The Art Of Tattooing

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Canon Rebel. Ilford Delta 3200 ISO film. Yashica 24mm, Yashica 80-200mm, & Canon 40mm lenses

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This series was shot for an art show "Brewed, Screwed, & Tattooed" which celebrated tattoos and tattoo culture.

Since these photos were displayed in large prints, I wanted to focus on the detail of the exact moment when a tattoo becomes part of a person. It was a bit of a challenge to nail the focus on manual lenses shooting wide open (1.8-4.0 depending on the lens), but it was worth it to achieve the results.

I went with the Ilford 3200 since I knew the high grain rate would make these feel nostalgic and a bit abstract. I wanted to convey that feeling about getting tattooed and looking back thinking about the blank skin you will never see again.

The subject was my girlfriend Michelle, all her tattoos are black and gray, so black & white film stock seem appropriate here. The tattoo artist is JD Kitell at Ocala Tattoo. He Rules.

All photos are un retouched. No photoshop or digital grain.

Thanks for checking these out. Let me know your feedback!

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