It’s not every day that an expecting couple decides to take a geeky (and bloody?) maternity photoshoot together. But British Columbia residents Todd and Nicole Cameron are going viral after they teamed up with wedding photographer Li Carter and staged an Alien-themed encounter, complete with a Chestburster.
In the first handful of photos, Nicole and Todd pose together in a pumpkin patch in a loving embrace. That is, until Nicole feels uncomfortable and brings her hands to her stomach. After she lies down, a Chestburster—aka a bloody, intestinal-looking alien—pops out of her pregnant belly, which Todd chases around before embracing it. Eventually, the three come together, covered in blood, as Nicole and Todd kiss their new “child” and feed it milk. Total everyday stuff.
The couple has since named the Chestburster “Burston” and created an Instagram account for the maternity shoot, “brustonoutcameron,” where over 2.8 thousand users follow the Cameron’s story. Meanwhile, on Facebook, the couple has received over 149,000 reactions and just over 300,000 shares over the past week.
Todd originally came up with the idea after he found a Chestburster model at a garage sale in August. When he brought home the replica, he asked his wife if she would be interested in a particularly unconventional maternity shoot. She agreed.
“Over the summer, Nicole had been talking about this baby inside her and how it was so weird to see it moving and she could feel its elbows and feet, hands moving all around her,” Todd Cameron told the National Post. “It felt like an alien entity inside of her and I kind of put two and two together.”
Unsurprisingly, the couple met on Halloween in 2013 while he was hosting a karaoke night at a nearby pub, and he was immediately smitten by her zombie outfit. So, of course, the two ended up having a lot of fun with the gory photo shoot.
“The funniest part for us was laying in a cold wet field, covered in fake blood and just laughing our hearts out, hoping that the farm hands wouldn’t drive by and see us in our current conditions,” Todd explained to io9. “I have to give huge props to Nicole for shivering on a rainy day in the muddy pumpkin patch and getting splattered with blood all while eight and a half months pregnant.”
It’s not just the Camerons that are enjoying the photo shoot. Twitter is also in love, with many defending its bloody take on parenthood.
I LOVE THEM https://t.co/kL2XHSiD3O
— Carnage “The Hatchet” Machado (@carmenmmachado) October 16, 2018
This is EXCELLENT. https://t.co/zPrZnNb8e2
— Scott Wampler™ (@ScottWamplerBMD) October 16, 2018
At eight months pregnant, Nicole Cameron posed for some truly gross maternity photos. https://t.co/Oo1aJF9zUo
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) October 16, 2018
Even the official Alien Twitter account gave its approval.
#ICYMI: We love everything about this chestbursting maternity photo shoot. https://t.co/sGFwXe7vEE
— Alien (@AlienAnthology) October 15, 2018
As for whether Todd and Nicole will show their child the photoshoot, they plan to wait until they are “12 or so.” After all, it’s their child’s “first Halloween costume,” so it might as well be a surprise.
Besides, Todd feels the photos aren’t just a dorky send-up to Alien: It’s also about loving your child for who they are, no matter what they look like or how they come into their own.
“This wasn’t really intended but looking back on the shoot now I feel like that the underlying message, other than the comedy and the horror was that, love your kids for who they are,” Todd explained to the National Post. “However they come out, whoever they happen to be, just love them and support them even if they are hideous, alien creatures, give them a hug.”
H/T io9