Couple photographers in Atlanta want more girls to think of themselves as royals. Using their “CreativeSoul” studio, they teamed up with stylist LaChand Gatson to create a photo series of Disney Princesses, all young black women.
Kahran Bethencourt and her husband Regis, who runs CreativeSoul, told HuffPost Canada that the project “aims to redefine and reinvent the traditional princess with her own dash of style, culture, and flair.”
CreativeSoul Photography said everyone deserves to be seen. “We go beyond taking beautiful shots. We are more than photographers. We are reliable artists and business partners obsessed with unique visual storytelling and capturing unconventional beauty. ”
Disney’s official black princess is just one: Tiana from “Princess and the Frog,” 2009. The goal, according to Bethencourt, is to inspire more girls around the world to begin to experience themselves as real princesses.
The fascinating series includes 14 magical and royal blacks, each one portraying a Disney princess. Bethencourts has re-imagined the world of aesthetics for characters like Snow White, Ariel, Rapunzel, Nale, Elsa, Jasmine, and others.
Compiled in a book called GLORY: Magical Visions of Black Beauty, the young brunettes amazingly portrayed these characters with such grace and beauty that shows that black magic has no boundaries.
According to Gatson, who developed the stories with Bethencourts, young black women often grow up not seeing anyone like them in the stories they consume. “I loved watching and reading fairy tales and fantasies,” she says. “I often imagined that these characters were more connected to me and my culture.”
For this series, she said she chose characters from stories that she liked while growing up. “I made them up as black urban royals.”
The Princesses in the series “weren’t including any damsels in distress,” Gatson said. “These royals possesses the healing powers of their ancestral lineage.” “My mission is always to empower, inspire, encourage, and uplift my community, my people, and, above all, my future. These black girls are me. ”
Following the publication of Disney’s Black Princesses on Facebook, the series immediately went viral with numerous comments from parents of black girls.
“My four-year-old daughter loves all the Disney Princesses. A few months ago, she told me she wanted to be a white princess, ”wrote one user. “I suggested Tiana, but she said no. But she reviewed all the images in this article about three times until the end. Oo and aaahing all the time.”
“I just want to tell you what a light you two amazing artists have been in this world! You are creating such a magical and awe-inspiring visual art, showing what natural beauty is! The color is magnificent! The culture is magnificent! I am so happy that young people have you all as a beacon to follow, help them learn that they are beautiful the way they are! And lift your head with pride! Thank you, ”commented another Facebook user.
The couple said they connected because of their passion for preserving precious moments. “We fell madly in love, and in doing so, we created something beautiful: CreativeSoul Photography.”
For more than ten years, they have collaborated with hundreds of children, families, and brands, specializing in life photography and authentic visual storytelling. Her holistic approach to capturing unique moments has allowed her to appear on Teen Vogue, CNN, Glamor Magazine, Vogue Italia, Black Enterprise, The Real Daily Talk Show, BBC News, OWN network, and many more.