These stunning pictures show afro hair as it’s never been seen before – in wacky styles ranging from the Baroque-era to Steampunk.
A husband and wife photographic team drew inspiration from unconventional sources to picture young models with incredible results.
Their Afro Art series shows off the beautiful versatility of their large curly hair by using it to create striking characters including all-white ice queens.
They took before and after pictures showing an incredible transformation from smiling little girls to formidable aristocrats in period 17th century dress.
Their young models are also pictured donning elegant Baroque frocks and others rocking huge angular afros invoking the science fantasy Steampunk style.
The American art duo Kahran and Regis Bethecourt, 37 and 40, took the photos in New York, California, Texas, Georgia in late 2016.
The pair from Atlanta, US, who run Creative Soul Photography, said: “We loved the idea of the contrast between Baroque era clothing with girls of colors wearing their bold natural hair.
“It is unexpected and not something that you would think about when you think of the Baroque era.”
They added: “We try to combat these stereotypes in our photography by showing diverse imagery of kids who love the skin they’re in, their own natural curls and their culture.
“We think that these stories are important to show in order to shatter the current standards of beauty. We decided to do this AfroArt series to showcase the beauty and versatility of afro hair.
“We worked on this series in various states in the US.
“In each state we created a different theme and came up with clothing pieces and accessories that went with that theme.
“The most memorable part of the shoot was seeing the look on the girls’ faces when they saw their hair in the afro styles.
“Even though we planned the themes, we styled each girl on set on the fly which allowed us to really stretch our imagination and keep things fresh and new.
“It was the first time for many of them seeing their hair styled in that way so it was a nice surprise for them. Most of them wanted to wear their styles home.”
Commenting on Prince Harry’s and Megan Markle’s engagement, they said: “We were thrilled to hear the announcement about Prince Harry & Megan Markle.
“We are not sure if it will help challenge the stereotypes of beauty but definitely think that it will encourage dialogue and present a “new norm” for the royal family.”
