J Grant Brittain is a 65 year old photographer who has shot the skateboarding scene for over 3 decades.
The reason I have chosen to reference his work when completing my project on identity is because he has grown with the culture of skateboarding and he understands how to capture its essence very well. I am also fond of the way he doesn’t limit his work to the conventional action-shot fashion. He broadens his work into a deeper sense to capture the identity of the skaters and their emotions towards the culture of skateboarding. For example the following image captures the identity of the person as it exhibits the subjects emotion and tells a story about the person.
In the above image Grant uses high contrast to deepen the shadows around the subjects face to relay more emotion and definition. This is a way he included themes of identity in his work. The subjects identity is also explored by giving the image context and showcasing the subjects interests and culture he does this by composing the image with the subject holding a broken skateboard. Grant also does a good job of isolating the subject by photographing him with an contrasting background which gives the image a pleasing visual form.
Additionally, when Grant shoots the action shots he doesn’t just focus on showcasing the manoeuvre of the skateboarder but rather their style and environment which many skaters will tell you is far more admirable and important than the tricks you are doing. A skateboarders style and creativity is a what makes up their identity. This creative identity formation is a huge part of the culture of skateboarding and this is one thing that 3 decades of Grants work has made clear.
J Grant Brittain; Claude Cahun Comparison
Claude Cahun 
J Grant Brittain
These two images by Claude Cahun and J Grant Brittain both suggest the exploration of Identity. Both images focus on a person and their facial expression and emotion. The compositions both tell a story that we can see behind the eyes of the subjects. The subjects are both photographed with their style being flaunted, the self portrait of Claude her upper body is positions in a confident, striking manner and her chic jewellery and clothing is also seen, the skater in the other composition has a chaotic yet focused style to him with his his creativity shown through his customised helmet which is a visual centre-piece of the composition.
The way the two artists question the theme of identity differs. Claude explores the idea of questioning her identity and her troubles with identity. This can be seen in the above composition with the placement of the mask in the top left corner suggesting notions of multiple identities and is masking her true identity. However on the contrary Grant explores a subject who has found his true identity through the passion of his creative field (skateboarding). Instead of challenging identity he is celebrating the concept through capturing the subject in the moment of passion and expression.
The images both share low saturation and high contrast. This highlights the subject facial features in the two images by accentuating difference in the highlights and darks in the face of the subject.
The images have different textures the self portrait of Claude has a quick shutter speed and appropriate ISO to create a smooth professional portrait texture. This is compared to Grants image which has a slower shutter speed, higher ISO and clarity to show more motion and noise in the image to create a rougher texture.