Chris Poplawski
Photographer
Chris Poplawski is a freelance photographer born and raised in Southern California. Chris dedicates most of his time to travel and landscapes, representing Olympus Cameras as an Explorer. With his work focused on adventure, he’s been able to explore 25 countries, with the Faroe Islands being a personal favorite and a place where he’s lucky enough to teach annual workshops. With the rest of his time, he manages a creative agency he founded in 2020, The Untold Narrative, where he curates commercial photo and video work for global brands with his team.
What motivates you in the morning?
The sunrise- because you never know what it will look like and it’s not worth missing a moment you cannot replace.
What is your mantra for when things are tough?
Be humble always. Connect with those around you. And focus on family. Things get better.
If you could do anything else, what would it be and why?
I’m not sure I would trade anything in this life for something different. Life is amazing.
Describe your best moment ever.
The day I married my beautiful wife. We camped with our best friends for a week, set up our entire wedding venue together in the mountains, and celebrated for the rest of the week knowing that this was just the beginning of our greatest adventure.
How did you get into your profession?
I hated my 8 to 5 marketing jobs right out of college. Decided I needed more freedom and more opportunity to utilize my creativity. Picked up a camera and just started traveling. After a few months of teaching myself, I realized it’s what I was meant to do.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
My grandfather used to tell me, “never stop working towards what you love”.
What are your top three Pelican products?
1535 Air Carry Case w/ TrekPak Divider System - Nothing screams traveling with a carry on that fits all your needs. Best protection with the most space.
0915 Micro Memory Card Case - my life depends on these little SD and Micro SD Cards. Without adequate storage that protects my work, I would be lost with no answers.
64oz Bottle - Water is beyond important to my travels, and I’ll never go anywhere without this right here. Keeps things cool and the design is my favorite.