Yvonne Cary Carter
April 2025 - Tattoos Tell a Story
Original
About the Image(s)
I took this photograph at the Chicago Tattoo Arts Festival Arts. I was drawn to the subject’s personal history inked on his body and Mexican pride.
This was my first time attending a tattoo festival. I didn’t know if folks would be receptive to photos. I found that artists and subjects love the camera! So much so that candid shots were next to impossible. Most of my images were photographed while chatting which made for a really fun and interactive experience. A technique I plan to work on. I was also challenged with metering for the bright ring lights artist use while tattooing. Post edited in photoshop with blurring background and adjusting lights and darks.
Camera Fujifilm Camera X-Pro 3
Lens xF35mm F 1.4 R
Focal Length 35mm
Exposure 1/28 @ f 9.0
ISO 6400
Aperture Priority
13 comments posted
You were lucky enough to photograph a living art object - there's no other way to describe this man, Yvonne. I find these many different depictions of women interesting, on the one hand religious, on the other innocent and also seductive. Women who play a role in his life?
I like the crop you've taken.
The man is absolutely in focus. The blur in the background also contributes to this. For me, the original also has a lot to tell. The lady at the top right is adoring him, all the other people are not interested in him, even though he is standing there with his upper body bare. Cropped to the size of the black and white image, it captures the atmosphere. It's great that you dared to take the photo.
Posted: 04/06/2025 15:10:21
I like the crop you've taken.
The man is absolutely in focus. The blur in the background also contributes to this. For me, the original also has a lot to tell. The lady at the top right is adoring him, all the other people are not interested in him, even though he is standing there with his upper body bare. Cropped to the size of the black and white image, it captures the atmosphere. It's great that you dared to take the photo.
Posted: 04/06/2025 15:10:21
Sabine, Thank you for your comments. I felt the B&W gave the viewer a sense of his identify. He was working with the tattoo artists so part of this was performance...maybe. There were 2,000 tattooers competing for sales. Posted: 04/11/2025 19:11:39
Posted: 04/06/2025 15:10:38
Yvonne, this is amazing artwork. The gentleman looks proud to show the work done on his body and the stories he could tell behind the work would be interesting to hear. I like the blurred background, but I think I do prefer the colored original, with a blurred background and maybe cropped to to include the work on his hands and also to see the shape and vibrant colors of the entire hat, which to me is part of the story. Very nice work. Posted: 04/08/2025 16:06:48
Jim, Thank you for your comments. I also would have liked to hear more about his tattoo decisions. I did try to crop to include his hands but it looked awkward to me. Posted: 04/11/2025 19:18:44
I cannot imagine the hours the man endured having his body covered in tattoos. I admit to cringing a bit and finding it hard to look. That's a LOT of ink!! I wonder if his left arm is simply not-yet-finished or is he intentionally keeping it uncovered.
There's such a story in this photo -- the expression, hat, ink design, all of it.
Thank you! Posted: 04/12/2025 13:20:09
There's such a story in this photo -- the expression, hat, ink design, all of it.
Thank you! Posted: 04/12/2025 13:20:09
Doug, Thank you for your comments. I agree it's a lot of ink...Outlandish! My sister would not even look at the photo. Posted: 04/12/2025 16:46:21
Such a compelling portrait, Yvonne-the subject's pride and story come through so clearly. I really like your choice to convert it to black and white; it adds drama and focus. Your interactive approach really paid off! Posted: 04/15/2025 05:25:58
Linda, Thank you for your comments. Posted: 04/16/2025 19:25:39
Super interesting photograph! I too would love to hear all the stories of how he chose the artwork. He looks like a walking canvas.
I too love that you converted to black and white. Posted: 04/18/2025 18:41:24
I too love that you converted to black and white. Posted: 04/18/2025 18:41:24
Sylvia, The tattoo culture seems to be super interesting! Thank you for your comments. Posted: 04/18/2025 22:56:48
I like this portrait, Yvonne. I bet he has some stories he could tell about his tattoo's. I would imagine it would not be hard to fill up a card with the various people displaying their artwork. Your conversion to black and white and blurring the background was a good choice. I may have tried to keep more of his hat in the photo, but that is just my opinion. Nice photo. Posted: 04/18/2025 21:21:41
Randy, Probably a couple of cards!! I'll experiment with adding more of his hat. Thank you for your comments. Posted: 04/18/2025 22:58:32