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Okay,
I try to be open minded & accepting. I also
try to allow my models some leeway for self
expression. But after years of trying, I've
given up on tattoos. I've got to say that I hate
them, for lots of reasons:
-
They
are ugly. Or, I should say that
every single one I've seen have been ugly.
Sure, many folks, especially the ones wearing
them, find some tattoos to be beautiful, but not
me. Even the ones with unique & somewhat
interesting designs are usually poorly
executed. The lines are fuzzy. The
colors are bland.
-
They
are permanent. Look at what you
are wearing right now -- imagine wearing that same
outfit for the rest of your life.
-
They
are distracting. Personally, when
I look at a nude photograph of a person with a
tattoo, all I can see is the tattoo.
-
They
are stupid. I remember when I was
about 11 or 12 & was sitting in school bored
out of my mind. Sure, I can remember
doodling on my skin with a ballpoint pen.
I've seen tattoos that have had less thought put
into them. The worst? I've seen a
"SUP" scrawled in crude, uneven letters
on a woman's back. I've also met models who
forgot a tattoo that resulted from a friend
wanting to try his hand at tattooing one drunken
night. Geez, if you are going to stain your
skin permanently, shouldn't you at least give the
content/design some thought?
-
"Dontcha
Use Photoshop?" I recently
declined working with a traveling model who had
tattoos. I was polite & respectful, and
her reply was also polite & respectful.
But she asked why I didn't just use Photoshop to
remove tattoos from my images. Well, first
off, I still use film & paper, and my
objective is to create the best print that I can
hang on the wall. Digital prints of fine art
images simply aren't even close to the quality I
can achieve with a good negative & skilled
printing on good quality paper. Removing
tattoos from film and/or paper prints is possible,
but it is an awful lot of work, and I'm just not
interested in spending my darkroom time working on
tattoo removal. Secondly, I try not to
retouch the images you see on this site -- I have
to admit that I've used Paint Shop Pro to remove
dust spots & to proved some sepia toning, but
I also do such retouching on my prints on
occasion. I wouldn't do anything to these
images that I don't/can't do in the darkroom.
-
Finally,
it's like working on a canvas that already has
been signed by someone else.
So,
I've got my reasons. I'll consider working with
a tattooed model if I think I can avoid her
tattoos. For example, Lydia has an ankle tattoo,
and I often don't photograph feet. I'm sorry --
I've tried to be accepting & open, but I just
can't stand seeing photographs of tattoos, especially
in my darkroom.
Now,
so far, I haven't had the same reaction to pierced or
enhanced models. Sure, I wouldn't want to
photograph a significantly enhanced model, but if I
can't tell, then that's okay. As far as piercing
goes, I guess I would prefer not, but I can be
flexible. It's just that the "look" of
a pierced model is a bit more limited than a more
natural model. For example, I might want a
pierced model for fetish or erotic photography, but I
think I'd prefer a natural model for more romantic
photographs.
The
preceding is my opinion only. Let
me know what you think.
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