Shooting at Needlewurks

I've been asked - but no, I do not mean the knitting and sewing store downtown. I'm talking about the tattoo parlor.

When Emma first assigned us to go on an environment portrait shoot - this was my first idea and choice. However as we know, prints are always due Fridays, and my appointment to come in to the shop wasn't until Monday. Though the weaving studio saved my ass and got me a shot in my portfolio in the end, I wasn't about to just blow off the opportunity to go to Needlewurks, even when the assignment was over. I figured it'd be good for personal fun, and maybe even useful for my photography class later.

This past Monday I went in around 12:30 to hang out for a bit, waiting for a client to come in. After all the explaining was said and done, the tattoo artist I followed was easy as can be when I told him to just pretend I was invisible, and go about his job. His client - a woman beginning to work on sleeves, was all too happy to comply and didn't mind at all. She showed me all the previous work she'd had done in the shop, and explained to me a summary of the ideas she had for her arm. It was neat to see all the designs she had on her body already, and what she was choosing for that day.



I was excited to be able to see part of the process myself, and though her sessions may span months and I wish I could see the end result, my pictures came out fantastic. Several were blurry - indoor light is difficult, but I was still able to nab some perfect lighting. The feeling of getting a perfect shot is always fun.

I watched as he prepared her arm with a stencil and sharpie, and was only able to stay for about an hour and a half (including wait time while they planned) before I realized I needed to go to work. He'd only successfully stenciled a bit of her arm with tattoo ink by the time I'd left, but with a thanks I left with some great shots.



Me being in love with color, it was hard not to ignore the contrast of her arm marked up in pen, and his fully sleeved with so many colors. My favorite shot above was just to get that point across, and I had a good time. In the end, if I submit any to Emma, they must be black and white. For the sake of lighting, I managed to nab one perfect shot on account of luck and timing - the tattoo artist's hands weren't blurry (like several others where he was moving), and the moment was just right.



Between chatting with other customers, Paul - the owner of the shop, and a few other people hanging about, that Monday afternoon has been the highlight of my week. I enjoyed listening to Paul's stories of some of his tattoos and plans for the future (which fantastically includes markings inspired by Maori warriors, which I learned about in art history last semester), as well as chatting with another guy who'd come in to plan an idea of his with one of the artists. Though the time at work that followed was not near as fun, I had a great time at Needlewurks' chill shop and hope to go back sometime, definitely to drop off a good print or two when I get the chance.