film about crossing Iceland’s largest glacier, which is also Europe’s largest, by bike. It’s a story about climate change and environmental advocacy through documentary filmmaking.

I’ll also talk about photography as art and encourage people to find their own voice.

What are you looking forward to most about the festival?

Meeting people face-to-face who I’ve interacted with online for years.

So much of photography has become scrolling through images on a phone. It used to be walking into a gallery, looking at photographs on the wall or opening a book and really spending time with the images.

That slower, more intimate interaction is what I’m always seeking. This festival gives us a chance to see each other a little more.

I think being seen in the world is maybe the most important thing we can do. Find your people.

Do you have a favorite type of photography?

I love places that ask more of me—challenging landscapes, especially where mountains meet the ocean. That contrast and rawness are things I’ve sought out throughout my career.

I also love juxtaposing the scale of people against huge landscapes. I appreciate places that restore us to our proper size, which is quite small compared to Mother Nature.

What do you hope attendees take away from the festival?

I hope people leave with a little inspiration and realize there are others who share their excitement for seeing the world through a camera.

Whether it’s a talk that inspires them, a new idea for photographing something or simply meeting someone they could travel with, to me, it’s about connectivity.

Some of my greatest trips, films and books have come from finding people I see eye-to-eye with—people I can travel and venture to the ends of the world with.

Photographers are a special breed, and I hope people can find their people.

Is this your first time in Minnesota?

It is. This is my first time in Minnesota and Minneapolis.

I spent about five hours yesterday walking around the city, having a coffee and taking it all in. I love experiencing a place that way.

I’m a student of travel. Travel has informed my view of the world, so even when I’m somewhere that isn’t wild or remote, there’s still so much to appreciate—the architecture, history and how everything has become such a walkable, livable place.

I’m inspired to spend more time here. I just wish I had more time to eat more good food because it’s incredible.