Here are examples of photos that won't work well for location or pet portraits. Location photos taken at an angle like the example shown prevent me from creating a tattoo that will best fit the wearer's body, and may not show the entirety of any existing tattoos or scar patterns that will need to be worked around or covered. For pet portraits, photos that are too dark obscure key identifying features, as do blurry photos. 

Notes about my style of work and imagery:

• Please be familiar with my work and the style in which I specialize. I take pride in offering my clients a unique, exceptionally executed tattoo from design process to the finished piece, and I cannot guarantee that kind of experience with certain styles outside of my wheelhouse. Styles I will NOT tattoo include geometric, traditional, scriptwork or text, and linework only. I may also decline projects consisting of specific imagery with which I am not well versed or are inappropriate for me to tattoo, such as architecture, mechanical items (vehicles, biomech), or culturally-specific imagery and tattooing styles (traditional Japanese, indigenous tattooing styles).
• I will not copy existing tattoos, finished or predrawn, sent in as reference. My job is to create a bespoke tattoo that is unique to the wearer, and sets my work apart by encouraging freedom and growth within my craft. Asking to replicate an existing tattoo not only limits my ability to create something unique, but is also detrimental to both the original artist of the work and their client by robbing them of their own unique tattoo design. If you are looking to get a reproduction of a contemporary piece of art from a living artist, I will ask you to provide a tattoo ticket from that artist to ensure that the original creator of the work has been fairly compensated.

Notes on the consultation and design process:

• Please be as descriptive as possible with your tattoo concept. This includes approximate size, location, and any specific details you would like included. If you are undecided on any of those points, that's totally okay and I'll be happy to help you solidify your idea. Sending a reference photo and stating, "I want this," is not enough information. Instead, if you're sending a reference, describe the elements that you like, such as color palette, how a figure has been rendered, symbolism, ect. I try to be as thorough as possible during consultations to ensure that a client and I are on the same page. If design details are later changed from what was initially discussed or additional details are brought up after designwork has been drawn, you will run the risk of losing your initial retainer to compensate for design time lost.
• Please be aware that I do not send out designwork prior to tattoo appointments. I take extensive care in researching, planning, drawing, and creating color mock-ups of designs, and do my best work when I am wholly prepared for a tattoo. This requires time, and I often continue finalizing details up until the moment a client arrives for their appointment. I do schedule time during initial sessions to allow for review and making minor changes if desired. Extensive changes or complete reworks will require rescheduling an appointment and an additional $100 retainer to compensate for the time used in creating a new design.
• I do not allow sending designwork to other individuals other than the tattoo recipient, nor do I accept design alteration requests from anyone other than the client. That includes asking your partner, family member, or friend for their opinion on your design. The client and the client alone must be the one to approve the design; like the adage says, everyone has an opinion, but the only opinion that matters when it comes to a tattoo is that of the person who will be proudly wearing it!

Final notes on the tattoo process:

• Getting tattooed can be a wholly transformative and empowering experience! It can also be a potentially painful experience, both physically and emotionally, and potentially fret with anxiety for folks who have dealt with certain traumatic experiences in the past. If you feel this may be the case, I encourage you to consider what support you may need before, during, and after your tattoo. This may include: 
  • bringing a trusted friend to help ground you or provide a ride if you aren't feeling well
  • reminding yourself that, despite the discomfort, this is an experience you are actively choosing to provide for yourself, and seeing the empowerment in that choice
  • discussing or asking questions about the tattoo process and what to expect during and after your tattoo
• My job is to provide an emotionally safe, welcoming, and safe environment for the tattoo process. Privacy options such as screens and drape cloths are available upon request and proactively supplied, and I will ask for your consent every step of the way from design approval, to during the tattoo process, to aftercare preparation. If at any time you have concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to let me know! 
• While I strive to provide a safe environment for you during your tattoo, there are some things that do fall outside my wheelhouse. I am not a trained medical practitioner, therapist, mental health crisis counselor, or entertainer, and as such cannot provide such services as doing so would detract from my job at hand: creating the best possible tattoo I can provide. You are responsible for your emotional care during our time together.

If you have any questions regarding anything that has been discussed here, please do not hesitate to reach out and let me know!