You can’t talk about tattoos in the D.C. area without mentioning his name.
In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax went to Prince William County, Virginia, where he caught up with a Manassas man who has become nationally famous for his creative work.
Greg Piper isn’t just skilled with a tattoo needle; he also has incredible skills behind the lens of a camera. He’s amassed a following of more than a million people on Instagram and Facebook combined, who tune in every day to be inspired by his latest creations.
Piper describes himself as an adrenaline junkie, whose mantra is: Tomorrow is a gift, not a guarantee. He told Matt he’d rather be mountain biking than relaxing on the couch any day, and constantly travels to capture incredible photos. Lately, Piper’s work in underwater photography has been his passion.
Piper also owns a Manassas tattoo shop, Exposed Temptations Tattoo, which is celebrating 30 years in business this year. He’s best known for his expertise in Japanese-style tattoo design, which he told Matt was inspired in part from a trip to Japan he took years ago, where he went to a museum to look at preserved skins of tattooed Yakuza gangsters.
Matt joined Piper — and one of his regulars — at his shop, where he saw firsthand the reason why many travel hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of miles to let Piper put his art on their bodies.
Perhaps most importantly, Piper says his favorite part of the job is meeting new people. Come along with Matt to meet Greg Piper, who always keeps things funny (and some might say gregarious) in his little corner of the D.C. area!
Piper’s work has been published by the likes of National Geographic and Discovery, where he’s freelanced for in the past. You can check out more of his photography on his website.
Hear “Matt About Town” on air every Tuesday and Thursday on WTOP 103.5 FM. His video pieces are always posted on wtop.com. You can also find Matt’s videos on Instagram (@wtopnews and @mkaufax) and TikTok (@wtopnews and @mattabouttown_).
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