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Tattoos on art nude models - advice/opinions?
Hey there, just a quick question on behalf of a friend whos looking to get into modelling, so not on here as of yet. She is interested in getting into artistic nude work (not glamour/playboy style) but is quite heavily tattoed, ie sleeves and a couple on legs, feet and back I think. But is otherwise fairly natural looking - no fake tans, cosmetic surgery, bleached out hair. Anyway, question being would her tattoed look impact negatively on getting art nude work? Is it more desireable to have a more natural look or would it not make a big difference? I couldn't really give her any advice on this subject and whats more desireable for the genre, so any advice would be greatly appreciated I'm sure. Cheers! Jul 09 12 04:22 am Link Yes it has an impact. She'll get work from photographers who want to shoot llamas with tattoos and will not get work from photographers who don't want to shoot llamas with tattoos. There is a preference and it does affect availability of gigs. Sometimes it will work in her favor, other times not. She'll probably have to work harder networking to access favorable markets and individuals. Jul 09 12 05:02 am Link Jeffrey M Fletcher wrote: +1 Jul 09 12 05:06 am Link She is unlikely to be successful; anything that breaks up the lines and flow of the body is bad. Jul 09 12 05:07 am Link Ally, she should be fine. There are plenty of Oz models on Mm with tattoos and they alll seem to get work. She should be be able to use it to her advantage if she builds the right folio. Good luck. Garry Furzer www.dareimages.com.au Jul 09 12 05:10 am Link I wouldn't consider her for even a second for art nudes. Edit: advise her to be open to other genres and test the various waters before limiting herself to a genre she will certainly have difficulty breaking into successfully. Jul 09 12 05:28 am Link Artistic nude photographers prefer a blank slate. She would be better going with alternative modeling. Gabby Jul 09 12 05:40 am Link Bare Essential Photos wrote: Ah damn, this seems to be the general concensus! Oh well i'll pass on the info, thanks for your reply Jul 09 12 06:03 am Link DareImagesArt wrote: Hey garry, thanks for your input. Since your reply seems to go against most responses so far would you be able to list some of the models youre referring too? Just because i havent really noticed any substantially tattooed models on here so far Jul 09 12 06:06 am Link For the style of artistic nude I do, a model with a lot of tattoos, or even one large tattoo is not going to work. I find it increasingly difficult to find models who do not have any tattoos, and it really limits the selection of models to choose from who are comfortable with nudes. I have worked with a few models who have small tattoos that can easily be hidden when posing or can be photoshopped out. I agree that there is a very strong interest in heavily tattooed models for alt work and other fetish genres like BDSM, she should be able to find work there, it just doesn't work well for me in the art nude genre. Based solely upon other comments I have read in the MM forums regarding tattoos, the model may need to have a signed release from the tattoo creator in order to have images of her body where those tattoos can be seen. Jul 09 12 06:17 am Link Bare Essential Photos wrote: This is the answer Jul 09 12 06:23 am Link You're going to get all sorts of answers here. Some don't mind tattoos, and will attempt art shooting heavily tattoos models. It can succeed. But, it's very, very difficult. I rarely hire models with any tattoos. Models that have a very small tattoo that isn't on the curve of the back, or anywhere near the belly button, are usually successful. It depends on two things: How the photographer approaches the subject, and finding a buyer who also agrees the shot is art. Lots of well meaning friends might say the work is art, but finding one (or an outsider, especially galleries) to put up their money is another matter. Jul 09 12 06:25 am Link I do art nudes and I have tattoos. It depends on the photographer's preference. Most of whom I've worked with didn't care. Jul 09 12 06:36 am Link Just to put in some perspective from the photographer's point of view, tattoos are always a problem because they inevitably become the focus of the picture, just as in the case of a fashion shoot, the picture is of the dress, not the model. If the model has a lot of tattoos, especially if they are unrelated and/or spread all over the body, it becomes impossible to compose a picture at all. Imagine trying to record a violin sonata with a kazoo, a musical saw, and a calliope in the background. It doesn't work That said, while tattoos generally will limit employment, it's not always the case. sometimes, if it's a well thought out tattoo it can enhance the picture or become the focus of the picture. And, too, there's no real consensus as to what makes "fine art". While most "fine art" photographers won't touch a tattooed model, some love them. Some will work around the problem with things like shadows, body paint, draping or digitally altering the image. But your friend shouldn't count on that. With so many unmarked models out there, there's little reason for a photographer to work around a problem that he can avoid altogether. Which brings us to what the model can do to make herself employable. Certainly if your friend is set on shooting fine art nudes, she should investigate some of the cover-up makeup products. There may be something here: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1RNPN_enUS416 Jul 09 12 06:55 am Link Rays Fine Art wrote: Jul 09 12 06:59 am Link P I X I E wrote: Pixie, your situation is not the same as described in the OP as you only seem to have 3 mostly hideable tattoos and you shoot other genres. I can only see a tattoo one one shot in your portfolio without looking closely. If you had multiple sleeves and other large body tattoos that wouldn't be the case. Jul 09 12 07:30 am Link If she is heavily tattooed then she must accept that will define her as a model and she will mostly need to look for people who want to hire a tattooed model. As long as she accepts those limits she should give it a go and see if the market is there. The only problem is when people dont accept what they are and try to chase jobs they are unsuitable for, that just wastes time and breeds bitterness. She has to accept she WILL be rejected on the basis of her tattoos. Jul 09 12 07:34 am Link I have been told more than once by an artist or photographer that I was chosen because I have no tattoos. If a person does have them it seems to me that it would be harder finding a lot of work. A few times I have worked with other models that do have tattoos and I notice the photographer goes out of the way not to get them in the pictures. Jul 09 12 08:06 am Link Designit - Edward Olson wrote: I have 4. They're not tiny either, except for the one on my wrist. The one on my calf is going to be big. I asked the photographers I do art nudes with if it was going to make them not shoot with me, and their reply was that they didn't care. Jul 09 12 08:11 am Link Hasn't been an issue for me but my situation is hardly comparable to the OP. Mine is small and easily covered/removed. As someone already mentioned, it would be wise to expand into other genres as well rather than putting all your eggs in one basket, hoping you will get lots of work. Jul 09 12 08:24 am Link Although I am unmodified, I can say that some photographers do not mind the tattoos and some actually seek them out. However, this is generally true only if the tattoos are well done and flow together on the body (so not a mish mash of a bunch of things that do not "match"). Yes, many if not most art nude photographers tend to prefer a blank slate, but there are those who are quite happy to shoot girls with ink as well. Jul 09 12 08:27 am Link unless I'm shooting specifically for a tattoo related publication or workshop, I don't hire heavily tattoo'd llamas. After the Nike tattoo copyright debacle, it seems even more photographers are gun shy about shooting llamas with tattoos, even for portfolio use unless they also have a release from the tattoo artist. That's an unnecessary pain in the ass for your average workshop or TF shoot. Jul 09 12 08:29 am Link 
Model Posts: 6638 MacMurdo - permanent station of the US, Sector claimed by New Zealand, Antarctica OP did not specify whether or not the person looking to get into modeling was hoping to do so as a hobby or as a way to support herself. Big difference. There will always be a photographer around to shoot a girl with a decent figure for trade, and more will do so if she is willing to pose nude. Now, add in money changing hands from the photographer to the model, and it changes everything regarding the standards of the photographer. They can afford to be pickier, and will choose to pay the models who more closely match their preferences. Some don't mind tattoos, but the majority do. Jul 09 12 08:36 am Link 90+% of the tattoos I've ever seen are poorly done, ill-conceived, willy-nilly conglomerations of this and that, placed here and there. There are amazing tattoo artists who can do intricate photorealistic portraits... But someone else's idea of what is artistic is probably going to clash with a photographers vision of his project, so, blank slate is probably best. Jul 09 12 08:45 am Link FlirtynFun Photography wrote: What is the debacle you speak of, i dont think i've heard about it? But i have a couple of tattoos and when getting them done i had to sign a form that said i understand once i leave the parlour the tattoo artist no longer is responsible for or has anything to do with the tattoo (to cover them if people dont do proper after care i guess) - i dont know if they do a similar thing in the States though, but i would've thought this kind of form would remove any rights to a piece that a tattooist could otherwise claim? Jul 09 12 08:47 am Link P I X I E wrote: Yup. Jul 09 12 08:49 am Link I paint fine art nude models and my answer would be; It Depends! I have painted many models with small tattoos and I just ignore the tattoo. If the model has "the look" I need, I can work around almost anything! Some alternative models have such AWESOME tattoos, that I would LOVE to paint them! Other models have too many tattoos in the wrong place, and I have no desire to paint them. IT ALL DEPENDS! Jul 09 12 08:52 am Link NicoleNudes wrote: I'd paint Nicole Nudes and her 2 small tattoos all week long! Jul 09 12 08:54 am Link MainePaintah wrote:
Jul 09 12 08:54 am Link MainePaintah wrote: YUP...! Jul 09 12 08:55 am Link MainePaintah wrote:
Jul 09 12 09:04 am Link Sylph Sia wrote: I remember seeing the Nike lawsuit a few years ago...can't find the link...however here was a more recent one concerning Mike Tyson's tattoo artist suing Warner Brothers for The HaNgover II useage of the same tattoo design- http://www.tmz.com/2011/05/24/hangover- … s-victory/ Jul 09 12 09:06 am Link So, again, OP, here you have models who do many styles other than just art nudes with few, non-major tattoos that are easily hidden when the photographer desires, who don't have a problem finding people to photograph them. And, again, this does not match the situation that you describe in your post. Jul 09 12 09:11 am Link Designit - Edward Olson wrote: I was just speaking from experience. Please disregard mine if it bothers you so much. Jul 09 12 09:13 am Link Personally, I love them. The more the better.  Jul 09 12 09:14 am Link I like no tattoos and I like heavily tattooed (ie. full sleeve, chest piece, big stuff). It's the small or sporadic tattoos that I find distracting. I'm just not really a fan of small tattoos ever. With large tattoos they can become the focus point of an image which isn't always a bad thing. They can be incorporated into a theme or whatever. If a tattoo isn't significant enough to really add to the pic then I will probably edit it out anyways which is a pain in the ass. My advice to anyone thinking about getting a tattoo is always go big, or don't get tattooed at all. I want to see commitment when I see a tattoo! Jul 09 12 09:19 am Link thinking some people need to read the OP and look up the term "art nude" Jul 09 12 09:28 am Link Ally JH wrote: Anything a model does to alter her appearance will have impact on her modeling opportunities. Jul 09 12 09:48 am Link I have observed a common misperception among many novice models, and photographers, believing that their personal taste, and the taste of the market place, are one and the same, they rarely are. The serious fine art print collectors that my exhibition prints are marketed to, find ink to be a major distraction from the esthetic qualities of figurative images, and have no interest in any type of "alternative" styles. Others may do as they wish, however, I would only loose money going against the preferrences of my market, so I am unable to utilize inked models. Jul 09 12 10:15 am Link I have nothing against tattoos personally, but I feel they don't work well with either the more commercial stuff I shoot or art nudes. I've always passed on models with tats that are large enough or numerious enough that I can't easily edit them out. Even if it's a trade nude shoot, there's simply no reason to spend my time and energy on images that won't benefit me. Certainly some people even look for tattooed models and certainly there are some successful models with tattoos, but I think overall there's still more demand for a blank slate. Jul 09 12 10:45 am Link |
