Tattoo

I bought this for a friend that's starting up his own tattooing business to serve as inspiration. He was impressed with the quality of the color photography, although he wished there was some textual detail to explain the background behind some of the models' tattoos. It's always nice to know the whole story.

COULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE FASTER IN THE MAIL,BUT I'M VERY HAPPY (a+)

If you are, as I am, most accustomed to reading about Japanese-style body decoration, Dale Durfee's "Tattoo" will come as a most welcome surprise. Here the tattoos represent the work of numerous artists--located primarily in the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands--and the bodies decorated are those of both men and women whose ages range from 20 years all the way up to 70. The design styles, meanwhile, embrace everything from traditional Japanese to Polynesian to a charming spread of Winnie-the-Pooh style fantasy. Still, the most compelling aspect of Durfee's beautiful photographs is the sense of life that radiates from her models. Too often tattoo models are stiffly posed with expressionless faces. Here you can enjoy the beautiful range of artwork represented and celebrate as well the pleasure that beautiful tattoo work (and other body decoration such as piercing) has brought to those who bear it, including two well-matched middle-aged couples. How very refreshing and inspiring!