We Will Be Heroes

When Hackney based photographer, Nerys Jones, got in touch with me about collaborating I immediately loved her playful yet conceptual aesthetic when shooting kids. I’d been developing an idea loosely based on superpowers, imagination, and play, and felt her style would be the perfect fit.
 
We reached out to the modeling agency Zebedee for casting, as they represent and celebrate models with disabilities and differences and we were very keen to cast kids from different backgrounds and perspectives to make sure the shoot felt varied and inclusive.
 
The shoot day itself was very energetic – it was great to meet such talented and inspiring children from all parts of the UK.  Each child or teen was asked to come up with their favorite imagined superpower which was then interpreted by London based make‑up artist Marie Bruce to bring these ideas to life conceptually through make‑up and face paint.
 
I particularly loved Freya’s choice, a young teen who is passionate about raising awareness about alopecia. Her chosen superpower was based on mermaids ‑ to be able to breathe underwater. Another favorite was Yanna’s (a young model with Downs syndrome) whose superpower was close to my own heart: ‘to eat her favorite food all day.’ Yanna chose to have a large strawberry drawn on her cheek to emphasize this.