Why I Love Tattoos

Have you ever seen somebody with a rather outspoken tattoo and you wondered ‘why’? You’re not alone. Photographer Ralf Mitsch shares this fascination. In fact, it encouraged him to do a book on the subject. His quest doesn’t stop with portraying the permanent ink on the skins of their respective owners – Ralf goes under their skin to find out about the stories behind the Maori tribal design peeping out from under the collar or the snakes that curl themselves around people’s legs and arms. Is it a religion, an addiction, a documentation of ones life or is it an impulsive decision, that will haunt the tattooed for the rest of his / her life? Why I Love Tattoos contains over 50 portraits of inspiring people, telling the stories behind their tattoos. Some of the images are part of the TATTOO exhibition in the Museum for Art & Industry in Hamburg. 13 Feb – 6 Sep 2015 http://www.mkg-hamburg.de/en/exhibitions/current/tattoo.html Why I Love Tattoos was published in several important magazines in Europe and also picked up of a lot of blogs: Die Zeit – Online (Germany): http://www.zeit.de/lebensart/2013-01/fs-tattoos-ralf-mitsch-2 Der Stern – Online (Germany): http://www.stern.de/fotografie/bildband-why-i-love-tattoos-menschen-ihre-tattoos-und-die-geschichten-dahinter-2116571.html Volkskrant Magazine – Print (The Netherlands): http://ralfmitschphotography.com/downloads/VK-Mag.pdf Kurier – Online (Austria): http://kurier.at/kultur/fotografie/faszination-tattoo-ein-gemaelde-auf-dem-es-viel-zu-entdecken-gibt/7.636.342