It’s always an exciting time when the Sony World Photography Awards shortlist and finalist series are announced. As usual, looking through the 90-plus sets of images, many are done well and many I would like to have done. The reportage, Baby Boom, by finalist in the documentary category, Didier Bizet, is both. The babies in Didier’s images won’t babble, dribble or cry. They won’t need new clothes, throw up or dirty their nappies. They won’t grow into teenagers or grow old. They are hyper-realistic dolls that resemble a newborn baby, known in the industry as reborns.
Reborns appeared in the United States in the 1990s. The phenomenon is now worldwide. There are collectors, enthusiasts, workshops, books, competitions, stores, Expos, Facebook forums and YouTube channels where you can tune in to…