24th Shoot - Oh those eyes!

Oh another black and white set. I am loving these. All of Tara's tattoo's are black and white so I couldn't resist (although I find that her almond shaped eyes really draw you in to the first photo).

All her tattoos are by the same artist, and you can see the continuity in the design. Her Mum and sister also have the same left wrist tattoo, and her right wrist is her parents wedding flower. Tara's leg piece is titled 'Perfectly Imperfect'. Beautiful!

Model: Tara Cottle

Tattoo Artist: GZ Ink'd

23rd Shoot - Electric Ink

This was one of my favourite photo shoots. Libby and Danny are such a wonderful couple, and look great in front of the camera. The colour in their tattoos is bold, just like their personalities. Trying to get all their tattoos in to the photos was a bit of a challenge, but we snapped most of them.

Models:

Libby Bruhn

Danny Bruhn

Tattoo Artists:

Libby:

Dave Stevens - Electric Ink, Levin (arms, calf)

Nadine Bryant - Black Pearl Studio, Ohinewai (left thigh)

Ryan - Lofi Tattoos (back thigh)

Jed Hill (right thigh)

Danny:

Libby Bruhn - Electric Ink, Levin (arms, legs, back)

Dave Stevens - Electric Ink, Levin (left arm - crest, ribs)

Jed Hill (left hand)

Randi - Jed Hill Tattoo (dagger & snake on right leg)

22nd Shoot - Little tattoos, Big meanings

'A reminder to keep in touch with family' I think this is a reminder that we all need every now and then. Both Dot and Darnell have tattoos that have a lot of family meanings.

These 2 were wonderful in the studio (after the initial nerves calmed down). We chose to do these as another black and white set as their tans were quite different from each other.

Models:

Darnell Struthers

Dorothee Boudelot

Tattoo Artists:

Darnell:

Auckland Tattoo Artist 

Dot:

Illustrated Man - Sydney

21st Shoot - Black & White

Sometimes we have someone walk in to the studio and 15 minutes later we have a tonne of great photos. Kate was one of these. As all her tattoos are black (and white, but you can't see that one) this just lead to creating some stunning images in classic black and white.

Her tattoos all revolve around the human spirit. 'Om Mani Padme Hum' is a Buddhist mantra (Google it for the meaning, as there are many).

Mode: Kate Bale

Tattoo Artists:

Noel - Ink Tattoo Studio, Palmerston North (phoenix, paisley)

Dave - Electric Ink, Levin (Buddhist mantra, Pour l'amour)

Although I love these in black & white, the colour is stunning as well...

20th Shoot - Birthday Suit

Monique came to her photo shoot on her birthday. What a way to spend the day! She came prepared with cupcakes. Once we saw her tattoos the choice to have cupcakes as a prop became obvious.

Model: Monique Wiersma

Tattoo Artists:

Chaz Orr - Tattoo's For the Worthy, Mt Maunganui (sleeve, lower legs)

Kitty Dearest - The Black Mark, Melbourne (back calf)

Libby Bruhn - Electric Ink, Levin (feet)

Kimberly Purton - Garage Ink, QLD (thigh)

Steve Nesbit - Powerhouse Tattoos, Palmerston North (neck)

19th Shoot - To fly, to fly

Joy's tree, like all trees, is growing. The leaves falling from the branches follow her body, so no matter which way she is lying or standing, they still look like they are falling.

The saying on her side:

I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive.
I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise.
To fly
To fly

Model: Joy McDermott

Tattoo Artists:

Paul Harding - Tattoos by Paulie, Lower Hutt 

Libby Bruhn - Electric Ink, Levin (the word 'Jaxon')

18th Shoot - One Artist

Nats ink is all done by Dave Stevens, Electric Ink. Her tattoos are a family representation in bold colour. The darker vines really stand out and work so well combined with everything else. I only wish I had a husky to borrow for the shoot, to go with the huskies on her back.

Model: Nat Thompson

Tattoo Artist: Dave Stevens - Electric Ink, Levin

17th Shoot - friendship and family

These lovely ladies had their tattoos done by quite a variety of tattoo artists. Each tattoo has a meaning and the theme with both of them seemed to be - strength, protection and family - because:

'No matter what, life makes you a better person'

Model: Page Feather

Tattoo Artists:

Dave Stevens - Electric Ink (Celtic Heart, Roses, Dove, Tear drops)

Ali - ALC, Wellington (Angel Heart, Stars)

Cam - ALC, Wellington (Bird on ankle)

CJ - Six Coffins (Panda, Dragon)

Shaun Cameron

Model: Fiona Armstrong

Tattoo Artists:

Sid Holland - Forever Art, Palmerston North (Dolphin, Tiger)

Tim Healy - Ink, Palmerston North (Writing, Butterfly)

Noel Mason - Ink, Palmerston North (Pixie, Leg ta moko, celtic knots)

Brad Cone - Otautahi Tattoo, Christchurch (Back ta moko)

Shaun Cameron - Palmerston North ('Imagine, Believe and Achieve)

16th Shoot - Cupcakes and butterflies

Philly was our first sitting that had to fly to the studio from her home, and I am very pleased she did. The detail on her tattoo is incredible, very delicate.

Her tattoo is all about the things she loves the most, and to go with that theme she also brought cupcakes and coffee with her to the shoot. The cupcakes were almost as amazing as her tattoo...

Model: Philly

Tattoo Artist: 

Nadine Bryant - Black Pearl Studios, Ohinewai

15th Shoot - Sayings

We are having a few people do their portrait sitting with a friend. This seems to be a bit less daunting for everyone. Julie and Dana were great to have in the studio, and their tattoos were stunning. I actually have the wording of one of Dana's tattoos on my office wall:

'Life is like a camera. Just focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't turn out - take another shot'.

Julie also has a few sayings tattooed. My favourite was the second half of a matching tattoo with someone else:

'He whispered I have wings'. (other tattoo says - She said I'm afraid of falling).

Model : Julie Jamieson

Model: Dana Thomas

Tattoo Artists:
Quintin Browne - Tricklistics Tattoos, Palmerston North (leg, arm, stomach)
Barry Max - Max Art, Palmerston North (back)

Tattoo Artists:
Jenn Farell-Taylor - INI DesigNZ Aotearoa

14th Shoot - Dr Who

Kathi has a wonderful story of weight loss and strength. She even featured in an article in Woman's Day.

Kathi came in to the studio with a 'what the hell, let's just do this' attitude, and smiled the whole time. She has a Dr Who cat on her left thigh, family crest on her other leg, and other tattoos that hold memories for her. The inside finger tattoo, although small, is a very significant number for her.

Model: Kathi Nettles

Tattoo Artists:

Nursy No Mercy - Dr Morse Ink, Wellington (Dr Who Cat)

(cat designed by Pinky Fang)

Underground Arts, Wellington (left leg)

13th Shoot - The Blokes

In this photo shoot we happened to get both the tattooist and the tattooed. Mick and Dave have known each other for more years than they care to admit. Dave has done most of Mick's tattoos, including the large back one. In fact, on both of them Libby did her first and second tattoo's (the classic 'Mum & Dad' heart tattoos).

Dave has done some of his own tattoos, including his upper thighs.

I am not sure if these guys had any nerves stripping off in the studio, but they sure didn't show any. This shoot was a lot of fun, but I think they behaved themselves more than what they would normally!

Models: 

Dave Stevens (left), Mick Longley (right)

Right thighs: Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill

Dave's Tattoo Artists: 

Paul Braniff - Gold Coast Tattoos (back right thigh)

Ryan Loffhagen - Gold Coast Tattoos (left inner thigh)

Steve Nesbitt - Powerhouse Tattoos, Palmerston North (right leg, left leg)

Dave Stevens - (upper thighs and others)

Mick's Tattoo Artists:

Paul Braniff - Gold Coast Tattoos (back right thigh)

Dave Stevens - Electric Ink (back, front, arms, legs)

Libby Bruhn - Electric Ink (inner thighs)