Generation Ink: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

A short stroll up Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, reveals a veritable walking art gallery with flesh as medium. Hipsters sit on the stoops of brownstones or on the benches outside cafés and restaurants showing off their ink. Others whizz by on their fixed gear bicycles flashing heavily detailed designs on calves or messages on knuckles.
In nearby McCarren Park, young women loll about on the grass in bikinis. Many show off full back pieces, chest pieces, or sleeves - sometimes all three. Their male friends have equally elaborate etchings on arms, legs and torso...
This is Generation Ink, the generation of 20-somethings who regard tattoos as a form of self-expression and a memento of personal freedom. Photographed in Williamsburg by Paul Nathan, this collection of black and white studio portraits is an unsentimental snapshot of a moment in time. Featuring an essay by Nadine Rubin Nathan.