Children love to role-play. This is one of the reasons why kids always look forward to Halloween, that one time of the year when they can wear costumes and be their favourite Marvel or DC superhero or Disney princess. On top of that, they get to be rewarded with sweet treats and even prizes, too. Without a doubt, your little ones will also love and keep all the photos you take on the day they were their favourite movie, TV show, comic book, or fairy tale character. If your kids like dressing up and love the photos you take of them, they will love fantasy photography. With a few shots in the studio, a photographer can digitally alter and create amazing images of your little ones as their favourite fictional characters in any setting they want.
Uses of Fantasy Photos
With the help of a photographer, the pictures taken of your children during a regular photoshoot will be creatively enhanced to turn them into a fictional character with different backgrounds straight out of the movies, TV series, or book. You can then use these photos in various ways, the top ones of which include the following:
Birthday invitation
Fantasy photos are now widely used in birthday invitations. The enhanced image, which you can use as the background or put in the centre, of the printed or digital card quickly captures the eye of the receiver. It will instantly get the guests excited about the upcoming party, too. More importantly, the receivers will know that the event has a theme and what it is. If it is a costume birthday party, the guests and their parents will have a good idea of what they should let their little ones wear. The theme will also give the guests an idea of what gifts the celebrant would appreciate receiving.
Party decorations
Aside from invitations, you can reduce the time you have to spend on thinking about how to decorate the birthday party venue by using the fantasy photos in the decorative items. Use the photos for the banners, streamers, posters, and other wall decorations. You can also have these printed on the balloons and party hats. You can also have a photo printed on the loot bags if you will hand them out after the party. It is a great way to personalise these giveaways and make them more unique.
Storybook
If you’re stumped about what to give your children as a present for their birthday or on any occasion, a customised storybook featuring the fantasy photos and a short story about with them as the protagonist will undoubtedly delight your kids. Create a storyline and a few dialogues to make a short story to go with the photo. You can work with the photographer to come up with images that’ll go along with the plot and script. Find a printer that can Photoshop or add the lines and dialogues. You can also ask your photographer if they can do this so that you don’t have to look for another person to do the job. Once all the pages are done, have these printed and bound together to make them look like pages in a book to complete your unique gift that your little one will love.
Photobook
Collating all the fantasy pictures your photographer made and placing these in a photobook is another gift idea you can consider. It is an excellent way of turning fantasy photos into an organised collection of printed images. With this photo book, your kids will have a beautiful souvenir of the time they got to be their favourite character or when they went to a fictional place they have always dreamt of visiting (think Hogwarts, Middle Earth, or Narnia). They get to keep this souvenir for a long time as well, which they can also show their kids when they become parents themselves.
Wall decor
Since children spend a lot of time in their bedrooms, you can turn their rooms into their personal fantasy havens. It’s the best place for them to let their imagination run free, and you can use their fantasy photos as part of the decor. If your kids really love seeing themselves as their favourite fictional character, aside from having the photos framed and hanging these on the wall, you can have these enlarged as posters. With the right printer and paper selection, these personalised decorative items can be used to enliven up their bedrooms. If you want to take personalising your kids’ bedrooms up another notch, have the fantasy photos printed on wallpaper. Use it to cover the walls or to create an accent wall.
Selecting Your Photographer
To have fantasy photos that are creatively composed and capture what your kids would want to see, you need to choose the right photographer for the job. Start by finding photographers that specialise in fantasy photography online. You can also ask other parents for their recommendations regarding pros they usually hire or studios they frequently go to for kiddie or family photoshoots. Visit photographer websites and have a look at their portfolio. Pay attention to how creative they are in enhancing images. These need to look like they were done by a professional graphic designer and not someone that’s still learning how to use Photoshop. While on their website, learn more about the photographer and their process. Read about the background of the photographer and their team, if there is information available on their “About Us” pages or samples in their online galleries. Next, get in touch with your prospective photographers and find out if they have plenty of experience taking photos of children. While talking to them, try to get a feel of how they interact and connect with kids during a photoshoot. By doing so, you will know if your children will be comfortable with and trust them during the shoot. When your kids are relaxed and able to follow directions, the whole process will be less stressful and finish faster. The photographer will be able to get more photos they can work with as well. Since there are many wonderful things you can do with fantasy photos, you have to ensure these are taken and enhanced only by a professional photographer. By doing so, you will get the best images that you can use for any purpose you have in mind. When you have a professional create such photos, you will also be sure your kids will be delighted when they see their dreams turned into reality on print.
