These are a few shots taken for Marcelo and his family. He just started walking a few days prior to these shots so it was beautiful to see him exploring new ground. It was one of the nicest days we’ve had in the city all summer and I tried to wait for a good time for lighting. I wanted to create a heavy contrast with colour and it helped that Marcelo was wearing a vibrant orange shirt. It’s always fun to watch them explore as I take shots. I attempt to not interrupt their flow so I could get natural and candid shots of their movement and curiosity.

I wanted to capture intense shadow and hue combinations with the luminous blue sky and vivid green grass at his feet. His big blue eyes jumped out of each shot and it helped  that he wasn’t very shy, either! It was a pleasure shooting these shots as a gift from his aunt to him for his first birthday!

So this is the way it works.
This is Juice.
He came in and wanted a pisces tattoo on his shoulder. He seemed like a good enough guy to poke fun of because, everyone does their zodiac sign and he wanted something original. I thought that we could so something a little more intense.
This is where Ray and I collaborated. Ray is the tat artist I apprentice under from L.A. He gave me free range to attempt to draw a heart ripping out of Juice’s chest. No pressure.
The design worked. It was approved by Ray and he dabbled into his magic.

I love watching drawings come to life. Ray has been tattooing for years so to pass my work to him and have him approve it is flattering. He makes minor adjustments here and there, but this one he liked. I liked it a lot. Juice wanted his last name on his stomach so our other tat artist Wendy finished him up.
This was the process of the procedure. I figure now that I have been watching and contributing to design work–when my time comes to officially start inking, I’ll be ready.
Keep checkin’ in! I’ll be returning to school @ OCAD this September, majoring in Sculpture while apprenticing. I look forward to the next few months.
Lu