Sam Scoufos, Grooming Hides Behind Harmless - Couch (ADVERTISING & FASHION 2025)

This was shot on the back of a TV commercial for Bravehearts. The idea was to demonstrate the subtle and manipulative process of sexual grooming, wherein an offender will work to build the trust of not just the child, but the adults around the child. Grooming behaviours can often seem ‘innocent’ or ‘harmless’, such as the groomer spending one-on-one time with the child, making the child feel special by giving compliments, gifts and treats, taking the child on outings, or encouraging outings. The child who is being groomed may enjoy the special attention, and the adults around the child may consider the groomer to be helpful, charming or kind. The subtleness of these print ads can be missed the first time around, much like the predatory nature of the groomer. We photographed our talent in-situ and then photographed the hands in-situ as a plate and worked with a retoucher to bring them together.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.