Meet Will Burke | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Will Burke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Will, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am absolutely inspired by color! The Earth and the Sun have this symbiotic relationship that allow them to create new colors everyday, like visual jazz. For example, the setting sun shining onto a mountainside full of pine trees creates an ombré effect, where the old dark green shades of the covered pines blend with the newly formed orangey lime green hues of the illuminated ones. Colors are a cosmic creation that no human or animal has the power to produce. However, we do have the power to appreciate them. This appreciation is why I love to take photos. To remember and share the colors that the universe painted in a single moment.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is a reflection of the world’s design. I don’t create the beauty in the pictures I take, but I capture as much of it as I can within a single frame, and there are a variety of ways to interpret this beauty. Where there is a goat on a rock, I see a crown perched on a throne. Where there is a cherry blossom in a park, I see pink cotton candy growing in a meadow. Beauty, for me, is about perspective. My goal is to distribute beauty back into the world from a new angle for others to appreciate.

However, having the motivation to create and share can be difficult. There are days where I am too drained to take photos. There are also days where I am not inspired by anything I see. What I have learned to do in these situations is to wait. If you spend all of your time and energy hunting for gold, taking it, you will run out of gold to discover, but if you wait patiently and gold presents itself to you, there is an opportunity to appreciate the way it shines, without the added stress of collecting more.

Recently, I have been most excited about how I have captured wildlife. Every animal has a unique style. They express themselves physically by walking, looking, and moving in different ways. Some animals are more shy where others are more eccentric. I went on a hike a few months ago where I took some photos of a bighorn sheep atop a rocky ledge. They were completely unbothered, sitting and observing the sky mindfully. A couple months later, I took more photos of a golden-mantled ground squirrel perched on a dead tree trunk. This squirrel was very curious and spirited, looking all around and smelling the air. Such unique expressions are a joy for me to view, capture and share.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was coming to visit me in Estes Park, I would start by taking them to watch the sunrise at the top of Twin Sister Peaks. Summit hikes are magical because as soon as light begins to shine onto the town, everything that was once standing above you is now miniature, thousands of feet below. During the day I would take them to Glacier Creek to practice mindfulness by plunging into freezing cold water, then laying out on a warm rock afterwards, soaking in the heat of the sun. I would also love to take them to Jurassic Park, a climbing spot about a mile up from Lily Lake. Here, there is a climb known as “Edge of Time”. This slab is unique in structure, as it forms into a sharp pinnacle shape on the outside edge. In terms of good food and drinks, we could explore a variety of spots. Himalayan Curry & Kebob has amazing Indian food, Big Horn restaurant has great elk and bison burgers, and Estes Park Burgers & Gyros speaks for itself. As for bars, Lonigan’s is the place to be Friday night for karaoke night with a live DJ, and The Wheel Bar is a nice place to relax and play some pool, pinball, throw some darts, or pop a few dollars into the jukebox. A great way to end the night would be to watch a movie at the Estes Park Historic Theatre, where they show new and classic films.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a huge shoutout to Lily Monsour, an amazing poet that cherishes life and the beauty of nature to the moon and back, and who has encouraged me to create with no restraints.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willintheframe?igsh=MTZ4d3ZqNGhwbWRzYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr