Cryptid Tattoo & Obscurities Expo — Documentary Event Photography
PROJECT DETAILS
CLIENT
Cryptid Tattoo & Obscurities Expo
LOCATION & DATE
Puyallup, WA• May 2026
INDUSTRY
Tattoo Expo • Art • Oddities
DELIVERABLES
300+ Documentary Images
SERVICES
Documentary Coverage • Event Photography
WHERE TATTOOING, ART & THE UNEXPLAINED COLLIDE.
Cryptid Tattoo & Oddities Expo brought together tattoo artists, vendors, collectors, educators, and curious visitors from across the region for two days of creativity and community.
I attended after being invited by Ghost Town Tattoo, initially planning to document their booth and experience throughout the weekend. As the event unfolded, the focus naturally expanded to the artists, vendors, competitions, and moments that gave the expo its personality.
By the end of the first day, the event organizer invited me back with a media pass to continue documenting Day Two.
The resulting gallery documents the artists, craftsmanship, atmosphere, and
community that defined the weekend.
Gallery
FROM GUEST TO MEDIA
I originally attended Cryptid Expo after being invited by Brandon of Ghost Town Tattoo. Between photographing the Ghost Town crew, documenting the expo, and even entering my own Rey Mysterio tattoo into one of the weekend's competitions, I spent the event immersed in the same community I was photographing.
As the weekend unfolded, I naturally shifted from documenting one booth to capturing artists, vendors, tattoo competitions, and the countless conversations happening throughout the venue. By the end of the first day, the event organizer noticed the coverage and invited me back with an official media pass for Day Two.
The strongest photographs come from being present long enough to become part of the story you're documenting. Rather than standing on the outside looking in, I experienced the weekend alongside the artists, organizers, and attendees who brought Cryptid Tattoo Expo to life.
More than a tattoo convention, Cryptid Tattoo Expo felt like a gathering of artists, collectors, educators, and curious people who all shared an appreciation for the unusual. Documenting that sense of community became the defining part of the weekend.
