SHIRO

A chance encounter on the train is what lead me to Shiro’s Tattoo studio and consequently my first tattoos.

The first thing I noticed is that she was covered head to toe in really interesting and colourful tattoos. With mostly sheer or white clothing that helped make the tattoos pop out even more.

After approaching her to shoot, her response was “I think I can help you, but only if you buy me food”.
I agreed, went to meet her at her tattoo studio in West London the following week and photographed her tattooing somebody.

Afterwards we had a short interview about her journey, which including self-inflicted homelessness as her parents initially didn't agree with her choice to pursue tattooing as a profession. She described finding food in bins and picking up cigarettes off the floor until her tattoo sensei found her. She began sweeping floors for him to start before eventually being able to practising tattooing on fruit. When the time was right she was accepted as a practising tattoo apprentice and then a full fledged artist after a couple of years.

6 years later Shiro opened up her own studio in her home town of, Hong Kong. A year after she began travelling and ended up in London where we met.