Seattle Tattoo Expo In Photos

Getting your body tattooed is an intense, often bloody process. Even if you have a high tolerance for pain (and there is much pain involved), the philosophical fact remains that you are announcing ownership of your own body to do with what you want: your skin, your chosen image, your hours of mild-to-moderate intentional suffering. Your tribal arm-band.

At the Tattoo Expo, we saw dozens of people sitting for tattoos. They winced, they writhed, but mostly they zoned out--and we don't blame them. The artists leaned in with concentration on their clients, guns whining; people were receiving all kinds of ink, from from surprisingly detailed representations of buxom pin-ups to lovely little smiling daisies and skulls.

We enjoyed flipping through the portfolio binders every artist had set out, but what we enjoyed most was people-watching. Here are some of the photos we think captured the experience best; enjoy, and we'll see you next year at Seattle Center!