THE INCREDIBLE ART OF EXTREME SPORTS NOW

We are sharing some incredible images taken by 4 exceptionally talented fine art extreme sports photographers. They will amaze you.

CHRIS BURKARD

Self-taught photographer Chris Burkard is an adventure junkie. While he loves to shoot surfers, hikers, and kayakers near his Central California home, he goes way farther, to extreme locations to get extreme shots.

Burkard explores the relationship between athletes and nature. You can feel the bliss of a kayaker as he paddles down a rushing blue river, the joy of a hiker climbing as he reaches the highest peak of a craggy mountain, and the ecstasy of a surfer as he rides a massive wave.

Shooting in wild, remote places, with their unusual landscapes, Burkard accentuates the view of the athletes’ talents and skill. 

One brilliant example is Burkard’s series of photos taken in the colder oceanic regions of the North Atlantic where he highlights the ability of surfers to not only survive but to excel in extreme conditions. His mission is to find perfect waves in some of the coldest harshest conditions known to man.

SARAH LEE

These incredible photos of surfers underneath the waves, taken by Hawaii-based photographer Sarah Lee, celebrates the beauty of people interacting with the sea.

Lee dives right in to get her amazing shots, sometimes swimming with sharks, other times free-diving with endangered monk seals, sometimes taking on monstrous 20-foot waves. 

Shot in the gorgeous blue waters of Hawaii and Fiji, Lee’s photos are beautifully unpredictable, affected by constantly changing light, water clarity, and currents. Her favorite time to shoot is just after a rain storm, when the skies are dark, with storm clouds still gracing the horizon, as a sunrise or sunset lights up the water -- even better, of course, when there’s a rainbow.

To view more of Lee’s work, visit her website and Facebook page.

DAVE LEHL

Sports photographer Dave Lehl loves extreme sports and it shows in his extraordinarily beautiful images. 

The only way to get shots like Lehl’s is to fully immerse in the sport and its culture, and Lehl does that in spades. He treks out to back country locations, hangs out with the athletes, and takes on the sport himself to get the feel of it.

Lehl’s light trails series are mind-boggling. He won’t say how he does it, preferring the viewer to appreciate the magic.

His lighting creates a dazzling path that traces the athlete’s movements, leaving a bright ethereal trail behind a runner, or a path of shredding sparks behind a skateboarder, or a glowing arc that follows a snowboarder’s trick. 

LUCAS GILMAN

Lucas Gilman is one of the best adventure photographers and filmmakers we’ve seen. He captures both the art and the power of athletes as they perform their most spectacular feats.

Gilman has documented many pivotal moments in adventure sports, such as a kayak’s thrilling ride over the world’s 2nd largest waterfall, and the first successful descent of central Oregon’s Abiqua Falls.

Gilman’s photos of expedition kayaking in India and Costa Rica, surfing in Brazil, and backcountry skiing in Colorado, Alaska, and South America are inspiring.

Gilman’s photography is regularly featured in well-known publications such as National Geographic and Sports Illustrated. He has photographed campaigns for brands such as Nikon and Red Bull.

Read more about Beautiful Sports, as it relates to  Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 New Books Are Exploring Beautiful Sports Now, 10 Beautiful Places to Catch the Wind Now, and  Foods For Beautiful Performance Now.

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