This is one of 56 self-portraits I shot as a series that depicted the ink of my Samoan tattoos spreading to cover my entire body. Within my culture tattoos or tatau as twe know them, connect us to our Polynesian history and ancestors. The way tattoos age naturally and how the ink spreads making once detailed lines thicker birthed the idea of my tattoos engulfing me to make me an ancestor.

I shot this using a Nikon D850 with a 50mm prime, natural light from a large window (overcast day). Shot at f/2.8, ISO 200 at 1/500sec.