Jessica Manno - Artist Post 13

Steven Burton

1. In Steven Burton's latest photography project "Skin Deep", he attempts to capture portraits of former gang members and photoshop their pictures without tattoos. Burton gained the trust from Homeboy Industries, an organization that helps former gang members bring a better life back through therapy and counseling. The portraits are taken in a vertical frame, wanting to solely show the tattoos of the men, with undistracting backgrounds to bring the main focus and message of the subject. When photoshopped, Burton chose to add a vignette to avoid a flatten-looking portrait, and had his models formally pose.

2. "Skin Deep" explores the life before or after the traumatic experiences with gang involvement. When Burton photoshopped the tattoos off the men and showed them, it was noted that many of them became emotional. Responses ranged from “I don’t know what to say” to “This is art right here.” Many wished they could show their moms. They wondered what life could have been without the ink and all it stood for, and what life might be once it’s gone. Burton's project was inspired by a documentary containing similar subject matter called "G-Dog". People, particularly law enforcement tend to judge an individual in a negative way based on having excessive amounts of tattoos, and Burton's photographs from "Skin Deep" aim to cut that mentality, showing that underneath all the tattoos is still a normal person.

3. Steven Burton's photographs caught my attention with how different people can look when they're not covered in tattoos. Reading the story behind "Skin Deep" made me think more about tattoos and the people who are covered in them. I believe Steven Burton did a great job to capture his goals in what he wanted to show.