The Story

My name is Thomas Santelli, and I am a portrait and fine art photographer based in upstate New York. As an avid art book collector, it has been a longtime dream of mine to see my work published, and I am thrilled to say that this dream is finally coming true. My debut collection, Coney Island Ink, is currently in production with Goff Books (an imprint of ORO Editions) and will be published in spring of 2026.

This book is the culmination of a passion project from the late '80s and early '90s, when I was a young artist living and working in New York City. During this time, I became the official photographer for the Coney Island Tattoo Festival, a raucous and exuberant event honoring a community pushed to the fringes of society. This was back when tattooing was illegal in NYC but flourishing underground, and as an outsider (fascinated with tattoos but without any of my own), it was my honor to take part in this annual event and to make portraits of the attendees—many of whom were, or would become, legends within the tattooing world and beyond.

In Coney Island Ink, I share over 230 of my color and black-and-white portraits from the festival, compiled as a celebration of the people I photographed and a time capsule of a special event, a moment in history, ephemeral and at risk of being forgotten. To place the portraits within a broader cultural and historical context, I have also included essays graciously contributed by Amy Krakow, founder and producer of the festival; Dr. Matt Lodder, tattoo historian and senior lecturer at the University of Essex; and award-winning novelist Amy Shearn.

Donating

Publishing a book is expensive these days, and publishing an image-heavy art book is extra expensive. This is why I am profoundly grateful for any and all donations made here, which will go toward offsetting the cost of creating this book.

Please be sure to include your email address with your donation so we can contact you with updates and early notifications about launch events, talks and all book-related activities.

If a donation is not possible—DON'T WORRY.

Pre-order a book!

There are still things you can do to help support the launch of this book.

1. Pre-order your copy of the book by searching “Coney Island Ink by Thomas Santelli” on BookShop.org (preferred because it supports independent bookstores), Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. Better yet, order it through your local bookstore.

2. Head over to Tom's website, www.tomsantelliphotography.com, to sign up to receive email notifications and learn more about the book, the team, and its production.

3. Connect with Thomas on Linkedin, Instagram and Facebook, where he will be posting updates.

4. And tell your friends!

Thank you very much for your support!

Best regards,

Tom

Disclaimer: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.