Vancouver-based photographer Spencer Kovats has created an intriguing side-by-side series of portraits that reveal people’s hidden tattoos. These willing participants shed their clothes to show the artistry created right on their skin.
Kovats is one of the 11 fine art photographers who were a part of a special event called The Tattoo Project. Four years ago, over the course of a long weekend, a group of Vancouver’s best photographers sequestered themselves in one of Vancouver’s premiere studio spaces as hundreds of highly tattooed people exposed themselves to the cameras. Thousands of portraits were produced that aimed to explore the identities of the subjects through the portrayal of their body art.
A book was published in 2012 by Schiffer Books called The Tattoo Project: Body, Art, Image that features 200 images from the event. The book shows how photographers have different approaches to lighting, mood and color and how each of their unique styles sets them distinctly apart.
