Photographer unveils incredible snaps of inking enthusiasts who have tattooed their FACES
Mark Leaver's intriguing project documents people who have taken their love of body art to the extreme
A PHOTOGRAPHER has captured a series of incredible images of tattoo enthusiasts in an attempt to debunk the stereotypes surrounding people who choose to ink their faces.
UK-based snapper Mark Leaver specialises in portraits and his collection aims to go under the skin of Britain's facial tattoo community and explore the prejudices they face.
Speaking to , he explained the reasons why he is drawn to people who seek out facial tatts and why he felt it necessary to interview those he photographed.
Mark said: "Tattoos have recently become incredibly popular and are more accepted by society than ever before.
"There are many reasons for this, one being their endorsement through celebrity culture.
"There are countless people with tattooed sleeves and other bits and pieces but that was too broad and mainstream to base a project around.
"What makes facial tattoos so distinctive is that they are still confrontational, there’s no hiding them.
"There are only a select few people who make that kind of commitment and it was those people that I wanted to meet and photograph.
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In his portfolio of candid, natural pictures, he made it his goal to tell every subject's story - offering up a fascinating insight into the mindset of people who want to express themselves through 'extreme' body inking.
He told how people with facial tatts are often wrongly stereotyped as a criminal or suicidal.
Mark said: "I can confidently say that everyone I met was extremely down to earth.
"They were all normal people from all walks of life and happy to be part of the project.
"Unsurprisingly, the stereotypes were all very dated… if they were ever true at all."
