While digging through hundreds of RSS feeds that jam pack my reader each week, I ran across an impressive camera tattoo on the arm of Lotte van den Acker of an Asahi Pentax 35mm SLR. Normally I would see a camera tattoo and think big whoop but this was one different and I thought it should be shared. I reached out to Lotte and asked a few questions about the camera tattoo and found out a little more about the meaning.
What brought on this idea? Any influences or just something you wanted to tattoo onto your body?
Before I got this tattoo I have had others but I wasn't allowed from my mom to put any ink on my underarm because of my career future. For a while it had been sure that photography is my great passion and future, and as a photographer a tattoo on my underarm wouldn't be a limitation. I started thinking about a tattoo that would represent my passion. A camera is not a very elegant object and I thought 'just a camera' would be kind of boring, so I thought of something to make it more original. While brainstorming about it, I came up with the optical illusion idea.
Is that camera model have any particular meaning to you?
A friend of my mom's owned this camera and after I was born she took beautiful photos of me as a baby with my mom with this camera. Later, my mom bought that same camera from her friend and by the time I was 10 I started using it as well. So it has multiple meanings to me.
Will you be adding any other photo related tattoos anytime soon?
Not sure. I have lots of ideas for new tattoos that don't have anything to do with photography. But I am finishing my arm (sleeve) and maybe to fill it up I'll put a film roll.
Whats the first thing people say when they see the camera tattoo?
Most people react really enthusiastic about this tattoo, especially other photographers. But I don't walk with my arm in front of my face the entire day to show it off.
Lotte van den Acker is a photography student from The Netherlands at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam studying digital photography. Photography by: Dylan Ray Fenix and Niké Dolman
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Love the K1000! Have a Special Edition myself.
You got her name wrong in all instances, it's 'Lotte van den Acker', with an extra n in the part between her first and last name.
Thanks for pointing that out, all have been updated.
"photo's" "tattoo's"??
Seriously? You're still journalists, even online.
Common, allthough regrettable mistake! I like this one on signs in all varietys and occasions as well: "special" offer/"best"price/"warm" food/only "today"/ etc.. Always good to see!
What a great original idea! Brilliant and very fun!
Good camera, I use it to teach kids Black and White film.
Please tell me she gets a corresponding speedlight in mid-flash on her other arm! Would be even radder (is that a word?) to hold that arm above the camera using the same concept.
amazing!
(If I am allowed to express an opinion) Not a nice tattoo at all. Indistinct and dirty-looking. But whatever floats her boat, I guess. Not very impressed by her work either to be honest.