How to Photograph Your Body
For remote consultations — traveling clients
This guide is for clients coming in from out of town who are going through a remote consultation. The photos you send replace the in-person look at the area — they need to give Brian the same information he'd get by seeing it in person.
Why good photos matter
When a local client comes in for a consultation, Brian looks directly at the body area — the shape of the shoulder, the curve of the forearm, how the area wraps, what the proportions are. That physical read of the canvas is how a design gets built for a specific body rather than just for a generic one.
For remote clients, photos do that same job. A good photo gives Brian the shape of the area, the natural contours of the skin, and a real sense of scale. He'll sketch the design placement directly over the photo — mapping out where things land, how they flow with the body, what size works. Bad photos — dark, angled, too close — make that impossible and create extra back-and-forth. Good ones move the project forward immediately.
These don't need to be professionally shot. They need to be clear, well-lit, and straight on. A phone camera in a decent room is completely sufficient.
Three things to get right
Natural daylight or a bright overhead room light is ideal. Position yourself so the light is falling onto the area from the front — not behind you, not to the side creating deep shadow.
Avoid: dim rooms · bathroom mirrors · harsh flashThe camera should be level with the area and pointing directly at it — not looking down from above, not tilted. Imagine a camera mounted on the wall directly across from the area. That's the angle.
Avoid: downward angles · tilted shots · extreme side viewsInclude the full area being tattooed with comfortable space around it. If it's your upper arm, show the shoulder joint and the elbow. Brian needs to see the whole canvas, not a tight crop of the center.
Avoid: cropping the edges · zoomed in too closeHave someone else take the photos
This is the single most important instruction on this page. A selfie requires you to contort your arm to reach the camera — which changes the shape and angle of the area being photographed. Your shoulder looks different when your arm is stretched behind you. Your forearm looks different when it's bent. What Brian needs to see is the natural, relaxed position the skin sits in.
Ask a friend, a partner, a family member — anyone who can hold the phone at the right distance and height while you stand naturally. It takes two minutes and makes a significant difference in the quality of what Brian has to work with.
Stand naturally. Arms relaxed. The area being tattooed in a neutral, natural position — not posed, not flexed. The design will be placed on everyday skin, not performance skin. Show it how it actually lives.
What Brian does with your photos
Once he has clear reference photos, Brian sketches the design placement directly over the image. This lets him map exactly where the koi sits on the forearm, how a sleeve flows through the shoulder, how far up the design extends — all calibrated to the actual proportions of your body rather than a generic template.
This is why angle and framing matter as much as lighting. A photo taken from above distorts the proportions of the area. A cropped photo hides where the design needs to start and stop. A straight, full-frame, well-lit photo gives him an accurate canvas to sketch on.
Illustration only — shows the concept of placement sketching. Actual designs are drawn at full detail and reviewed with you before any session begins.
Quick reference — what to do and what to avoid
- Have someone else take the photos — not a selfie
- Stand in a well-lit room with light facing you from the front
- Natural daylight near a window works perfectly
- Camera level with the area, pointed straight at it
- Show the full area with room around the edges
- Stand naturally — arms relaxed, area in neutral position
- Take multiple shots from slightly different distances
- Send a front view and a side view if the area wraps
- Selfies — your arm position distorts the area
- Dark rooms or bathroom lighting
- Flash pointed directly at the skin (washes out detail)
- Shooting from above or at a steep angle
- Cropping the edges of the area out of frame
- Flexing or posing the muscle — show it relaxed
- Heavy filters or editing on the photos
- Blurry or out-of-focus shots
How many photos and how to send them
For most placements, three to five photos is enough — straight on, and one or two from slightly different angles if the area wraps around the arm, leg, or torso. For a full sleeve area (wrist to shoulder), shoot the arm from the front, the back, and both sides. For a back piece, shoot the full back straight on and both sides showing the width of the canvas.
Send the photos through the contact form or directly to the email provided when you inquire about your appointment. Standard phone photos are fine — no need to compress or resize them. Larger and clearer is always better.
If you're uncertain whether your photos are clear enough, include a note asking for feedback. It's a quick thing to confirm before the call, and it's much easier to reshoot before the consultation than to work from photos that aren't giving the full picture.
Ready to start the process?
Ink and Dagger · Roswell, Georgia · consultation only · limited monthly availability