Photos: Surprising tattoos under the surface of ordinary people

How well do you really know your friends and coworkers? In his gorgeous photo series Covered, photographer Alan Powdrill reveals surprising tapestries of tattoos on otherwise ordinary-looking people.

Shot across the UK, Powdrill’s subjects’ ages vary from 23 to 66. And after having spent time, money, and pain on their skin, he tells Quartz, most were more than happy to show it off. ”The method of double portraits with & without clothes was inspired by a famous Helmut Newton series,” says Powdrill. “It helps highlight ‘what lies beneath’ and our perceptions of the people we’re looking at.