DALLAS — Sometimes all it takes is a keen eye and a kind heart to recognize something within us—a strength, a power—we didn’t know we had.
And in a makeshift studio in Keller last month, that’s exactly what we witnessed.
Photographer Scott Endersby and his wife Nicole are turning children into superheroes.
Lucy Sovereign, 10, is a natural in her Harry Potter-themed photo shoot.
“A super hero is mostly someone who comes to save the day,” she told WFAA.
But the photo shoot isn’t quite as easy for her brother, Ethan. He’s actually the reason the Sovereign family is being photographed by the Endersbys on this day.
“Ethan is a wonderfully happy 8-year-old non-verbal autistic kid,” said the children’s mother, Beth. “He loves to play like an adorable boy. He just can’t communicate or socialize.”
You see, the Endersbys specialize in special needs families.
They are real estate and commercial photographers by day, but they realized they offered a unique perspective and unique set of skills that they didn’t see out there in the photography world.
“They don't have to worry if someone's going to critique them or judge them when their kids may have a sensory overload or a meltdown,” Nicole said.
The Endersbys are prepared for that because two of their children are autistic, they said.
“We are special needs parents,” Scott Endersby revealed. “We know the struggles.”
“We just allow them time. We always block off enough time. I think there's just that comfort, in being like, 'Oh, you get it,'" Nicole said.
We saw it firsthand during the Sovereign family’s photo shoot. Scott and Nicole waited while Ethan explored his new surroundings, and they made it work when sensory issues kept Ethan from wanting to put on his Harry Potter costume.
They do these photo shoots for special needs families when they can, and it’s all out of the goodness of their hearts.
“There’s been times different specialists or even hair stylists have said we need [Ethan] to sit still or we can't help,” Beth Sovereign said. “So it's very important we have someone who says it's okay if he's not sitting still, we'll wait on him.”
We asked what that meant to her and her family.
“It means so many new opportunities we wouldn't normally have,” she said.
And if that weren’t already enough—then, you see the photos.
Through Scott’s incredible photography and Photoshop work, children are transformed into the heroes they love, unencumbered by their earthly challenges.
In one photo they showed us, a child was dressed as Superman; he uses a walker, but in the photo, Scott digitally removed it.
“And I kind of get chills just talking about it because the families like, ‘We've never seen him stand, we've never seen him walk,’” Nicole said.
Ethan and Lucy Sovereign’s photos show superhero siblings who love each other.
“He is a hero,” Lucy said of Ethan. “He makes sure everybody's together.”
The Endersbys even have turned their own children into superheroes. Or, perhaps, they’ve simply revealing the heroes they—and all the other children and families—already are.
Local photographers gift families with amazing superhero photo shoots
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