Photographers visit hospitals around the world to create magical portraits for sick children

The Christmas Wish Project, a volunteer organisation based in Australia, has staged a series of events around the world that captured out-of-this-world Christmas portraits of over 200 children stuck in hospital during ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.

The project, which involved assembling 100 volunteers in 10 cities in four countries, is run by the Heart Project, a volunteer organisation dedicated to improving families lives through creativity. It is led by Australian photographer Karen Alsop.

Children were photographed on a green screen and then surprised with finished portraits that showcased them in a magical Christmas scene with Santa.

This year’s project was supported by a number of recognisable Photoshop masters from around the world, including Jesus Ramirez and Ben Shirk, among others, and is supported by Nikon Australia, together with Smugmug, Eizo, Wacom, Kayell Australia, Tether Tools, Epson and Seldex.

It marks the first time the project has officially ventured into other cities around the world. This year, The Christmas Wish Project kicked off the project in Victoria, Australia before moving on to Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.

The project then went across the ditch to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in New Zealand and concluded with visits to Canada and the United Kingdom.

“This year, some might say more than ever before, we’ve witnessed a world that could do with a little bit more love,” said Heart Project co-founder and Story Art creator Karen Alsop.

“Our mission has always been to put a smile on the face of families who are doing it tough at Christmas by making them escape reality – even for a day – thanks to the power of photography and Photoshop,” she added.

You can see a selection of the images captured in the gallery above.