Photo: Travis Dewitz

As far as children’s stories go, Little Red Riding Hood is a bit R-rated-ish; a wolf gets cut open by a mysterious woodsman and his big ol’ axe after all. But “Rotkäppchen–The Dark Tale of Red Riding Hood” takes it to a whole new, imaginative level. This project was a collaborative effort between local photographer Travis Dewitz (whom you may remember), young model Teslyn Johnson, and Teslyn’s mother and writer Ericka Johnson. The project started out as a normal Little Red Riding Hood story, but quickly changed to something darker. “All three of us worked very hard to capture the essence of what the Grimm Brothers would want to portray and we are extremely proud of the end result,” Ericka said. What started as a storyboard soon had photographs of Teslyn, to which Ericka added story. The images are emotional and precise, from Teslyn’s expressions, to the intricate details of Red Riding Hood’s cape, arm guards, and the 1800’s antique axe she wields. The chemistry that Dewitz and Teslyn have is also abundantly clear, even after working together for only eight months. “Teslyn has a unique natural ability in front of a camera and is amazing at what she does,” Dewitz said. In fact, Travis Dewitz has had two photos of Teslyn published by VOGUE Italia.

You can view “Rotkäppchen–The Dark Tale of Red Riding Hood” at www.dewitzphotography.com