My concept for this series of photographs is based and revolves around my love for tattoos and pit bulls. I have photographed a series of five portraits of heavily tattooed individuals with their pit bulls. These tattooed individuals and their canine friends have been photographed and used as a tool to represent the universally understood bond between man and dog, whilst displaying and discussing several misconceptions about Pit Bulls and their tattooed owners.

My subjects have been photographed in their homes in a state of repose. The subjects have been photographed in their living rooms where a white backdrop was set up with appropriate studio lighting.

Over the years tattoos and heavily tattooed individuals have received a fair amount of criticism. Tattoos in the past decades have been seen as taboo to some in the sense of the affiliation tattoos had with gangs and delinquency. At this point in time, tattoos have become more socially acceptable and this art form has worked its way well into the corporate industry and other unexpected societal circles. While this is true, tattoos have not yet completely been accepted and this art form still faces its controversies.

To add on to the previous paragraph, Pit bulls face extermination by people who think that they are inherently ferocious dogs. In this sense both the heavily tattooed individual and the Pit Bull are viewed in a very similar way in terms of how society views them. Assumptions are made about both subjects, and these assumptions and perceptions come from a place of misconception and ill-informed sources. Pit bulls are also often used in illegal dog fighting rings where they are injured, abused and killed.

These photographs will go to show the dangers of stereotyping humans and dogs alike. They will become a symbol for the potential for love, joy and warmth. It takes the stereotypes associated with tattooed individuals and pit bulls and brings it to a point where

they find each other in complete synergy.