Branded Girls

This section is the real bread-and-butter of the BRANDED project. Here you'll find big pictures of the tattoos, notes on what I've learned along the way, pieces of interviews and additional photos of the models who have generously given their time and images to the project. I'm hoping that with a little bit of looking, everyone might find something to take away from this "Visual Essay on America's Most Controversial Tattoo."

RC

My first CT shoot was with RC on Superbowl weekend just before the SnowPocalypse shut down the entire state for three days. With that dramatic event as a backdrop, I present some photos of RC.

Axhley

I shot with Axhley on September 11th, 2012, which had no significance to our shoot other than that I simply noticed it. Click through to see some more pictures of Axhley.

Axhley

NR

NR came by the studio with a friend on the day of our appointment, and the three of us got to talking so much that we almost forgot to get on with the shooting. That is to say that chatting with NR is a lot of fun. Shooting her is…

AY

Shooting with the girls of BRANDED is always a treat, and every time I do, I'm reminded that it's not just individuality that I'm here to celebrate, but strength and creativity, too. Everyone's decisions are different, everyone's motivations are different, and it's really an honor getting to hear everyone's stories. I…

KN

During a recent trip to New York, I met and shot with KN, who makes her living as a traveling nurse. It was a win for my "shooting out of hotels" practice, and a solid loss for "coming up with creative poses & ideas on the fly." I could blame…

CC

CC was my first model of 2012. She came by in early January after I'd struck out in Vegas with a couple of unfortunately-flakey girls. We set the perfect tone for the year with a successful shoot, easy, fast, great talk at the beginning, you name it.

CR

With CR what I feel like I had gotten my most complete photo set to date - it was great. We hit it off creatively right away and she really got the vibe of what I'm trying to do with the project. After shooting in the studio, we lit out…

AP

AP is a friend long moved away to Denver, and I was excited to have her in town and in the studio to shoot with me for BRANDED. Her tattoo is on the erudite side of what I've seen so far, although I'd expect nothing less from someone like AP.

JnJ

J&J come as a pair. If you shoot with one, you shoot with both, and it's like an awesome two-for-one special. I'd booked one J and she told me she was bringing a friend (always welcome, of course). What I didn't know is that her friend was a different J…

JnJ

JK

JK was on her way through town from northern California when she stopped in the studio to shoot. I got a little uppity and tried at-dusk action shots which worked more or less well, depending on whether or not you like in-focus photography. Sadly I like both focused photos and…

SN

Shooting with SN in San Diego was a brand new and awesome experience for me. After two of three no-shows in San Diego, I was ready to pack it in until she showed up with her bundle of good energy and awesome.

HG

I shot HG while I was on tour - my only connection of the tour, despite trying quite a few times. With only a couple of days in any given city and almost no notice, it was a pleasant surprise that I managed to get anyone at all. I'm happy…

KC

Shooting with KC was a watershed moment, I think, because here was someone I was loosely-connected with (friends of friends and all that), and with whom I had no prior rapport. Despite trying to be ready, both with the interview and with shoot ideas, I severely undershot that day, and I…

LL

After doing a shoot with a girl whose tattoo was way off to the side of her back (unbeknownst to me before the shoot began - I wasn't inquisitive enough, it would seem), LL came into the studio from Vegas. She was the first person in the project with a…

PJ

PJ was my first stranger, and by the time she walked in the door, I really thought I was ready. In what would become a bit of a broken-record feeling over the next few shoots, I found myself spectacularly unprepared in reality. Sometimes it was lack of prep time, sometimes…

SS

I had shot SS years before for another project, so when I worked out the concept for this one, she was one of my first calls. After scheduling difficulties and a couple of legs of rock n roll touring, we finally got together in my studio to shoot, and came…

LG

Getting people interested in a project like this is easier when you've already had interest, and abusing friendships is what the early parts of this shoot were all about. My friends displayed patience with my learning curve and my uncertainty as I worked my way through these early shoots, and…

WM

One great thing about living in LA is that "winter" is still usually sunny and warm enough to shoot outdoors as well as indoors, a fact that I've recently begun to take advantage of. My shoot with WMA was still so early in this project that I wasn't shooting enough…

CM

CM's shoot was my first outdoor shoot, and also my first shoot that included an interview, portions of which are excerpted below. I actually have brought her back to shoot a second short batch with her because I've learned so much (and continue to do so) about the process and…

JE

JE's shoot was my very first, and it was always intended as more of a test than an actual shoot. Because it was after the concept was solidified and specifically done for BRANDED (which didn't even have a title yet), I'm counting it as shoot #1.