CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 11/4/2013

Tierney Gearon: Alphabet Book

Art book for children, or children’s book for adults? Tierney Gearon's Alphabet Book collects 26 brightly bewitching photographs of her young children (and their friends) in evocative combinations of costumes and set—their imaginations unconstrained. "Sometimes we would set up scenes and situations and they would sit there for days, and that was when the best shot happened," Gearney writes for Time magazine's Lightbox feature. "'Private Princess' (for the letter P, featured here) is a prime example. We set up a pink playhouse castle in Montana, the whole kingdom spread before us. I found this great vintage red dress for my niece. She wore it every day we were there. I had other fun costumes and props for the kids. All kinds of situations happened near the pink castle. But my favorite moment was the quiet portrait at the end of the day, with my niece dancing alone—the calm after the chaotic playtime storm. An hour earlier the whole party was happening; now it was just still."