Fairies come to life thanks to photographer’s magic

May 12 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Fairy wedding

A PHOTOGRAPHER from Wirral brought fairies to life in a borough park this weekend to illustrate a book about a magical world.

Charlotte Bird, from Wallasey, niece of the renowned former Daily Post photographer Bob Bird, has struck out in a rather different artistic direction from her uncle.

Her photographs of fairies resemble the famous Cottingley Fairies pictures taken by two young girls more than 90 years ago – but make use of today’s advanced technology.

Charlotte, who became interested in photography when she was just seven years old, but only started seriously taking pictures in her mid-30s, has even recreated the 1917 pictures of Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith in Cottingley itself.

She had started out as a portrait photographer but when customers saw the fairy pictures she had made – and increasingly bought them – she saw there was a demand for images of the magical world.

She is now illustrating a series of books by Wirral author Royce Jones which will be published by the American-based Fairy Magazine.

To do this, she has invited children and adults to take part in a series of events held in New Brighton’s picturesque Vale Park, with pictures for the final book comprising a fairy wedding taken at the weekend.

Charlotte said: “It’s lovely to be able to do something you are really passionate about and love doing – and make a living from it.”

Charlotte did an A-level in photography when she was 35, followed by a diploma, before getting a small business grant and striking out on her own.

Her panoramic pictures of Liverpool for the Capital of Culture have sold well, but her fairy pictures seem to be attracting the most interest and she says preparing the book illustrations was an exciting development.

She said: “We’re doing pictures for the last book which is about a fairy wedding which takes place in the imaginary Nettle Woods.

“Last time we did this a few weeks ago, the kids loved it. We had 60 or 70 children, as well as a ‘fairy minister’ and musicians.

liammurphy