“Everyone is beautiful no matter whom they were born as.” This is the idea that British photographer, Nicole Louise Perkins wants to share with the world with her photography campaign “Down With Disney”.
Perkins wanted to raise awareness about children born with Down syndrome as well as show that beauty can be found everywhere.
In 2018, after learning about the U.K.’s high termination rates for babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in utero, the photographer created a campaign called “Down Right Beautiful” to foster awareness and change.
“Down Right Beautiful” featured 32 babies, children, teenagers, and young adults with Down Syndrome and their stories, plus any advice their parents would give to families who have just had a diagnosis.
The informative campaign was so successful that the artist decided to do something a little more fun with her next campaign.
Perkins has always loved photography but wasn’t sure if she could get a job straight out of college if she studied it, so she studied childcare instead.
“My last placement at college was in a special needs school. It seriously changed my life, I still work there to this day due to falling in love with people who have special needs,” she explained. “I taught myself photography on the side and started up my own business with that. When I was happy with where I was photography-wise, I thought I would put my two loves in life together.”
Her advise to other photographers who are hesitant to go outside the box is “Go for it!”
“I spent a very long time trying to be like everyone else getting those newborn poses right, but then I realized that it just wasn’t the style I wanted to do. So I stopped and done them my way instead.”
“I have always wanted to put my love for photography with my love for people with special needs and the day I did that was when I realized this is what I am best at,” Perkins noted. “Show off your work: people will either like it or they won’t, it doesn’t matter as long as you have been true to yourself.”
Can we just pause for a moment to appreciate these beautiful smiles?
According to Perkins, the ‘Down With Disney’ campaign wasn’t without its challenges. Some of them were financial. “The greatest challenge was knowing when to stop. I could have gone on forever with these photo shoots but the props and everything is just so expensive.”
“Well worth it though to see the joy my images have brought to everyone,” she said that she doesn’t regret the expenses one bit. She’s also pleasantly surprised by the reaction that people have had to her project. “The reaction has been amazing I never imagined I would go viral! It’s been a crazy few months but absolutely amazing at the same time.”
“I couldn’t be happier” Perkins says. We have to agree!
How could these sweet faces not make you smile?
These children truly radiate pure joy.
Thank you for sharing your work and spreading your message with the world, Nicole!
You can view more work on her Facebook page.
You can also view more on her Instagram Page
More Info: Nicole Louise Photography
Every child is a different kind of flower, and all together, make this world a beautiful garden.