The Japan portion of Bloodwork:Bodies is on the downslide. For the most part, photography from The Floating World is complete  and I’m preparing to head to San Jose and run the home stretch of the project’s production phase. Shooting this book has been a major focus for the last year and a half; and while I relish the day when my life and time are once again my own, the conclusion will still be bitter sweet…

I’ve been bouncing around Japan the last few days photographing more tats for the Bloodwork:Bodies book. Masa has been kind enough to do the driving. His hand are always at 2 and 12 and his eyes focused like a laser on the road ahead.

Adrian put together this cool little video from our mission out to NYC last year photographing for the upcoming Bloodwork:Bodies book. Check it out full screen!

As final preparations are made to take the Bloodwork:Bodies photoshoot show to The Land Down Under, I am reminded of the simple invention that allows the wearers of the tattoos I’m photographing some modicum of modesty. I speak, of course of the 14 inch wide, 8 foot long Fundoshi. I myself am not a fan of ancient Japanese underwear. I tried one on once and it’s just not for me. Adrian and I thought long and hard on how to photograph bodysuit tattoos and keep things at least R rated, and the Fundoshi was the only solution we could agree on.

Adrian has the pleasure of getting the collectors into their Fundoshi (specially dyed black for the project). The role of Fundoshi wrangler requires a special person and in Adrian, I know I have the right man for the job.

If you’re really into this sort of thing you’ve probably already seen this…

I’m out in New York for a few days Shooting at Brooklyn Adorned for the next BloodWork Book. This just happened to be right across the street from the shop.

I’m over in Europe for a couple of weeks shooting for the new Bloodwork book. This gem of a tattoo was done by Tin-Tin in Paris. Big up’s to Adrian and Marcus for all the help!

I’m honored to have been invited to take part in a group art show, curated by Tim Shelton, at Cory Miller’s Timeless Gallery in Upland California. There’s not a slouch on that list, but I’m  especially stoked to be in there with Shawn Barber and Mike Giant. They are two guys who’s work I have admired for years and have tons of respect for. Blood Money opens the evening of Saturday, September the 11th. The Timeless art gallery is at: 126 N. 2nd St Upland CA 91768.

Third in a series of portraits of the active members of The Analog Tattoo Arts Kolective at work. All the photographs in the series were made with my Bronica rangefinder film camera and this shot is no exception.  The subject this time is the sovereign of the shop and overseer of tattoo operations, Adrian Lee.

And here we have Mr. Matt Shamah, also of ATAK.  This picture too was made with the Bronica rangefinder just a few minutes after the previous shot of Ron. I feel a series coming on…

Here we find one Ronald Earhart hard at work at San Jose’s own Analog Tattoo. I shot this with my Bronica using Kodak Portra 400 film during my last trip up to The Bay Area