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Josh RossiAmerican commercial photographer
Country:
 USA |
Content:
American commercial photographer
Josh Rossi is an American commercial photographer known for his captivating photographs of children transformed into superheroes from the Justice League. He has created a series of unique photos featuring six brave children between the ages of two and nine. Despite their life-threatening diseases and disabilities, these children have been transformed into characters from the Justice League through costumes and special effects. Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Superman, among others, have all been portrayed by these remarkable children who are battling cancer, have missing limbs, and suffer from severe autism. Based in Utah, Rossi said, "When the kids first came to the shoot, some of them were shy, some were sad, but as soon as they put on the costumes, the kids smiled, got into character, and had fun."
Inspiration Strikes
Rossi became inspired to showcase these children as superheroes after he dressed up his own four-year-old daughter, Nelle, as Wonder Woman for her birthday last year. The resulting photos gained popularity, and Rossi began receiving requests from all over the United States to conduct similar photoshoots. Alongside his wife, Rossi wanted to use their skills to bring joy to children facing serious illnesses. "I wanted to photograph real heroes - children who have been affected by cancer and faced real challenges," Rossi said. Since finding suitable candidates in hospitals was difficult, Rossi reached out to his friends on Facebook for assistance. They helped him connect with children who were willing, albeit temporarily, to become superheroes. Professional superhero costumes were provided by Julie Whitley, the costume designer, and the photoshoot took place in a studio in August 2017. Rossi shared that three-year-old Sophie, who had been diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer, joined the shoot right after undergoing radiation therapy and experiencing a nosebleed.
Superheroes in Action
As soon as Sophie put on her costume, she immediately transformed into Wonder Woman. "We turned these kids into superheroes because they have something in common with them," Rossi explained. "It was important to us that each child liked their character." Five-year-old Kaiden underwent a double amputation when he was only one year old. He was born with omphalocele, a condition that caused some of his internal organs to develop outside his body. To save Kaiden's life, his mother made the difficult decision to amputate his legs. For Kaiden, the character Cyborg was chosen from the Justice League. According to Cyborg's story, he was just an ordinary boy named Victor Stone until he was severely injured by a "protoplasmic creature." However, Victor's father managed to save him by utilizing special cybernetic technology.
Nine-year-old Tegan was born with half a heart due to a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He underwent three open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant, after which Rossi helped him transform into Superman. Seven-year-old Zayden, who has severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was chosen to become The Flash. "He loves to run and literally cannot stand still, so I thought The Flash was a perfect fit for him," Rossi said. Rossi spent about two weeks editing the photos using Photoshop.
The Impact
The most amazing moment for Rossi was when he presented the printed photos to the young participants of his unique project. "They took the photos... and just screamed, went crazy," Rossi recalls. "Kaiden took his picture to his room and just stared at it. He had never seen himself so tall before." Two-year-old Matis, who is battling a rare form of leukemia known as acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, transformed into Aquaman. Rossi described Matis as an "energy powerhouse," referring to the incredible reserves of energy within the young boy who recently completed chemotherapy. Five-year-old Simon, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, portrayed Batman. Rossi said Simon fights his illness like a superhero.
All six participants of the photoshoot were given the opportunity to fly to New York for a comic-con event, where they were warmly welcomed and had the chance to meet the adult versions of the superheroes they recently portrayed.
