Tattoo Photography Tips

Photography Tips

Tattoos fade overtime. Even though you went through a painful ordeal to get the beautiful tattoos that you have, unfortunately, they won’t retain their beautiful and attractive appearance.

“Mirror of the Soul” captured by AP Photographie

Because of this fact, many people are choosing to have photos taken of their tattoos. And this is what tattoo photography is all about. Aside from having perfect mementos of body ink, tattoo photography is also a special way of appreciating and showcasing tattoos, since being a walking canvas rarely provides other people a close inspection of the skin art. By having photos of body ink taken, your subjects can show them off more effectively — and less awkwardly — since they won’t need to pull at or push up their clothes to give people a better look at the tattoo.

“Tattoo” captured by Jhong Dizon

There are certain tips you can follow to make sure you get the most amazing photos of your subjects’ tattoos. Below are some of these:

• If your subject is sporting relatively old tattoos, put a small amount of lotion over them and rub it in thoroughly to bring out the colors. But make sure to remove any excess lotion to prevent any glare from appearing on the photos.
• A brand new tattoo won’t look great on photos. So ask your subjects to wait for a few days before scheduling a photo session. Body ink that is seeping with blood or is covered with ointment will not look great in any picture.
• Make sure you have the proper lighting. This is a key ingredient to having amazing photos. To get great results, go outside. By doing so, you won’t need to use flash, and the natural light will make the inks’ colors really stand out. If you still want to take photos indoors, go near a window or under a bright (but not too harsh) light source. As much as possible, try to avoid using the camera’s built-in flash since it tends to cause glare.

“Elizabeth Tornabene” captured by Robby Mueller

• Finally, take several photos of each tattoo. Always take several photos. Don’t just snap one shot and be done with it. Move around, try different angles, different light sources, with flash or without flash. The more photos you take, the better your odds are of getting an amazing shot.

About the Author:
This article was written by Shay Rogers from cherishyouportraits dot com.