People often ask me what their image would look good on? A print? A canvas? A leg....?
Well, I only went and found out recently. I only went and got my 1st ever tattoo. And as a keen photographer, it was only right that i got one of my photos tattoo'd on me! Actually that wasn't the plan, but read on to see how this unfolded....
(This has happened before of course, just not on me!
Some might say this was as the result of a midlife crisis, but all i know is that even at the age of 40 it is still possible to disappoint your parents!😂
I had always wanted a tattoo, so i thought that now was the time as i was responsible enough to get one.
I put a lot of thought into it truth be told, as you should do when you are going to have something inked on you for the rest of your life. I planned it out with 5 core components:
Running - this is a big passion of mine, along with photography, so i wanted to reflect this in the final design
Isle Of Bute - Where i was born and bred, and where my heart still is. I had to fit this in somehow
Local Scenery - i am so lucky to live in a beautiful part of Scotland. I wanted a nod to this
Mount Everest - Ok a bit random, but for me Mount Everest is the ultimate challenge, the ultimate goal. The highest point on the globe that less than 1% of the population has stood on (5780 as at 2020). I wanted something to signify a journey to your ultimate goal
Kids - I didn't want to be too main stream, so wanted to have the girls initials hidden on the image
So not too demanding eh?? I had a consultation at Forevermore Tattoo in Glasgow, where i took in one of my photos of running to give them an idea of what my vision was. I didn't intend to actually use the photo, but Johnny Slider took these obscure ideas, and came up with an amazing final design, with the initial sketch on me, below. He assured me that the my photo worked really well and to go for it. Can you spot the rest of the components?
5 and a half hours later, and Stranger Things completed, we were done. On my calf i now had an image of me running down Conic Hill, with Loch Lomond in the foreground and Mount Everest in the background. My shadow casts in the shape of the Isle of Bute, and my girls initials hidden high in the mountain.
The big reveal below:
I am super happy with the final result. How all the components came together is absolutely brilliant!! Never did I think when I took that "selfie" photo months ago I would have it permanently etched on my leg. But there you go, it just goes to show that a photographer's work can end up absolutely anywhere in this day and age.....
LP