Tattoo Man Strikes Again -- The Fourth Take

A very remarkable shot, John! Best regards, Ruud.

Tattoo Man of Buenos Aires stripped down to his waist for me and drew

attention and stares not so long ago; this is the fourth in a

sometimes series. You can see the other three photos by clicking on

this one. Your good faith ratings and critiques are invited and most

welcome; if you rate harshly or very critically, please submit a

helpful and constructive comment; Please share your superior

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks!

Enjoy! John

bel tiro

Next time I go to Argentina (soon I hope), I plan to take my portable studio lights, some sort of contrasting backdrop, and get this guy naked in front of them for a series of photographs totally nude, a la Avedon's 'American West' series.

 

He says he's totally tattooed over every inch of his body, and I want proof. I think the photos would make a great series; maybe even a calendar for 'alternative lifestyle' followers such as tattoo aficionados, don't you?

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

John (Crosley)

Multo grazie.

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

OUCH!

 

Fantastic shot...!

Thank you so much. It didn't take too much to see the possibilities when this guy took off his shirt, and he sure helped a lot (see the other three photos on PN in this folder . . . . ) More to come probably, about two . . . over time.

 

John (Crosley)

Good work. Love the guy in the background. I can not for the life of me understand someone doing this to every inch of their body.....Unbelievable! As for the photograph...tones and details right on...

Thanks for the compliment on the toning --- lighting, etc., coming from you that's a 'highlight' for me; I took my early tutelage from you, as you are aware, from you early encouragement to me.

 

And the subject is so outrageous, but somehow when I reviewed my initial captures, I overlooked this one, and it's almost the most outrageous of them all!

 

Wow! is all I can say.

 

I'm glad you agree.

 

John (Crosley)

 

Congratulations on your latest on Hetch Hetchy - absolutely stunning!

 

jc

... makes the shot for me. The tattoos are a perfect counter to the rest of the scene. He knows he's being watched and looks like he's selecting his next encounter. Great stuff.

Now you just gotta ask yourself, when this guy took off his shirt to show his tattoos, how could I possibly pass this up?

 

How could I indeed?

 

He is an exhibitionist, something I've been learning an awful lot about lately for reasons I cannot discuss . . . and not relating to myself, either (contrary to what people may think about me, until pretty lately, I've been a rather shy guy, and photography has helped round out my personality by forcing encounters with people so that I have had to learn how to deal with myriad people in myriad situations, and my personality I think has become the better for it, and it shows by those who are attracted to me and want to be around me, at least to my way of thinking . . . I'll let your imagination be your guide and you won't be far off.)

 

As you have discovered (and as I've learned to put into words finally) I am a merchant (in part) of contrasts. Show me a contrast, and I'll make a photo of it, whether I believe in the point of the photo or not. It just makes good grist for the photography mill to place opposites together -- whether it be a regular guy with a total hedonistic exhibitionist tattooed all over his body, or an old lady in front of a poster full of mocking young women (or hard working men in front of a similar poster).

 

These are the things that make for thought and 'stories' which people seem to attach to the photos I take . . . and they're easy for me to spot . . . for reasons I know not why. It started for me with 'balloon man' in my first post -- my most successful post ever, from when I was in my early '20s, and continues to this day. For a while, I thought I had 'lost' the ability to see so sharply, or capture such things, but I now see that I perceive and capture with renewed and revived abilities. I just had to learn to 'step back' and take in the 'whole scene' as a 35 mm and a 50 mm lens required me to do way back then.

 

The world is full of contrasts and interesting situations -- the street photographer's job (should he choose to take it before the tape destructs), is to capture those situations.

 

I've decided to do just that.

 

May you have a good life.

 

And thanks.

 

I'll be returning soon, and want to give you my personal thanks for your help.

 

John (Crosley)

... from your description that he saw you and then stripped down, that makes it even more interesting in a way. His eyes to me seem to be looking not at the camera but at his next victim, as if he wanted you to see him accost someone and get the reaction. Now THAT'S a camera-partner!

He showed me his tattoos, bragged he was tattooed all over, began to strip, and with little prodding at all from me knew it was a great photo opportunity for me (and for him, since, of course, he's an 'exhibitionist').

 

So, with me eagerly waiting, he just went into the passing calle (pronounced in Castillian Spanish of Argentina 'cazhay') and 'went to work' being stared at, sometimes ignored, and otherwise being a photo gem.

 

The light was obscured by tall buildings and it was late afternoon in fall/winter, so the light is not the best, but these are worthy photographs, I think.

 

I had the idea of finding this guy again, and for a publicity stunt for some company or another, taking him from one city to another to do the same thing in, say, London, Moscow, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, etc.

 

He's a real headturner, and some enterprising advertising company with a product that needed noticing could ride this guy to fame.

 

I have the inside track since he trusts and knows me somewhat, and I have been nice to him (and I'll see him again in a few weeks to a month, I think -- send me your proposals, ad people!!!)

 

Yes, Dennis, exhibitionism probably is what drove this guy to do what he has done -- he relishes the attention. He may not have been a good student, but the girls always look at him (he may not want to know what they're thinking, but a certain percentage may get 'hot' when they see him, things being what they are with the human psyche and sexuality.)

 

(It didn't make me 'hot'. This was a fall/winter day, kind of cool, but sunlit, so it wasn't bad and not cold at all during daytime -- about a little less than a year ago. More to come, I think -- I have one or two more good ones.

 

(Oh, I wrote your friend, CC to you if you want. I'll be in his wood's neck in less than a week.)

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

John (Crosley)

... just hope it works out that he can help you. Mark, as I've said before, is a master. He understands digital imaging like nobody else I know.

I forwarded a copy of my letter to Mark to you.

 

John

Great shot. When you come back to buenos aires contactme, here you have a local friend... :)

 

Regards

Rodrigo

I hope soon.

 

My e-mail is on my 'bio' page.

 

Please send me a confirming e-mail so I may write you. Mention B.A. and PN in the subject line (to compete with the sexual powers ads).

 

I as tempted, during a lull, from the West Coast and high Europe fares, to come your way this week, then a Europe fare break, so I'm back East again.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thank you so much.

 

John

 

John (Crosley)

A subject of a photo on browsing my captures on Google.com saw this photo (color version) in my portfolio excerpted in Google.com images, said, 'Argentina' and immediately named the street on which this was taken, a giant Calle (pronounced CAIJEE in the Castillian manner, as they speak Castillian Spanish in Argentina.

 

It turns out he recognized this man (the subject of this photo and several others in this folder), and where this man plies his trade selling tattoos, as this man is a tattoo artist, and is reasonably well known in Buenos Aires.

 

The subject who recognized this man originally lived in Buenos Aires but when he saw the capture was 9,000 to 12,000 miles away at the time.

 

Small world.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)