How do you approach mobile photography?
"I approach photography in the same manner, no matter what device I’m shooting with. The awesome thing about mobile phone cameras getting so much better, quality-wise, is that it enables you to always have a camera with you.”
Do you think the convenience of mobile photography outweighs its limitations?
“Absolutely. At the end of the day, having any kind of camera is better than having no camera at all.”
What’s your take on the rapid growth of mobile photography?
“The advent of mobile photography has been incredible. I don’t know how accurate it is, but I saw a statistic that estimated that more images were posted to Instagram in 2015 than had been taken in the entire history of photography prior to 2015. That’s mind blowing! With so much imagery being created, it’s inevitable that people will be pushing each other to make better work, and to explore new ways of creating work. I can’t predict exactly where things are headed, but I can say that I am excited to be a part of this movement!”
Wow! Instagram is a pretty important tool for photographers then?
“The really fascinating thing about Instagram is that it CAN be a great way to promote yourself as a professional, but there are people who have over 500,000 followers who aren’t professionals, and there are serious professional photographers who have very few followers. I think that’s because there’s definitely a gap between certain types of professional photography, and the kind of imagery that people respond to strongly on a daily basis. My personal goal with my work is to inspire people to get excited about the world and to go out and explore it. Because of that, both my professional and personal work flow together seamlessly, and Instagram has been a really great platform for sharing all of my work.”
Any area you'd still like to explore?
“I’m currently working on a new venture that is based around VR. I can’t say too much about it at this point, because we’re in the initial stages of the project, but I will say that I’m VERY excited about the potential that we have to create and share content with mobile devices.”
Got any tips to shoot better images on mobile?
“Well, I still believe that great images are a result of great vision, not necessarily great equipment. If you stick to the basics of great photography - concept, lighting and composition - you will make some great work with your mobile phone camera.”
Check out the gallery for a selection of Chris’ mobile images. You can also visit his website for more of his work or follow him on Instagram.
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Chris Burkard talks mobile photography
Chris Burkard is well known as a unique visionary whose photography has the ability to catapult the viewer into the moment. But how does he feel about the rise of mobile photography? Red Bull Illume finds out:
© Chris Burkard