As a younger model with tattoos I feel slightly hindered by them as certain shoots may require a model without. My style suits my tattoos well, I love them and plan on getting more and more. However I still aim to strive with my modelling. Thoughts on tattooed models and whether or not as a photographer or casting director you would consider using a model with tattoos?

Depends on the project.

It's the same as everything. Some people are suitable for some projects and not for others.

One person will never be suitable for every single project.
Accept it, and focus your energy on the projects you are suitable for.

Yes!

I like the alternative look a lot so I would love to meet more people with cool tattoos, piercings, etc.

Provided all the stars stay aligned, I have a couples shoot this Wednesday where both are quite tattooed. Can't wait.

Personally I would say it is a hinderence.  Unless the model is someone I really want to shoot for some reason, I usually just keep looking.  If they are needed they can always be temp tats. 

I have worked with some great models with ink but if I have my "druthers". I would druther they didn't.  Thats just me though, everyone has different ideas.

Everyone has to folloqw thier own path!!

For most shoots, especially with paying clients, no tattoos.  Fat of life in modeling.  For paying jobs in general, tattoos put you in the alternative world, where there is not much money.  On a personal basis, do what you want.

Tattoos or no tattoos will not affect the future of your modeling career.

The above statement is specifically for you.

better to not have them but probably  will not matter unless your in a Guess ad.

Yay, No one nays Axana. Her her her.

Yay of course. I love my tattoos and if there was a shoot that required a blank canvas, it most likely wouldnn't be a shoot that would benefit my portfolio as i have an Alt look and i want to do Alt llamaling.

It's down to you at the end of the day. You will never please everyone so maybe write a list of pros and cons.

Leone P. x

I am the one that loves to work with inked people and I would use them most of the time unless the client specifically asks me not to .... but that's just me and the Alt culture niche I'm working for ... good luck with your modelling  career

To OP:

As a fine art photographer who specializes in black-and-white and handcolored photography using film, I definitely do not appreciate tattoos on models. For almost forty years I have striven to depict a timeless look to my body of work. Tattoos tend to portray a more contemporary or modern world than I am interested in as an artist.

I make prints by hand in a traditional darkroom so Photoshop usage is not an option. And in handcoloring a photograph I am not willing to color somebody else’s artwork. I do occasionally work with models (and clients) who possess tattoos. With models, I refrain from showing the tattoo in the image by posing angles. With clients, I will do black-and-white prints where the tattoos are visible but I will decline any offer to handcolor such a print.

I don’t disparage anyone who chooses tattoos. For my statement as a photographic artist tattoos simply contradict what I’m wanting to say. Most of us choose self-expression, especially when we’re young, and tattoos and body piercings are vehicles for such. In my youth in the 1960s long hair on males was one of those vehicles and I caught constant hell for it from nearly everybody I encountered in a small Southern town. Today hair length has been mostly absorbed into the American culture. My hair is currently to my waist and while I still get some negative feedback it’s nothing like the reactions forty-five years ago. Do what pleases you and get all the tattoos you desire. Modeling is transitory.

I would prefer to shoot with out tattoos but tattoos are one of those things that you have to accept with the age group that purchases the service.  There is a point where they become to much to ignore.  The tattoo may be part of the personality of the individual, but I don't want to spend that much more time drawing, or copying, someone else's artwork.  Too many tattoos, or too large of a surface area and I won't even want to do shots for poses.

Many years ago I was told, "Tattoos are graffiti on a work of art."  Some tattoos are artwork.  Some are refrigerator art.   

OP, do what you want to make yourself happy or to express yourself.  Just remember to weigh the consequences of your actions and consider the consequences in both long term and short term rewards.

If there's a choice between a llama with 'many' tattoos' or one natural.. Guess who gets hired? The female form is both sexy

For ALT publications - Yay!

for everything else - Nay

I'm looking for both but most of my work is editorial fashion where more than a couple of discrete tats is a no-no

If you have tattoos already, you're screwed (out of some opportunities) - won't matter if you get more IMO.

It depends on the artwork and 'canvas' that the tats are on, but for the most part, it's a 'Yay!' from me...

18+ (ish)
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/7234 … 6a3f_c.jpg

Generic Response:

...  Some photographers love 'em; some don't care; some hate 'em.
...  Some (paying) clients love 'em; few don't care; most hate 'em.
...  "Can cover tattoos with makeup" -- often true, but that can be messy, time
     consuming, and involves extra expense.
...  "Can remove tattoos with photo editing" -- often true, but that takes time
     and involves extra expense.
...  Models rarely know if/when they lose work due to their tattoos.


Personal Response (as in "my opinion"):

...  I tend to avoid models with tattoos on body parts I want to photograph.
...  Tattoos in an image are always distracting.  Always.
...  Photographing a tattoo is copying someone else's art.
...  I lack the photo editing skills to remove tattoos seamlessly.
...  The presence of visible tattoos can inhibit long term success for a model, once
     the tattoo becomes over-exposed.
So, if you are asking me, "nay".

I have turned down a LOT of inked up models and will pretty much pass on them every time and that's directly related to my customer base. I have gotten some very negative e-mails when I overlooked models with heavy ink and shot with them so yep, it can cost a model work.

Just figure out what's most important to you and act accordingly.

At 5'7" it's not likely to affect Agency representation so we're talking about the possibility of it affecting freelance work and your appeal to photographers. That's actually the good news because it means it's up to the individual taste of the person on the other end.

Yes, it will limit some areas but it may open up others that were previously unavailable.

Yeah, it's definitely more about what the message of the resulting images are supposed to be. Having said that tattooed models have grown a new market for images and have moved further into mainstream, but there's still a stigma or a stereotype attached images of tattooed people.  The tats can be distracting from some message an image maker might want to make, once you get photographed a lot tats become a signature that can make an image more about you than what's being communicated in the color, light, shade and composition of the image which may not be desirable.