Clarion Area Senior, Brinley Kiskadden, High School Sports Photographer And Entrepreneur Shares Talents To Bring Joy To Others

Photo courtesy of Hope Moose from Sara Haines Photography – “This is one of my senior photos and I wanted a way to incorporate my camera into my senior session since photography is such a big part of my life”

At the first of the year I had my first glimpse of a very professional, full color “digital flyer” produced by budding photographer/entrepreneur Brinley Kiskadden, a senior at Clarion Area High School. Brinley is the owner of BK Media, which specializes in sports photography, custom graphics and photo shoots.

Those who know Brinley, know what a caring and generous person she is. And the flyer reflects that, as in listing “milestones” and highlights she first and foremost gives a major shout out to those who have helped her in her “first year in photography.”

This is a two-way street as Brinley has helped so many teams, individual athletes, local electronic and print media and others. Clarion Sports Zone is a major recipient of Brinley’s generosity.

After seeing the flyer, I knew I just had to do an article on Brinley and BK Media showing the background of this enterprise. I basically asked Brinley to give me the whole kit and kaboodle (what BK Media is all about, how did it come about and when, some of those who have helped her along the way, any future plans for photography after high school, etc.).

In the information gathered and comments shared by those other local individuals, who have benefitted from Brinley’s generosity and vice versa there is a picture painted illustrating that “It takes a village…”

The comments by shared by some of those whose lives have been touched by Brinley and the photos used bring that point home. A number of photo captions contain Brinley’s reasons for using the photo, more evidence of how seriously she takes this work.

Setting the stage is the basic text of the Flyer, sans photos and Brinley’s caption comments which will be added in the article.

All the while, keep in mind this was created by a high school junior, now turned senior.

(The link to the BK Media and the complete flyer are at the bottom of the article.)

2024

YEAR IN REVIEW | BK MEDIA

A big thank you goes out to everyone who has supported me throughout my first year in photography! I am so blessed for every opportunity I have been blessed with. I am beyond thankful for people who have reached out to me about shoots and custom graphics, it means the world to me!
-BK

BK Media Created: 58 Graphics and 2 Sports Programs

BK Media Photographed: 14 Football Games, 14 Volleyball Games, 13 Soccer Games, 13 Baseball Games, 11 Basketball Games, 10 Photoshoots, 5 Wrestling Matches/Tournaments, 3 Cross Country Meets, 2 Media Days

That is a total of photographing 85 events in 2024!

Top Two Events: 2A Football State Championship Game

(After being denied a media pass for this game, I still showed up, was determined to take photos, and photographed from afar until halftime. I was taking photos outside the field, and a videographer approached me and gave me a pass from the previous day’s 1A and 4A games. I got on the field and no one questioned me, I was then able to photograph on the sidelines. I will never forget that game as I was able to capture images from a once in a lifetime experience for Central Clarion’s players).

Clarion vs Dubois Central Catholic at PNC Park

(Photographing these high-talent teams in a major league baseball stadium was such an amazing experience! Lauren Brinkley and I got to sit where the Pittsburgh Pirates’ photographers and videographers capture content during games. I will never forget this experience and being so close to the action was amazing.)

Highest Viewed Instagram Facebook Post: The graphic for the Central Clarion Wildcats Football team, was when they beat 2A WPIAL Champions, South Park, to advance to the 2A State Final game. On Instagram, this graphic had 11,600 views and 4,243 views on Facebook.

Instagram Followers: From starting BK Media on February 25th, 2024, to now December 31st, 2024, my instagram has grown to 620 followers. That is an average of gaining two followers a day.

Facebook Followers: BK Media joined Facebook on March 8th of 2024 and has gained 303 followers, as of December 31st, 2024.

Some Amazing facts and figures, wouldn’t you agree?

But Brinley’s start in the world of photography was totally unexpected.

“I got my start in photography on December 13th, 2023. I was at a Central Clarion wrestling match, at Clarion Area High School, and I saw Maria Wilson (Clarion Area Sports photographer) taking photos. I asked if she could please send me a few for the wrestling page in the yearbook.

“She asked if I wanted to take a few photos, handed me one of her extra cameras, and showed me how to operate the camera. My first few pictures were quite awful, but I believe I have improved since. After the wrestling match, I went home and told my mom I wanted a camera.

“She jokingly messaged Maria, “Great, now my kid wants a camera.”

And so it all began.

Special delivery of a special gift. “The next day, after school, Maria stopped by my house and dropped off a camera. I was so excited to start taking photos, but did not know where to start.”

The gift didn’t stop there.

“Maria has been an amazing mentor, I really look up to her, and I am so thankful for everything she has helped me with. She has brought me so much knowledge and has let me tag along with her for soccer, volleyball, football games, and other photography related events.

“I am absolutely blessed to have someone so amazing as a role model and I will never stop crediting Maria for all she has done for me and seeing something special within me from the very beginning. Without her, I would have never picked up a camera, started taking photos, and created BK Media.”

Someone else who has been instrumental in promoting Brinley and BK Media is Susanne Fenske.

“Susanne Fenske, a good friend of Maria’s, does a lot of photography for Clarion-Limestone High School. At C-L’s homecoming football game, she let me borrow one of her lenses, which was great to have a change in lenses. Susanne has posted a large amount of my photos on Clarion-Limestone’s Booster Club Instagram and Facebook pages, which has gained more exposure to my photography.”

Overcoming her rookie jitters, Brinley soon “It took me a while to build up enough confidence to start taking photos with very little experience. My first few events were Clarion Area boys and girls basketball games and the District Nine Wrestling Championships at Tippin Gymnasium, at Clarion University.”

Then on to production of the wrestling programs. “I have always been creative and interested in design, so last year, prior to starting photography, I offered to bring back the wrestling program. Roughly twenty years ago, when my Dad, Bryan Kiskadden (current Wildcat elementary wrestling coach) wrestled, the Clarion Bobcats Wrestling team had a program that was sold at home matches.

“I proposed the idea of bringing it back to my dad and varsity head wrestling coach, Braun Gourley. They liked the idea, so I created a program on Canva, it was printed, and then sold at home matches.

“The original program I created did not have photos, but after Maria gave me a camera, I was able to take varsity and junior high team photos, a coach photo, as well as individual headshots. I included those photos in the second printing of the program. For this season’s wrestling program, I was determined to create a better program than last season. I took all of the photos in the program, created interview papers for the seniors, asked certain coaches to speak about this season and past, and wrote the majority of the write-ups in the program.

“I am extremely proud of this season’s program and a big ‘thank you’ goes out to Braun Gourley and the Central Clarion wrestling team for letting me create the programs from last season as well as this season.”

Expanding her business’s exposure, Brinley turned to social media.

“I created my Instagram account, BK Photography, on February 25th, 2024, and later switched the name to BK Media (@b.k._media). Per popular request, BK Media joined Facebook on March 8th, 2024, for the people who do not use Instagram.

“I was able to grow from zero to more than six hundred followers on BK Media’s Instagram and a little over three hundred on Facebook in less than a year. This may not sound like much to others, but my goal was five hundred on Instagram by the time I graduate high school, and that goal has already been met. I really wanted to share my work, even though I was just starting out.

“I started editing my photos in September of 2024, which my mom, Emily Kiskadden, had been urging me to do for months. I had previously been posting unedited images, which now makes me laugh. After purchasing Adobe Creative Cloud, I was able to edit my photos in Lightroom and create graphics in Photoshop.”

Brinley has several obstacles to overcome, in photographing spring sports, but she receives help.

“The spring is unfortunately a challenge for me when it comes to photography. I am on the Central Clarion Wildcats softball team which makes it difficult to photograph track and baseball games. I had my sister, Lillian Kiskadden, and dad take photos of a few softball games last season.

“I posted a few of those photos and credited them. I photographed as many baseball games as I could, which sometimes meant going from softball practices to Clarion Area’s baseball games.”

This challenge led to another avenue for Brinley’s talent

“Because I was unable to make it to a lot of baseball games, I started creating and posting “game day graphics” for Clarion’s team. I felt that since I was not taking a lot of photos of the team, I might as well make “game day graphics” for them. I started creating graphics with Canva and people seemed to like them.”

Brinley’s association with the baseball team led to a thrill of a lifetime. “On Saturday April 27th, 2024, Clarion Area and DuBois Central Catholic baseball teams faced off against each other at PNC Park. One of my best friends, Lauren Brinkley, and I had the opportunity to sit where the Pittsburgh Pirates’ photographers and videographers capture content during games.

“I will never forget this experience and being so close to all of the action was incredible. The photos I took of the players were amazing with Pittsburgh’s skyline in the background. This experience would not have been possible without David Smail (Clarion Area Baseball Boosters representative), who got us access to be as close to the field as possible.

“After our softball season ended, I was able to photograph just about every baseball game Clarion played.”

Brinley also created a program for Clarion Area’s baseball team for 2023-24 at the request of David Smail. She took her own photos and did a lot of the writing herself.

No rest during the summer months. “Throughout the summer, I photographed the Honey Hunter baseball team, which is a high school Legion team. I also photographed my first senior session, a few of my brother’s minor league baseball games, and brought my camera with me on my family’s vacation to the Outer Banks. All summer, I could not wait to photograph high school football for the first time!”

On to the fall. “The start of my senior year of high school rolled around and with it my first experience photographing high school football.

“I spent the majority of my Friday nights on Central Clarion’s sidelines. I remember photographing my first game at Wiser Field, at Clarion Area High School, and I was so intimidated by the players and everything going on that I stayed in one place the whole game. After a few games, I confidently walked up and down the sidelines to capture so many amazing moments.

“Without Maria’s help, I would have never stepped foot on the field because I had originally been told that I was not allowed. Maria told me I can be on the sidelines for photos and to be confident in myself and no one will question me.

What seemed like a major disappointment turned into something great. “The highlight of the football season was one-hundred percent the 2A State Championship game at Cumberland Valley High School.

“A few days before the state final game, I contacted my principal as well as the PIAA about a media pass. I never got a response from the PIAA and I was informed the day before the game that I would not have a media pass.

“I was extremely upset, but my dad gave me a pep-talk and told me not to give up. I took his advice and brought my camera along for the ride. I was determined to take photos, even if that meant from afar. From the beginning of the game, until halftime, I stood along the fence, outside the field.

“I was taking photos of Central Clarion’s band at halftime, and a videographer came up to me and said something along the lines of, “Hey, do you want my media pass from yesterday’s games?” He also pointed out that it is a different color combination than the 2A game and told me I could try to get onto the field. I put the media pass in my pocket and let the lanyard part hang out so no one would know I should not be on the field.

“I made my way to the field, and no one questioned me or stopped me. I have absolutely no idea as to who this guy is, but I am so thankful he gave me that media pass. Even with an unfortunate ending to the game, it was an incredible game to photograph these two undefeated football teams.

Brinley has a number of other sports she covers. “I have mentioned so much about baseball and football, I cannot forget about the other sports!

“Going into photographing my first volleyball game for Clarion Area, I felt extremely intimidated. In January of 2024, I made the difficult decision of leaving the volleyball team after being a defensive specialist for a few years. Part of me regrets the decision I made, but it allowed me more time for photography rather than if I had played my senior season, which was not the reason I stopped playing.

“I did enjoy photographing the Clarion Bobcats volleyball team and watching them win the District Nine Championship over longtime rival, Clarion-Limestone. I know how hard Clarion worked for the District Nine title and I loved photographing this game. Capturing every ounce of emotion on camera and being able to share it with the players, coaches, and their families means a lot to me because they will always have something, photos, from that game.

“JJ Wilson, my best friend of eleven years, Maria’s daughter, really wanted me to take photos at her soccer games. Her mom told me all of the best places to take photos and tips and tricks when it comes to soccer photography. I had never watched, or photographed, soccer before, so this was a different experience. I also photographed Central Clarion boys soccer and followed them to the District Nine Championship game, which they unfortunately fell short in.

“My sister, Tenley Kiskadden, ran cross country this fall. For the first few cross country meets, I did not bring my camera. I am not entirely sure why I did not bring it with me, but I regret it. I eventually started photographing meets and I loved watching the junior high and varsity teams succeed.

“I photographed the KSAC meet at Keystone High School but unfortunately was unable to make it to the District race.. The boys varsity team made it to states at Hershey. The cross country state championship was a great experience to photograph and I spent quality time with some pretty amazing people.”

And current happenings. “As wrestling, swimming, and basketball seasons are currently taking place, I plan to attend as many events as possible as well as creating graphics for the teams.

“My sister, Tenley, has let me do a few photoshoots for her. I usually have to beg my family members to do shoots, I like that it gives me a little change from sports photography. I have done one senior session as well as one family photoshoot.

“I definitely favor sports photography over photoshoots, but I love both! I enjoy creating graphics for game days, awards, and college commitments.

“Here and there, people reach out to me about purchasing photos and custom graphics. I am so thankful and appreciative of everyone who has reached out to me!”

What are Brinley’s future plans. “I will be attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania upon graduation from Clarion Area High School. I am planning to study marketing and obtain a certificate in photography. I would like to work in social media marketing while still doing photography on the side.

“I am also planning to photograph as many college sporting events as I can while I am at IUP. This is extremely far-fetched, but it would be a dream to eventually work with either the NFL or MLB and photograph football or baseball. But hey, dreams are dreams for a reason and they can come true.”

They certainly do. Reach for the Stars, Brinley!!

Special thanks to some others.

“I am so thankful for all of the photographers, and local news outlets, that have taught me so much, helped guide me, and put my photos out there for people to see. I am truly blessed, and beyond thankful, to have people that support me through everything I do.

“It means so much to me when people reach out to me to compliment my work, ask for a custom graphic, tag and credit me when they use my images, use my photos as their profile picture, and when my photos are posted to news outlets.

“Having the privilege of photographing various sporting events has given me a new perspective and lets me capture athletes doing what they love. I would like to thank everyone for their support and I cannot wait to see where this eventually takes me..

“A big “thank you” goes out to the Clarion Mirror for using my images, and crediting me, in your printed edition! I love seeing my photos printed in a publication, such as the Clarion Mirror or other newspapers.

“In the fall, I had an idea to ask Jennifer Herron, Clarion University volleyball’s head coach, if I could photograph her athletes. She said yes and I captured amazing moments from such a high-talent team.

“Chris Rossetti has posted my images on D9and10sports.com for quite a while, almost from the beginning. I love opening Instagram or Facebook to see my photos posted with his articles, it’s amazing!

“Mike Kilroy has used my photos for his articles and I met him at the end of the Clarion vs South Park game. He has complimented a lot of my work.

“I was asked not to mention Dave McClaine, but I felt I should. He was the first person to use my photos in an article and I remember being absolutely thrilled to see my work posted on Clarion Sports Zone.

“After he started using my photographs for articles, Explore Clarion, D9 and 10 Sports.com, and others also started using my photos. To Dave, thank you for using my photos from the very beginning, it truly means a lot to me!”

And special thanks, congratulations and well wishes coming your way from these folks, Brinley!

Maria Wilson: Brinley is such a wonderful young lady. I have known her since kindergarten at Immaculate Conception school and always knew how great of a kid she was. Since she was a young girl, she has always been so sweet and kind and that is what we love about her. I have been very lucky to have Brinley be my daughter’s best friend. She is part of our family.

“I remember the day very well when I asked Brinley if she would help take photos. I couldn’t be in two places at once. I am very particular as to who is allowed to touch my cameras. I knew Brinley would take care of the camera.

Seeing that she had an interest made me excited, neither of my girls had an interest in photography and I thought this would be great for her. Brinley has always been shy and quiet and I thought, hey this might help her be more confident in herself.

“I coached softball for Clarion Little League and I begged Emily, Brinley’s mom, to sign her three girls up. To my luck she did. I often said to my team, it doesn’t matter if you can’t hit, throw, or catch a ball, if you work at it, you will get better.

“I always saw improvement in Brinley in everything she does. She is determined, I believe in her and i knew after seeing her photos she would be killing it. She has surpassed me. I am beyond proud of her. I’m amazed at all she has done. It has taken me years to learn photography and I love it as a hobby.

“It brings tears to my eyes to hear the wonderful things Brinley has said about me. But she is the one who inspired me. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

“I will always be there for her for whatever she needs. She is the third daughter I didn’t have but am blessed to have her and her family in our lives. My heart is bursting with love for her.”

Suzanne Fenske: “Thanks for featuring Brinley! I am happy to add a comment for the article –
Brinley has demonstrated a great natural talent for photography and has been willing to share her gift with the entire community!

“We are so lucky to have local kids wanting to learn and grow! Brinley will go far in her future and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do!”

Penn West Clarion Volleyball coach Jennifer Herron: “This is awesome that you’re highlighting her. She does such a wonderful job.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Brinley through developing a close friendship with her mother Emily. The past few years I’ve seen her passion develop as a photographer and her growth as a person.

“I’m extremely grateful that she had asked if she could photograph a match. Anytime we can help someone develop their craft we jump on it.

“I also have a son who competes in Football and Baseball at Clarion Area and Brinley’s ability to capture such special moments for the athletes and their families are treasures that we will have for years to come.
Her impact in the community is just the beginning of what I expect to be a very fruitful journey in the world of sports photography.”

Wildcats Head Football Coach Dave Eggleton: The work Brinley did taking photographs for our team was fantastic.

“I am sure she doesn’t even know how appreciative the families of our football team are of the hard work and dedication she put in to taking and editing these great action shots every Friday. These aren’t just pictures, but memories that she has captured for each of these players to keep forever.

“For someone new to photography, she did a great job of capturing these moments.

“I wish her the best of luck as she moves on to college and her future. We will miss her great action shots!”

Dave Smail Clarion Area Baseball Boosters: “We are all blessed to have Brinley and her passion for photography. She has been able to capture moments that will enable more than just a memory. 

“She has a talent that will be able to take her far in her goals and dreams. 

It brings me happiness to see her and other youth have a passion for their ideas and actions. 

“I can’t wait to see what’s next for BK and wish her the best at IUP.

“She takes pride in capturing the moments of her fellow schoolmates and it shows.”

Central Clarion Wildcats Wrestling Coach Braun Gourley: “Brinley has been a valuable asset to the wrestling program. 

“She has put in countless hours creating our program for the last two years.  Her social media sites have become the go to destinations for all the Wildcat athletes. 

“We wish her the best of luck in the future!”

YDL and D9and 10 Sports.com Director Chris Rossetti: “Brinley has been fantastic to work with.

“Anytime we can give a young person an opportunity to do something, it’s something special. It’s really a goal of our company, to help foster the next generation of reporters, photographers, and broadcasters, and Brinley has run with it.

“To watch her growth as a photographer has been a pleasure. I, really we, all of us including our readers, are so lucky that she has been willing to share some of her work with us. I know she will do great things in her life and I am super excited to see she has decided to go to my alma mater, IUP.”

The Clarion Mirror Staff: “The Clarion Mirror is very appreciative of those who allow us to publish articles and photos free of charge. It is a great way to support each other and allows us to continue to offer the Mirror free of charge to our readers. We always enjoy publishing local talent and creativity. We wish Brinley the best of luck in pursuing her dreams. Continue to work hard and share your God-given talents and you will go far!

EYT Media/Explore Clarion Sports Director Mike Kilroy “You can tell immediately that Brinley is passionate about photography. You can tell she puts the work in and loves it. And she’s very talented. You put all those things together, and you have a pretty bright future.

“Her photos are professional-quality. I’d stack her photos up with some of the pros I’ve worked with over the years.

“She also seems to have an eye for it. She has the ability to anticipate where the action is going and be in position to capture a great image. That’s something that often can’t be taught.

“You just have to have it.”

And Last but certainly not least, Brinley’s Parents Bryan and Emily Kiskadden: It has been amazing to watch Brinley discover her passion and watching her talent and creativity unfold before our eyes. We are Very proud of her and extremely excited to see what is to come.

All the thanks goes to Maria Wilson, who gave Brinley a camera to use. She saw something in her and is the real reason she’s where she’s at today.

(All the Best to Brinley in her pursuit of this dream!!!! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this article!!)

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