Project plan

My initial idea for this project is to challenge the perspectives of portraiture by photographing body art, which will be based on tattoos and may also include piercings. This will challenge the perspectives of portraiture by photographing parts of the body other than the face and not photographing as a usual portrait but using the body art as a main focal point. My shoots for this will be in the studio, as well as visiting tattoo parlors in the town. To start off I will photograph in the studio, first off just photographing peoples body parts, focusing on this before photographing the body art. This will give me an idea of how I will photograph when it comes to photographing the real thing, it will help me to develop and will give me a range of development shots. Moving on from this, I will visit a tattoo parlor, having emailed them to make sure it is ok I do so, once there I will, if possible, photograph tattoos in the process of being done, shooting from different angles and distances and focusing on different aspects, such as the artists hand and tattoo gun, moving onto focusing on the body part and the ink being processed onto the skin, I will also if possible photograph the tattoo once done, as well as the equipment that is used etc and I will also try to do the same for piercings, focusing on the piercing being done from different angles, but for this I will have to be quicker as it doesn't take as long, and also photographing after is has been done. I am also going to try to experiment with photographing in the studio of just the body art already done, both tattoos and piercings, using high key lighting to ensure it is bright so that the body art is very visible and not dark and shadowed. The message that I want to convey to the viewer is how body art is a thing that many people have and enjoy, whether they have a small or large amount, and I am highlighting this within challenging the perspective of portraiture.

A photographer that I have looked at and has given me some influence is Keith Riley. Looking at his work has helped to influence me ways I can shoot the work I plan to do. Within the tattoo photography he has done there is only a small amount of images he has produced, but he has used many different techniques that I can take influence from.