Lollipop Lady

In the UK, school crossing guards are fondly known as “lollipop ladies” or “lollipop men” — a nod to the round, candy-like stop signs they hold. But in our neighbourhood, it’s not just a job. It’s a legacy — embodied by Bettina.

Bettina has been helping children cross the road safely for the past sixteen years. She started working outside the very school her own daughter once attended. Since then, she’s become a familiar and beloved figure, waving to parents, joking with kids, and anchoring our mornings with kindness and joy.

When I heard her story, I decided to visualise it through a child’s eyes — to imagine Bettina not just as a crossing guard, but a character from a magical world made entirely of sweets. That vision became this photograph: a dreamlike candyland, with pink sugar-floss trees, gingerbread houses, and jellybean curbs — and Bettina at the heart of it all, proudly holding her sign like a giant lolly.

When imagining this world, I turned to AI as a creative tool to reimagine reality. For a concept that needed a touch of whimsy and the surreal, it was the perfect medium to marry my portrait of Bettina to a setting and background that doesn’t exist, making it feel emotionally true.