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Soft Light

By Kolby Jordan

This week I had the pleasure of photographing local skateboarder Connor Brinkmeyer. We met at the train station, and after taking a few flashed portraits and action shots, he decided to take me to a favorite spot of his in town.  

A short walk through the woods behind an old parking lot off the side of the highway brought us to a small run down skatepark. He explains to me that every spring a small group of local skaters clean it up for the season. Recent storms in the area had knocked down a tree and covered the ground in a thick layer of pine needles.  

When we planned this shoot, Connor had a couple of ideas for spots around town. We ended up going to the train station to have a covered open area due to the rain. When we got to the skatepark, we were able to catch a short break in the rain as the sun illuminated the overcast sky and created a beautiful soft light source. 

As the soft mist kept falling, the sun’s warm rays spread their light thin through the soft sheet of clouds suspended over a grey sky. They stretched down from the heavens and cradled Connor’s face like a soft blanket, a warm hug, or the diapers they be talking about in the Huggies commercials.  

The good Lord above had lent us his softbox for this shoot, and I am so glad I ran back to my car to grab my camera to not let it go to waste. This spot is a testament to the local skate community, and I cannot wait to capture more here. 

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2 responses to “Soft Light”

  1. Adam Avatar
    Adam

    Hi Kolby,

    Nice write up. It was interesting to see you describe your shoot the way you did and it was interesting to hear that you met your subject at a train station of all places. Sometimes the coolest, most interesting people you will meet are the ones you meet just walking around. I also really like how your photos started far away and slowly got closer too. The abandoned skatepark looked rally cool and I thought it was nice that a group of people get together to clean it up every season. I think your light made for some really nice shadows and helped contribute to the small, abandoned vibe that the other aspects of your photos give off. Even though the sky was pretty overcast, I think it actually helped your photos for a change. Personally, I think my favorite photo is the last one as it has nice lighting but is also a good portrait. It feels very personal and contemplative.

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  2. Paul Goodman Avatar
    Paul Goodman

    Good evening LTD

    I want to say you did a great job with these photos. In my opinion, soft lighting is the perfect lighting for the personality of a skater. Skaters aren’t cool because they can do awesome tricks and have great outfits. They’re cool because each one of them is a unique and kind individual. You captured the softness Conners soul. One who appreciates a skate park even if its not what it use to be. One who can look up at the dark clouds and still say “it’s a great day to skate”. The purple sweater goes great with the lighting and setting. It has great contrast with the green leaves but is the perfect tone of purple to where it doesn’t stand out too much. I think this this photo shoot was meant to be and does justice for the skater community. Kolby I can tell you put you heart and soul into this and listened to your gut. Keep on listening, I’m sure you’ll be in exactly where you wish to be.

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