Seattle editorial photographer | Tattoo portraits at Seattle Tattoo Expo

One of my interests as a photographer is documenting people with whom I don’t have a lot in common. By not having things in common, I can document what is interesting or unusual about them, things I might overlook otherwise. When I found myself without an assignment over the weekend of the 200 Seattle Tattoo Expo, I jumped to cover it for the Seattle PI. Although I documented the event itself, which featured close to 100 tattoo artists creating work at the expo, and thousands of tattooed patrons visiting exhibits and admiring artwork, I knew that portraits of the attendees would be a terrific idea.

I arrived on Friday on day 1 of the Seattle Tattoo Expo, and set up a black backdrop on a wall near the main entrance of the grounds. Lighting was accomplished by 2 Nikon SB800 speedlights, one into a medium Photoflex softbox with grid, and another bare for rim light. Flashes were triggered with Pocket Wizard Plus II Transceivers.

So as tattooed attendees walked by, I asked them if they wanted pose for a quick portrait. Some did not, and that is okay — I would much rather my subject be into the portrait session than to be feeling hesitation. It was a lot of fun getting to meet these people, and hear the stories behind their favorite tattoo — or the tattoo they were working on. I don’t have any tattoos, so hearing their perspective gave me some insight into why people get them.

Without further ado, some of the portraits I made of the Seattle Tattoo Expo attendees:

Thanks for looking!

Please check out more of
my portraits at bermanphotos.com

Daniel

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