Wow! Whimsical photos celebrate the quirky side of parenting

Photographer John Wilhelm has a great sense of humor when it comes to parenting, and his photos certainly show it.

Wilhelm, his girlfriend Judith, and their three young daughters have banded together on a photo project that highlights the funny, quirky and sometimes messy side of parenting. With the perfect mix of youthful imagination and professional retouching, John Wilhelm is able to create a fanciful world that every parent can appreciate.

Wilhelm, 43, of Switzerland, never has a problem finding models for his photo shoots. He says that's just one of the perks of working with family!

"Sometimes I have to bait them with sweets," Wilhelm says, revealing the tricks of his trade.

Wilhelm says that this photo is his daughters' favorite, and we can see why. He made this image after he caught his oldest daughter Lou, 5, stealing candies from the cupboard.

Not all of Wilhelm's ideas are drawn from real-life experiences. He says some are born from his dreams in the middle of the night, which he writes down while the thought is fresh in his mind.

The creations may look picture-perfect, but when it comes to building photo illustrations there is a whole world of production that viewers rarely get to see. Nothing is quite what it seems.

For all the pragmatists out there, Wilhelm posts before and after photos on his Facebook page so followers can see his process from concept to finished product.

Wilhelm photographs a sky almost every day just in case he needs to add in some sunshine or clouds.

Images like this one are put together piece by piece until the end result is just right.

(Don't worry, no child was harmed in the making of this photograph!)

Wilhelm's favorite images are the ones that work straight out of the camera, like this photo, in which he makes a cameo appearance.

This octopus photo "was pure horror," Wilhelm confesses. He designed the tentacles with ZBrush, a digital sculpting tool, in order to give the sea monster a 3D appearance.

He went through multiple rounds of sketches and practice shots before finally ending up with this photograph.

"Try to hold a 5-year-old by one leg up in the air for a shot," Wilhelm dares.

"Almost every creative process is bound to pain and sleepless nights," the dogged photographer says.

But the finished products are always worth the time.

Creating an image like this one takes upward of five to 10 hours, and Wilhelm often has to photograph multiple locations for each layer.

He posted a time-lapse video of the editing process on YouTube.

Lou and Mila like to sit by their father's side as he edits the photos. If they're lucky, he lets the girls paint a few strokes on his tablet.

This image of Wilhelm's oldest daughter Lou running into a field of poppies is one of his favorites.

Wilhelm's young daughters are used to their dad's crazy concepts and love getting dolled up for the photos.

Lou helps her little sister Mila get her posing face just right.

Wilhelm's daughters really ham it up for the camera. He swears they don't need much coaching since they're already "pretty big balls of energy."

"If you have a 4-year-old daughter you know what I mean!" he adds.

Bath time can be sweet and squeaky clean — and downright silly, too.

Wilhelm says his daughters are probably too young to understand exactly what his photography is about, but they're good sports nonetheless.

"I think I have a healthy emotional binding to my girls," Wilhelm says, "and so they can feel how important this photo stuff is for me."

Even the youngest Wilhelm girl participates in the fun! Seven-month-old Yuna has been modeling for her parents since before she was born, and she's likely to join her sisters in more and more photos as she grows up.

To see more of John's Wilhelm's fanciful photos, visit his personal website or Facebook page.