I Made A Badass Photoshoot For A Constantly-Bullied Boy So His Bullies Could Only Get Jealous
My name is Lance Reis and I am a portrait and creative art photographer based in Portland, Oregon. For my shoots, I bring my subjects to life with a mixture of natural light and creative cinematic concepts. For me, the most important elements of my shoots are the connection I make with my subjects and the ability to make anyone feel comfortable in front of the lens.
My friend Andrea came to me because her son, Race, who is eight years old, was being bullied in school and is having a hard time right now. She follows my work and knows I shoot a lot of cosplay photography so she said getting a photo with the Joker would mean the world to him because he is his favorite comic-book character to which I replied, “of course we could do that BUT what if we took it a step further and made HIM the Joker instead.” So with my extremely talented makeup and hair stylists, we did just that.
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My friend asked me if I could photograph her son with the Joker so we took it one step further and transformed him
Race was ecstatic throughout the whole shoot. We have actually been planning this shoot for over a year but had to keep pushing it off due to scheduling conflicts so he’s been excited about this for a long time. The day his mom showed him the photos I took on Instagram of Batman and Joker he was determined to meet the local superhero and villain. He does a really good job at hiding it in these photos but he was all smiles between takes.
I know many cosplayers. And I will tell you their confidence goes through the roof when they put on that costume. It’s actually beautiful to see someone so shy come out of their shell and feel The freedom to be themselves. I think it’s something we can all relate to as we’ve all been children during Halloween and put on that costume of our favorite superhero or a villain. I think my favorite thing about people my age who cosplay is the fact they haven’t lost their imagination. I wish more people were willing to dress up and feel like a kid again.
Seeing the pain in his eyes completely took me back to when I was his age and relentlessly bullied. That was the roughest time of my life and I’m devoted to impacting children who are bullied. I would certainly say by the end of the photo shoot he walked a little taller smiled a bit bigger and held his head a little bit higher. I could see a shift in confidence from beginning to end. And that’s exactly what photography is all about isn’t it?
According to his mom, following the shoot Race wouldn’t stop talking about the photo shoot and plans on blowing up the photos and hanging them in his room. And after the big reaction from the shoot, he’s already talking about wanting to model or get into acting. And judging by his performance considering it was his first photo shoot I would absolutely encourage that.
If I can give these kids even just a fraction of their confidence back and empower them through my photography I’ve done my job. As I told him and every child I’ve worked with, we can get past it and grow up to do great things. Look, now he easily has the coolest photos of anyone in his school, so suck it bullies.
I’ve done a few other empowering shoots with children, including Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty. I also have a passion for bringing awareness to hard-hitting topics like addiction, depression, homelessness, racial discrimination, and domestic abuse.
Model: Race | MUA: Jordan D | Hair: Kaylee S | Batman: Collin J
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Share on FacebookTroubled youth whose favorite character is the Joker... uh.... Maybe there should be a bit more than a photo session. The Joker is interesting and fun, but maybe he needs a more positive role model than a murderous psychopath who’s life mission is to cause chaos.
The Joker is not his role model. He likes the character Heath Ledger played so brilliantly in the Dark Knight - please don't turn this great thing into something it shouldn't be. He's a great kid if you only knew him - Race's mom.
Load More Replies...having a favorite comic book character doesn't have to mean the kid idolizes the joker. plenty of people are slytherin fans. does that mean they're death eaters in their hearts?
I mean a few of us are but I don't think it matters. Then again I'm going to highschool.
Load More Replies...You know what? F**K YOU to these people who have nothing positive to say. This doesn't help the bullying, but maybe it will make him feel a little tougher, or feel good about himself. And who the hell makes a comment about his name???!! You clearly are a bully yourself. Obviously this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and most likely it HAS been addressed. This is simply someone who did an amazing job with some amazing photos for him to keep as a memory. I was bullied for being different and now I am a very confident adult who helps empower people. I feel sorry for key board warriors who wouldnt have the guts to say this s**t to peoples faces. That's right. Keyboard warrior with all the opinions, the ones who smile to your face and talk s**t about you to their "friends" who hate them equally. The ones with a "perfect" Facebook family who are actually miserable but need to keep up appearances. Argh. I would love to meet you in person with Race and his parents. Coward.
Yes Emiko yes! I can't believe some of these comments about a poor child. Especially one that's being harassed at school. All these negative a*s comments are still bullying, something this child, for a few hours ( not sure how long the shoot was for ) wanted to forget about. It's sick to read some of these comments as a father. It's gets my emotions boiling to see grown men and women putting down a child thats being bullied. But it's great to see some people with hearts sticking up for him.
Load More Replies...Like life wasnt hard enough as a grown up the kids bully each other from low age.Sad.You did Joker good "Race" Thumbs up and say hello to Batman from me.With kind regards Fonzie Bulldog from Sweden.
A young boy who is being bullied is now being judged to hell and back in the comments. And they say *kids* can be cruel.
The Joker may not be the best role model but the photo shoot helped to empower him. His smile in the last picture was a far cry from his expression in the earlier pics.
Expressions don’t mean much in photographic stills. The set was meant to be a role play scenario. Only people there at the time can comment on the boy’s apparent feelings and only the boy can comment about his actual feelings. I hope he had fun. I’m just being conscientious about troubled youth.
Load More Replies...I don't understand how this helps? I don't mean to be negative but it seems to me that Mom and Dad need to get to the school and address the bullying.
Schools sweep it under the rug unfortunately until it's too late.....
Load More Replies...The people saying it's really worrying that he's a troubled youth and his favourite character is the Joker, are total morons and are acting like bullies themselves. Getting dressed up and having a photo shoot probably made him incredibly happy and helped him forget about being bullied for a little while and more than likely helped his confidence and self esteem. Surely that's a good thing. Assuming he’s going to be a psychopathic killer is not only ridiculous, it’s incredibly mean. Way to p**s on the little dude’s fireworks. Great job.
The joker is my fave dc character i gotta say the joker cosplay is spot on
As an adult I can look at a well done Dark Knight's Joker costume as badass. Since it's PG-13, have a lot of 8 year old's watched it, or would they just make fun of the fancy shirt and makeup? This really is a question, not a criticism.
Hi there: My name is Sandy and I created a foundation for my son Shane who took his own life in 2018 last year after being bullied. He was only 11 years old. The foundation rewards and recognizes kids who stand up to bullying and exemplify kindness (it's called Shane's Imagine-Nation). I don't know where you are located, but there is a local boy here (NY) who has been bullied relentlessly for the last few years. He is only in elementary school. The parents have done everything to no avail. As an aside, when Shane died, he didn't know. The boy's mom dropped something off for me in my mailbox, and her son said "Mom. There is a nice boy who lives here. He gives me a high-5 every day." - He was talking about Shane. This little boy is going through hell, and his passion is superheroes, particularly Captain America. I tried (in vain) to tweet to see if one of the cast could just do a shout-out to him so the kids would leave him alone. I never heard back. I'd love to set up a photo shoot?
This is amazing. I cry internaly. This reminds me of my time getting bullied and why I started cosplay to feel like someone else, soneone stronger. And it helped me and my confidence so much!!! Absolutely beautiful what you did for him. Also the pictures are stunning!
Bullies everywhere! Give the kid a break!!! I was bullied when i was a kid but I've never killed anyone! Instead i tried helping people.... so you guys can help your soul and just be calm. This kid he's awesome! :) ..
Maybe, but if he's already a target, he's going to be harassed no matter what he does. On the other hand, this photo shoot should provide the young man with a lot of positivity and may improve his self image; things which may be in pretty short supply just now.
Load More Replies...I feel somewhere we all have the JOKER inside us, but we just try to hide that side of us to fit in the society. aren't we???
really? this is the only thing you people are focusing on? kid got his wish. it's super cool
But...why would you want to make his bullies jealous? Jealousy doesn't make friends, just sayin'. Great pics, tho! The kid is photogenic - maybe try modelling or acting?
Race is fortunate he has a Mom who loves him and knows someone who can help change his self-perception. Fabulous photos and wonderful experience and memory.
He looks absolutely amazing. You’re a champ, Race. I was bullied a lot when I was younger and I’d use dress ups to escape. I’m in my 40s now with depression and I truly wish I’d have had something like this when I was his age. Well done Race’s Mum xxx
Lovely idea to boost his confidence, but I do hope they did something useful about the bullying.
I love this. /// As for the bullies getting jealous, they probably already are. /// This awesome photo project probably did a lot to boost this boy's confidence and let him know that someone finds him interesting and worthwhile, while giving him another way to see himself.
It's great.. Screw the haters. People with "opinions" are usually just that. They are not the "doers". And yes Legders Joker was EVERYTHING.
Anyone would get a great buzz from a photoshoot like this! The photographer did a great job of pulling a very believable Joker from Race. I'm impressed that Batman was included. Wow! What a fun thing for Race! Every bit of confidence you give someone provides protection from bullies, and now the kid even wants to try modeling!
Do we have any idea what the result was when the bullies saw the photos?
these are amazing. He's a great little model, and your a great photographer. I would love to do a photoshoot like this myself.
This young man has absolutely gorgeous green eyes. The idiots bully him are the true monsters.
Sandra Cherrydice I LOVE YOUR WORK! THAT FIRST ONE AND 12th ARE SO GORGEOUS! I hope he fond his self-confidence so back that the next shoot, he will do it whitout mask because he is really photogenic!
I think it was a great photo shoot and emulated the perfect character for his bullies to see. "Keep pushing and ya might get more than ya bargined for "
I was bullied as a kid, and it sucked. How awesome you got to do this. He'll remember this for the rest of his life. Beautiful photos, and such handsome kid, I hope he turns this into something beautiful.
Such a simple idea, but one that could change a person's whole outlook on life and give them the confidence they need. and for those comments about it being creepy & worrying about the kids' state of mind--poppycock! As a 'normal' grandmother, you might not ever know that I enjoy the macabre & gory when it comes to my choice in movies. I have never killed anyone. I think everyone has a 'dark side' but some of us are able to separate reality from fiction...
Kudos to the kid and all that but if i remember how my school was, this has the potential to get him ever more attention and not just the positive kind. Kids really are little jerks.
Guys, I like the joker and I'm not a serial killer, I can't even kill my The Sims characters. Relax.
These are awesome! Ypu have given this child back the confidence that the bullies have stolen from him. And all you haters criticizing his name and the choice of the Joker as a model are a huge part of the problem. You are not always wiser than everyone else and your opinion is irrelevant. Just make your own choices and move on with your life. And teach your kids the same.
Won't taking photo as joker actually give his bullies another topic to make fun of him? We can appreciate the shots cause we are... you know... adult. Those are kid bullies we are talking about...
I am 10 and i love these photos so you can shut up about the kid bullies because there are kids here who are loving this -~-
Load More Replies...No kid deserves to be bullied regardless, but why would you name your child Race?
Because his dad raced dragsters growing up and builds custom hot rods. We wanted something 'auto related'......he loves his name. But why does that matter what his name is??
Load More Replies...I feel this will get him more bullied for being the kid that took it to far with his love for comics.
How on earth is dressing up like the Joker, FOR A PHOTO SHOOT, too far? That's a profoundly idiotic thing to say. By that logic, actors dress up and perform, is that taking their love of film too far? Football fans play football themselves, is that talking their love of football too far? Comic books are a passion for a hell of a lot of people, including me. I own an animated series' Harley Quinn costume, is that too far?
Load More Replies...The photos are really cool, but...isn't the idea a bit dangerous? The Joker shouldn't be an icon for a Kid that is going trough bullying...Maybe the Batman, but not Joker...
You want BATMAN to be a role model? THE MAN DRESSES UP AS A BAT AND BEATS PEOPLE UP AT NIGHT BECAUSE HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE MORALLY SUPERIOR
Load More Replies...Can't even move schools anymore because of the photographer and writers ego. The attention he gets now will probably make him suicidal and there's no escape from it unless you wanted his life f****d up. Good photos I hope that saves your job you f*****g witch.
Nice one photographer now he cant even move schools and the reckoning of the elderly is inbound to make him a self harm victim.
Not surely. Role play rarely becomes reality. There are thousands of kids being bullied but only a handful flip out.
Load More Replies...Actually, many times the parents don't know that the child is being bullied due to the child shutting down and reaching out to others less. Abusive, on the other hand, is a parent that is knowingly harming the child, physically or mentally.
Load More Replies...Troubled youth whose favorite character is the Joker... uh.... Maybe there should be a bit more than a photo session. The Joker is interesting and fun, but maybe he needs a more positive role model than a murderous psychopath who’s life mission is to cause chaos.
The Joker is not his role model. He likes the character Heath Ledger played so brilliantly in the Dark Knight - please don't turn this great thing into something it shouldn't be. He's a great kid if you only knew him - Race's mom.
Load More Replies...having a favorite comic book character doesn't have to mean the kid idolizes the joker. plenty of people are slytherin fans. does that mean they're death eaters in their hearts?
I mean a few of us are but I don't think it matters. Then again I'm going to highschool.
Load More Replies...You know what? F**K YOU to these people who have nothing positive to say. This doesn't help the bullying, but maybe it will make him feel a little tougher, or feel good about himself. And who the hell makes a comment about his name???!! You clearly are a bully yourself. Obviously this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and most likely it HAS been addressed. This is simply someone who did an amazing job with some amazing photos for him to keep as a memory. I was bullied for being different and now I am a very confident adult who helps empower people. I feel sorry for key board warriors who wouldnt have the guts to say this s**t to peoples faces. That's right. Keyboard warrior with all the opinions, the ones who smile to your face and talk s**t about you to their "friends" who hate them equally. The ones with a "perfect" Facebook family who are actually miserable but need to keep up appearances. Argh. I would love to meet you in person with Race and his parents. Coward.
Yes Emiko yes! I can't believe some of these comments about a poor child. Especially one that's being harassed at school. All these negative a*s comments are still bullying, something this child, for a few hours ( not sure how long the shoot was for ) wanted to forget about. It's sick to read some of these comments as a father. It's gets my emotions boiling to see grown men and women putting down a child thats being bullied. But it's great to see some people with hearts sticking up for him.
Load More Replies...Like life wasnt hard enough as a grown up the kids bully each other from low age.Sad.You did Joker good "Race" Thumbs up and say hello to Batman from me.With kind regards Fonzie Bulldog from Sweden.
A young boy who is being bullied is now being judged to hell and back in the comments. And they say *kids* can be cruel.
The Joker may not be the best role model but the photo shoot helped to empower him. His smile in the last picture was a far cry from his expression in the earlier pics.
Expressions don’t mean much in photographic stills. The set was meant to be a role play scenario. Only people there at the time can comment on the boy’s apparent feelings and only the boy can comment about his actual feelings. I hope he had fun. I’m just being conscientious about troubled youth.
Load More Replies...I don't understand how this helps? I don't mean to be negative but it seems to me that Mom and Dad need to get to the school and address the bullying.
Schools sweep it under the rug unfortunately until it's too late.....
Load More Replies...The people saying it's really worrying that he's a troubled youth and his favourite character is the Joker, are total morons and are acting like bullies themselves. Getting dressed up and having a photo shoot probably made him incredibly happy and helped him forget about being bullied for a little while and more than likely helped his confidence and self esteem. Surely that's a good thing. Assuming he’s going to be a psychopathic killer is not only ridiculous, it’s incredibly mean. Way to p**s on the little dude’s fireworks. Great job.
The joker is my fave dc character i gotta say the joker cosplay is spot on
As an adult I can look at a well done Dark Knight's Joker costume as badass. Since it's PG-13, have a lot of 8 year old's watched it, or would they just make fun of the fancy shirt and makeup? This really is a question, not a criticism.
Hi there: My name is Sandy and I created a foundation for my son Shane who took his own life in 2018 last year after being bullied. He was only 11 years old. The foundation rewards and recognizes kids who stand up to bullying and exemplify kindness (it's called Shane's Imagine-Nation). I don't know where you are located, but there is a local boy here (NY) who has been bullied relentlessly for the last few years. He is only in elementary school. The parents have done everything to no avail. As an aside, when Shane died, he didn't know. The boy's mom dropped something off for me in my mailbox, and her son said "Mom. There is a nice boy who lives here. He gives me a high-5 every day." - He was talking about Shane. This little boy is going through hell, and his passion is superheroes, particularly Captain America. I tried (in vain) to tweet to see if one of the cast could just do a shout-out to him so the kids would leave him alone. I never heard back. I'd love to set up a photo shoot?
This is amazing. I cry internaly. This reminds me of my time getting bullied and why I started cosplay to feel like someone else, soneone stronger. And it helped me and my confidence so much!!! Absolutely beautiful what you did for him. Also the pictures are stunning!
Bullies everywhere! Give the kid a break!!! I was bullied when i was a kid but I've never killed anyone! Instead i tried helping people.... so you guys can help your soul and just be calm. This kid he's awesome! :) ..
Maybe, but if he's already a target, he's going to be harassed no matter what he does. On the other hand, this photo shoot should provide the young man with a lot of positivity and may improve his self image; things which may be in pretty short supply just now.
Load More Replies...I feel somewhere we all have the JOKER inside us, but we just try to hide that side of us to fit in the society. aren't we???
really? this is the only thing you people are focusing on? kid got his wish. it's super cool
But...why would you want to make his bullies jealous? Jealousy doesn't make friends, just sayin'. Great pics, tho! The kid is photogenic - maybe try modelling or acting?
Race is fortunate he has a Mom who loves him and knows someone who can help change his self-perception. Fabulous photos and wonderful experience and memory.
He looks absolutely amazing. You’re a champ, Race. I was bullied a lot when I was younger and I’d use dress ups to escape. I’m in my 40s now with depression and I truly wish I’d have had something like this when I was his age. Well done Race’s Mum xxx
Lovely idea to boost his confidence, but I do hope they did something useful about the bullying.
I love this. /// As for the bullies getting jealous, they probably already are. /// This awesome photo project probably did a lot to boost this boy's confidence and let him know that someone finds him interesting and worthwhile, while giving him another way to see himself.
It's great.. Screw the haters. People with "opinions" are usually just that. They are not the "doers". And yes Legders Joker was EVERYTHING.
Anyone would get a great buzz from a photoshoot like this! The photographer did a great job of pulling a very believable Joker from Race. I'm impressed that Batman was included. Wow! What a fun thing for Race! Every bit of confidence you give someone provides protection from bullies, and now the kid even wants to try modeling!
Do we have any idea what the result was when the bullies saw the photos?
these are amazing. He's a great little model, and your a great photographer. I would love to do a photoshoot like this myself.
This young man has absolutely gorgeous green eyes. The idiots bully him are the true monsters.
Sandra Cherrydice I LOVE YOUR WORK! THAT FIRST ONE AND 12th ARE SO GORGEOUS! I hope he fond his self-confidence so back that the next shoot, he will do it whitout mask because he is really photogenic!
I think it was a great photo shoot and emulated the perfect character for his bullies to see. "Keep pushing and ya might get more than ya bargined for "
I was bullied as a kid, and it sucked. How awesome you got to do this. He'll remember this for the rest of his life. Beautiful photos, and such handsome kid, I hope he turns this into something beautiful.
Such a simple idea, but one that could change a person's whole outlook on life and give them the confidence they need. and for those comments about it being creepy & worrying about the kids' state of mind--poppycock! As a 'normal' grandmother, you might not ever know that I enjoy the macabre & gory when it comes to my choice in movies. I have never killed anyone. I think everyone has a 'dark side' but some of us are able to separate reality from fiction...
Kudos to the kid and all that but if i remember how my school was, this has the potential to get him ever more attention and not just the positive kind. Kids really are little jerks.
Guys, I like the joker and I'm not a serial killer, I can't even kill my The Sims characters. Relax.
These are awesome! Ypu have given this child back the confidence that the bullies have stolen from him. And all you haters criticizing his name and the choice of the Joker as a model are a huge part of the problem. You are not always wiser than everyone else and your opinion is irrelevant. Just make your own choices and move on with your life. And teach your kids the same.
Won't taking photo as joker actually give his bullies another topic to make fun of him? We can appreciate the shots cause we are... you know... adult. Those are kid bullies we are talking about...
I am 10 and i love these photos so you can shut up about the kid bullies because there are kids here who are loving this -~-
Load More Replies...No kid deserves to be bullied regardless, but why would you name your child Race?
Because his dad raced dragsters growing up and builds custom hot rods. We wanted something 'auto related'......he loves his name. But why does that matter what his name is??
Load More Replies...I feel this will get him more bullied for being the kid that took it to far with his love for comics.
How on earth is dressing up like the Joker, FOR A PHOTO SHOOT, too far? That's a profoundly idiotic thing to say. By that logic, actors dress up and perform, is that taking their love of film too far? Football fans play football themselves, is that talking their love of football too far? Comic books are a passion for a hell of a lot of people, including me. I own an animated series' Harley Quinn costume, is that too far?
Load More Replies...The photos are really cool, but...isn't the idea a bit dangerous? The Joker shouldn't be an icon for a Kid that is going trough bullying...Maybe the Batman, but not Joker...
You want BATMAN to be a role model? THE MAN DRESSES UP AS A BAT AND BEATS PEOPLE UP AT NIGHT BECAUSE HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE MORALLY SUPERIOR
Load More Replies...Can't even move schools anymore because of the photographer and writers ego. The attention he gets now will probably make him suicidal and there's no escape from it unless you wanted his life f****d up. Good photos I hope that saves your job you f*****g witch.
Nice one photographer now he cant even move schools and the reckoning of the elderly is inbound to make him a self harm victim.
Not surely. Role play rarely becomes reality. There are thousands of kids being bullied but only a handful flip out.
Load More Replies...Actually, many times the parents don't know that the child is being bullied due to the child shutting down and reaching out to others less. Abusive, on the other hand, is a parent that is knowingly harming the child, physically or mentally.
Load More Replies...
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