Flying kids and other fabulous child portraits
These parents draw inspiration from the little people in their lives to create stunning images of their kids. Some use programs like Photoshop, while others work with elaborate props.
Sioin Queenie Liao dresses up her son, Wengenn, before he goes down for a nap, and then works quietly to decorate the background while he’s sleeping. Then she snaps her photos.
Liao posts the photos on Wengenninwonderland.com.
Just an unclogged toilet
The artist behind this photo, John Wilhelm, calls himself a “photoholic” and feeds his addiction by producing jaw-dropping images of his three daughters, Yuna, Mila, and Lou.
Elves on the shelf
Jason Lee started his photography project with his daughters, Kristin and Kayla, in 2006.
Lee often uses holiday themes for his photos.
Heeelllp
Adrian Sommeling uses multiple photos to create masterpieces of his son, which he posts on his Facebook page.
Spring cleaning
Jason Lee posts photos on his blog, Kristinandkayla.blogspot.com.
Perched
Stephen Crowley started Photoshopping his daughter, Hannah, into seemingly “unsafe situations” as a prank on his family.
But as the photos went viral, he started to use them to promote Be The Match’s bone marrow registry, which Hannah, who has a rare immune disorder, relied on shortly after she was born.
Happy Halloween
Dave Engledow posts Halloween-themed pictures of his daughter, Alice Bee, every year.
He features them on his Facebook page, World’s Best Father.
A helping hand
Alan Lawrence started Photoshopping pictures of his son, Wil, before he turned one.
Wil has Down Syndrome, but Lawrence says he wanted to show that “he is going to anything he sets his mind to — Wil Can Fly!”
Lawrence features photos of Wil on his site, Thatdadblog.com
Giants in Dubai
Adrian Sommeling tells CBS News that his son “enjoys the projects as long as I ask him (at) the right time.”
“Sometimes he is in a lesser mood for a photo, just like all kids,” Sommeling says. “But he doesn’t want me to use an other model.”
"The Force Awakens"
Lilly and Leon Mackie had recently moved to Australia from New Zealand with their baby, and had no one to babysit. They did have a bunch of cardboard boxes from the move. The result: These amazing photos.
Leon Mackie says this one is his favorite.
“The X-Wing took about 2 days to build,” Mackie tells CBS News. “It was particularly painful having to destroy this one but we needed the coffee table and spatula.”
Soaring high in the sky
“Stars are a symbol of dreams and goals, and I’d like to see my son Wengenn grow up reaching all his dreams and goals,” Sioin Queenie Liao tells CBS News.
Summer fun
“As a family we know that the only limits Wil is going to have in life are the limits we put on him,” Alan Lawrence tells CBS News.
A romantic dinner
“I grew up indulging myself in fairy tales,” Sioin Queenie Liao writes on her website. “Those fairy tales from my childhood gave me a multitude of ideas to try out.”
Last hair standing
“I’d call my style aesthetically funny, although creating funny images was never my intention,” John Wilhelm says. “I just try to realize the ideas popping up in my head all the time.”
Cooking up a storm
“Cooking up a storm (before everyone goes crazy, don’t worry, the oven clock is set wrong, she isn’t actually still awake at 9:35 p.m.),” Crowley joked in this Instagram post.
The fearless acrobat
Sioin Queenie Liao says she’s inspired by the famous child photographer Anne Geddes.
Flying over Prague
“The cartoonish feeling is because of the complete process,” Adrian Sommeling says on his Facebook page. “It is the surreal scene, it is the light set up. It is everything, the complete process and not a click with the mouse.”
Ready for liftoff
“Do not try this at home,” Jason Lee’s blog instructs.
Just a little jump from 25m
“I love bringing my fantasy to life with the help of my own images, Photoshop and 3D software,” John Wilhelm says.
Grand Canyon
Proceeds from calendars featuring Wil are donated to Down Syndrome foundations.
Very scary
“In our house, girl is defined as: A loud, mud-caked bundle of indefatigable energy, covered in scrapes and bruises, with dirt under her fingernails from digging up worms, who giggles uncontrollably at the sound of her own farts,” Dave Engledow writes on his Facebook page.
London Eye
Adrian Sommeling’s Facebook page has more than 100,000 likes.
"Jaws"
This is the second photo the Mackies created.
“Orson was a bit perplexed by the project to begin with but it’s since become just part of his life,” Leon Mackie says.
Thanks
“The reason for the blog was simple, to capture their daily lives for my mother, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and wasn’t able to see them on a regular basis,” Jason Lee says on his Facebook page.
Little big giant
Sometimes John Wilhelm breaks down the process behind altering the photos on his website.
"Goldfinger"
“Orson was about a year old here. This is when he was really starting to enjoy the photo shoots. Maybe a little too much,” Leon Mackie says.
In transit
Adrian Sommeling calls his hobby an “addiction.”
Chaos
“What I really love is if my images are inspiring people to get creative on their own,” John Wilhelm told Fotolia.com in 2015.
Date night
Dave Engledow published a book of photos called “Confessions of the World’s Best Father” in 2014.
Help with the Christmas lights
Kristen and Kayla are often photoshopped into precarious situations.
Underage driver
Crowley shares a Photoshopped picture of his daughter “driving” a vehicle.
Wil flies with peeps
“If I don’t have a camera with me I get anxiety,” says Alan Lawrence, a father of six.
A daring circus act
Sioin Queenie Liao says she has always been interested in photography, but started off shooting natural scenery.
That all changed after the birth of her first child in 2002.
Airplane
Dave Engledow often alters photos to show himself and his daughter in situations of parent-child role reversal.
Wil can fly
Alan Lawrence uses a Nikon D700 to shoot his photos of Wil.
Kid-driver
Dave Engledow’s “World’s Best Father” mug is featured ironically in many of his photos.
Look to the skies
Adrian Sommeling started by shooting with a Nikon D3100, but has since started using a Olympus OMD, he says.
Seesaw
Jason Lee says one of his girls’ favorite activities is “screaming at the top of their lungs.”
Symphony No1
Sioin Queenie Liao’s book of photos, “Sleepy Baby,” was published in Taiwan in 2012.
"Fury Road"
“A majority of the photos are taken in our living room which is the largest space in the house. Every square inch is used,” Leon Mackie says. “This set is probably our biggest to date. It took about eight hours to create.”
Grilling
This image is the cover photo of Dave Engledow’s 2017 calendar featuring some of his favorite photos.
Full Throttle
John Wilhelm sells prints of his images.
“There’s really a lot of work going into my images. So why not earn a few dollars with them?” he says.
"Moonrise Kingdom"
To date, the Mackies have made 80 movie scenes featuring their sons, Orson and Elliott, Leon Mackie tells CBS News.
They share their pictures on their blog, Cardboardboxoffice.com.
Little climber
“I think the new stair gates may be faulty,” Crowley joked in this Instagram post.
Bixbie Bridge
“The photos of Wil flying truly represented the joy he brings to our family,” Alan Lawrence says.
"Alien"
“I like how simple this one is,” Leon Mackie says. “Our photos have become a bit more complex over the past couple of years.”