Students Behind the Lens: Skye Brumley

Making connections with her subjects is the driving force behind this young Florida photographer's portraits.

By Jenn Gidman
Images by Skye Brumley

Being part of a military family usually means constant moving and adaptating to new environments. What helped ease each transition for Skye Brumley when she was growing up was picking up new hobbies every time her family arrived at their next home base—and over the years, photography was the only one she stuck with.

"I really got into taking pictures when I was 16 and a friend asked me to take her senior photos," says Skye, a Tampa-area fashion and portrait photographer and student at St. Petersburg College. "Then, as I started planning for college and adult life, I realized I didn't want to be stuck in one place behind a desk for the rest of my life. I wanted to travel, meet people, and make connections. Photography seemed like the perfect way to achieve all of that."

Skye juggles her school schedule with her work schedule, and photography has already taken center stage. "I'm getting my associate degree in photography, but this past semester, I only had class three days a week, so I spent the rest of my time shooting," she says. "I work part time as a second shooter at weddings, so photography has become my main thing."

Skye's very first camera lens, and what drew her to the Tamron lineup, was the SP 90mm F/2.8 VC Macro lens. "Macro nature and beauty have always been a top photographic interest of mine, and when I'm documenting weddings, it’s the ideal lens for ring and details shots," she says.

Now, however, the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 VC G2 lens has become Skye's go-to lens. "Since I got this lens, I think it's left my camera just once," she says. "I love that I can use it for everything from landscapes and fashion photography to portraits and beauty close-ups. I rarely use a tripod when I'm shooting, so having excellent image stabilization like the Tamron Vibration Compensation (VC) system—especially when you're as addicted to coffee as I am—is a must. Plus, no matter what body I use the lens with, I'm always happy with how well the colors are represented and how true to life my photos come out."

Skye's approach to her portraiture is to relay her own worldview in each image. "When I take photos, my main goal is always to have people see the world how I see it," she says. "I want them to witness the beauty around us every day, which is exactly what I see. I also try to get to know the people I'm photographing and understand what they want out of the session, since it's important their perspective finds its way in there as well."

Part of Skye's getting-to-know-you regimen includes an initial sitdown, perhaps at a coffee shop. "This way we can meet on neutral ground and not feel like we're under any kind of time crunch," she explains. "Once I actually start taking pictures, if my subject is tense and not able to relax, or if I want a totally natural smile, I have a go-to joke that always works to break the ice and get them to laugh."

Because Skye has been on both sides of the camera (she's also done some modeling), directing her subjects to pose comes naturally to her. "I find that giving people motions or actions, rather than just telling them how to look, lends a more natural look to my photos," she says. "I typically ask people to carry out an action or motion that's familiar to them and then slightly modify the poses from there."

Putting her subjects in their best light is critical for Skye, whether that light is all natural or in the studio. "For years I was shooting only natural light, and though I had certain times of day I liked best—usually 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and then right around sunset—I'm now comfortable shooting throughout the day," she says. "I've even learned to love direct-light photos, because you can do so many cool things with contrasts and shadows."


36mm, F/4.5, 1/160th sec., ISO 100; model @mollyfrancosplay
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A recent school assignment mandated that Skye pick one of the four elements (water, fire, earth, air) to represent her subject, and she chose air. "This was a natural-light studio photo, with the model facing a huge window that was to my back," she says. "I took the photo around 10 a.m. on an overcast day, so that gave me a very soft, diffused light, which was perfect for the mood I was going for. I was excited to put my bubble maker to work, too—those bubbles definitely added to the overall 'airy' feel of the photo."

This semester, a studio portrait class taught Skye how to maximize the lighting at her disposal for her indoor sessions. "I fell in love with studio work and using strobes," she says. "Strobes give me the ability to shoot at any time of day and control how the light shapes my photos. I'm looking forward to the studio lighting class I have scheduled for next semester to learn even more."


70mm, F/2.8, 1/1000th sec., ISO 200; model @life.with.cait
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Deciding what she wants her viewers to focus on in her images dictates how she wields her camera and lens. Using the 24-70's maximum F/2.8 aperture allows Skye to blur out her backgrounds when desired so her subjects are the main attraction. "In this photo you see here, I've worked with this model before, so we're very comfortable with each other," she says. "I wanted to have a relaxed, dreamy feel in this image. I decided to shoot at F/2.8 so the flowers wouldn't overpower her, but would frame her instead."


24mm, F/5, 1/250th sec., ISO 100; model @ashrosebenson
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Other times, when Skye's subject is doing something or wearing something that's compelling enough to automatically draw the viewer's eye, she'll close up her aperture a bit. "For the fashion shot you see here, my primary objective was to show off the red dress, so I didn't need to go all the way to F/2.8," she says. "I set it at F/5 instead, which allowed me to get more of the details in the background. There's no way you're missing that dress either way."


70mm, F/5, 1/320th sec., ISO 100; model @ashleymcmanus3
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And Skye is constantly on the lookout for eye-catching backgrounds to complement her subjects, as with her photo of a model lounging in front of an outdoor mural. "I loved this scene because of the juxtaposition of the flower bush and the graffiti wall, as well as that gorgeous golden-hour light," she says. "I felt that adding a person to the photo who wasn't necessarily the main focus could really make the picture pop."


70mm, F/5, 1/400th sec., ISO 100; model @ashrosebenson
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When Skye was in ninth grade, she took a black-and-white film course, a medium that soon wormed its way into her photographic sensibilities. "I typically convert photos to black and white when I feel they impart more of a film mood, or when I want the moment itself to be the focus," she explains. "That's why I love black and white when shooting weddings: It allows you to focus on what's happening and really feel the emotions that ruled the day."


58mm, F/4.5, 1/200th sec., ISO 100; model @life.with.cait
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Skye finds her favorite images from a shoot often end up being the close-ups. "I love the emotion that people are able to convey in these kinds of images, and how you can pick up on the mood or theme without having to see the subject's full body," she says. "For this image, I wanted more of an edgy or 'grunge' vibe, and I think I pulled that off."


56mm, F/13, 1/125th sec., ISO 100; model @zoe_drewv, lip color by @loudmouth.lips
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Sometimes, however, it's not even necessary to show her subject's entire face to capture the look Skye is after. "This image of the reflection of the bottom part of my model's face was originally a full-face photo, but I decided I wanted the lips to be the main focus," she says. "I took this photo in my school's studio with a beauty dish as part of a makeup campaign for a local cosmetic company. The 24-70 G2 was ideal here because it gave me the freedom to work in a smaller space."


70mm, F/2.8, 1/100 sec., ISO 100
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Skye has even used the lens to depict...herself. "I took this self-portrait at a Dunkin' Donuts," she says. "I set my camera up on a tripod with a Speedlite on top, then used a wireless trigger to take the photo. I was there with a friend, so I used her as a stand-in to get the focus right."

In addition to her fashion and portrait work, Skye also enjoys dabbling in travel and nature photography. "I'm going on a trip to Idaho and Montana this month to check out some national parks, and I'm really looking forward to it," she says. "I used to be really shy, so nature photography was comfortable for me and allowed me to become familiar with my camera without social anxiety creeping in. Once I knew the ins and outs of my camera, it was easier for me to transition to portraiture and feel at ease with my subjects."

Skye advises other students looking to forge a path into photography to simply pick up a camera—any camera, even a cameraphone—and start relentlessly shooting and learning everything possible about photography. "Watch videos on YouTube, message photographers you admire on social media, take photos of friends, classmates, even your pet—goodness knows how many photos I have of my dog!" she says.

She also suggests scouting out local photography clubs. "I've met some of the most talented photographers at the Florida Film Takeover group I'm a part of," she says. "Whatever you do, don't get discouraged and give up. The only thing that will happen as you take more pictures is that you'll get better."

To see more of Skye Brumley's work, check out her Instagram or Facebook page.