J. Grant Brittain
Rocco in Los Angeles, 1987, B&W 35mm
Untitled, 1990, Large Format Polaroid
Andre Pierre, 1992, B&W 35mm
Untitled, 1995, Color Slide Film 35mm J. Grant Brittain is considered to be one of the most important figures in the documentation of skateboarding since the early 1980's, back when there weren't very many people interested in taking photographs of skateboarders. By viewing any of his thousands of photos, you can instantly tell that this man has complete control over his shooting environment and lighting, while at the same time never hindering his models actions. Using an array of mediums, including both color and b&w 35mm, medium format, large format and even the elusive large format polaroid camera, his work is not exclusive to skateboarding. His portraiture and landscape shots are just as enthralling as his action skateboarding photos, often conveying an eerie vibe to the viewer as seen in the untitled large format polaroid of the little girl between trains.
Brittain, at quite an early age, inspired me to start taking photographs of my close friends. I studied his lighting techniques, including one he made popular many years ago called "kicker lighting" or "back fill", incorporates the slight underexposure of the scene, a side front flash, and the all important "kicker" flash, which is placed behind the subject and overexposed by usually a stop, providing an aura effect for the model and helps to separate the subject from the background (Last Untitled skateboarding photo is an example). I even went the distance to acquire some of the same exact equipment that Brittain used!
Brittain, to this day, remains the Senior Staff Photographer of the acclaimed Skateboard Mag, a full-color, glossy wide format skateboard magazine whose quality is unparalleled. He has made the shift to high-quality Digital SLR's, as many photographers have in the action field but still manages to bust out his medium format Hasselblad on many occasions. The large format Polaroid medium I mentioned earlier is really a testament to his skill and popularity; I believe there are only 3 or 4 of those large format Polaroid camera on the face of the earth, and much to big to be transported very far. Hence, photographers from around the world have sought the use of these cameras, but very few have had the opportunity.
All in all, J. Grant Brittain has contributed so much to the skateboard world as well as the art world with his photographs. I believe that he deserves all the credit that is due to him. After all, being one of the first photographers to shoot Tony Hawk is pretty awesome!
Brittain, at quite an early age, inspired me to start taking photographs of my close friends. I studied his lighting techniques, including one he made popular many years ago called "kicker lighting" or "back fill", incorporates the slight underexposure of the scene, a side front flash, and the all important "kicker" flash, which is placed behind the subject and overexposed by usually a stop, providing an aura effect for the model and helps to separate the subject from the background (Last Untitled skateboarding photo is an example). I even went the distance to acquire some of the same exact equipment that Brittain used!
Brittain, to this day, remains the Senior Staff Photographer of the acclaimed Skateboard Mag, a full-color, glossy wide format skateboard magazine whose quality is unparalleled. He has made the shift to high-quality Digital SLR's, as many photographers have in the action field but still manages to bust out his medium format Hasselblad on many occasions. The large format Polaroid medium I mentioned earlier is really a testament to his skill and popularity; I believe there are only 3 or 4 of those large format Polaroid camera on the face of the earth, and much to big to be transported very far. Hence, photographers from around the world have sought the use of these cameras, but very few have had the opportunity.
All in all, J. Grant Brittain has contributed so much to the skateboard world as well as the art world with his photographs. I believe that he deserves all the credit that is due to him. After all, being one of the first photographers to shoot Tony Hawk is pretty awesome!
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