A Marine donned a merman outfit on a Florida beach for an amusing photoshoot – and his photos quickly went viral on the internet.
Beau Shepherd put up his military hat as well as a blue and gold merman tail for the shoot, which he said was meant to cheer up troops deployed overseas.
Speaking to WDRB, Shepherd said: ‘Well my job in the Marines is amphibious, as in we move from sea to land, so I wanted to include that.’
‘I mainly wanted something as a joke to my Marine buddies that would make them laugh at the ridiculousness of it all,’ the tattooed serviceman added.
‘The crayons are because other branches joke about us being crayon eaters, so I wanted to satirize that,’ the marine quipped.
The unusual shoot was arranged with the collaboration of photographer Jacqueline Elliott, nicknamed Jackie.
Elliott posted the amusing pictures on Facebook and it didn’t take long for them to go viral. But sadly, she ‘had to take them down per his higher officers.’
Shepherd’s pictures, however, did make his daughter and wife giggle.
‘My daughter thought it was cool and funny so now she will always have a pic of me as a merman,’ he said.
His wife Alicia said: ‘Who needs mermaids when you have mermen?!’
The photographer continued: ‘I am so glad it made people laugh and smile! Life is so short… take time to laugh and enjoy humor! I love my job that I get to make magic and bring people together with photography!’
Netizens, especially the people associated with Marines, loved the shoot.
Reyna Puente said: ‘I am a Marine and I absolutely loved the pics. I don’t know why anyone would make you take them down.’
John N Shannon Furlong wrote: ‘My Husband Is a Marine. We thought it was Great!!!’
One internet user said: ‘My son is a Marine and said he would totally do this and shared it as well.’
Another wrote: ‘My husband is retired Navy. He thought it was a cool thing. Good fun guys are still around.’
Some people even suggested the Marines they knew to do the same.
‘I shared what I saw with my husband. He’s a marine. I’d love for him to do this. We just had a daughter 9 weeks ago and her room is all mermaid,’ one user wrote.
Elliott is now thinking of doing another shoot with Shepherd for a charity calendar. ‘I think it’s a great way to show our troops are amazing and have an amazing sense of humor,’ she told WDRB.
‘Humor gets people through dark times, and if this doesn’t make someone laugh, I don’t know what will.’
Recommended Video!
“Military Mom Dresses Up As A School Mascot For Tearful Surprise After She Came Back From Overseas”