Calling someone a blank canvas in an everyday conversation would be considered insulting. In the modelling world the description is often used when a client is seeking a fashion shoot or period art shoots. Things have changed with supermodels now having tattoos and finding a model without a tattoo is becoming increasingly difficult. Once seen as an act of rebellion having a tattoo may in fact go hand-in-hand with nude modelling which in some terms has similar proclivities.
My own work features probably an equal share of models with tattoos and without. I am personally not drawn to tattoos but there are exceptions.
Marie Brooks, a model I enjoyed working with has one large tattoo that has meaning and an artistry about it. It tends to enhance her personality and as it is on one side of her body, she can model a side of her body that doesn’t reveal it. Another model, Lacey Dawn that has a few smaller tattoos is in my work a fair bit but I am aware that I choose concepts accordingly.
Larissa Angharada is another model that has a few small tattoos and she suits period classical work but the tattoos don’t seem to interfere with her work maybe because as in the above image, I could clone them out easily. When I worked with an amateur model who was heavily tattooed, I found myself concentrating on how I portrayed them fairly. In effect, I found myself featuring them and posing her accordingly.
I have to admit, I prefer working with models without tattoos because my concepts can be broad. I also think they will stand the test of time better. Tattoo style and location go out of fashion. The tribal look is dated as is the wide tattoo across the lower back sometimes called the “tramp stamp”. I have cloned a tattoo out on very rare occasions but tend not to. It can be a lot of work and I think the tattoo is a part of the model’s life choices and to erase that can sometimes be offensive to them.
Here’s the way I see it. When someone has a tattoo, their body is a canvas they have chosen to decorate or add meaning to. The tattoo exists within my work and adds it’s own meaning or attracts the viewers eye. When considering a more classical or period piece, I must consider who I use and ask for an appropriate hair style, finger nail polish choice and tattoos and piercings. Depending on who is chosen for the concept, I must alter the concept accordingly. Sometimes that means altering my concept completely. The way I see it, when working with a person with a tattoo, I am creating a piece of work of someone else’s piece of work.
I see it like branding. A product has a brand and the logos make it stand out and stand alone from the others. Could this use of tattoos be a societal drive for singularity or individualism? Maybe. Our western culture promotes individualism and to advertise each of us as different from the others. Tattoos may be a way to say “just by looking at me, you can see how individual I am”. I do know recent studies of large cohorts show an increase in narcissistic tendencies which in essence is saying “regardless of how I feel about myself, I want you to see me as special”. I am bordering on Philosophical Psychology here hence I offer no assumptions and only questions. Maybe Joe Rogan could discuss it further but I won’t make such blanket statements. Just food for thought really.
So, having body art does affect my choice of models and subjects. My concepts change and may be hindered by it. I have done some work that is classical in essence with models with tattoos but that is usually because they have something that I wish to incorporate that is hard for me to find elsewhere. However, the truth seems to be that tattoos do have a defining element that photographers consider when choosing models. It is neither good or bad, but it is real.
I think we'd talked about this online, but as I catch up here I'll summarize. I generally prefer to work with models with no tattoos or few tattoos. The tattoos need to work into the theme of the image, so that means it's a step to match them up. Large, coherent pieces are more interesting and perhaps an inspiration for a theme for the shoot. Collections of tattoos of different sizes and styles are going to be hard to match to what the shoot is about.