Gabby's Photo Session

Gabby is an amazing girl, a totally amazing person.  A born actress with the drive to potentially take it the entire distance, she is currently rehearsing for a stage production of the musical Oliver! and getting notice after just a few short weeks (she started late) by the powers who be there.  Eric & I are trying to make her dream happen, and as a result, thanks to wonderful information from Audrey, we made contact with Robin from Robin Lorraine Photography and she had her first photo session ever to get the Head Shots necessary to take this dream to the next level.

We, of course, see Gabby as she is in our home.  Beautiful, incredibly intelligent, wonderfully talented, but as her parents (me a step, of course), we also see the things that she needs to work on as she matures.  We had spent a week in hard preparation for this shoot, and a combination of not knowing what was expected of her along with a bad case of being 12 years old made us almost cancel the shooting session even the day before.  We were not sure she was ready for this experience, not ready to do what is needed to be a real professional.

We had gone as far as packing Gabby's clothes up to return to the store and even telling her she wasn't ready and canceling.  But Eric & I again talked about it way into the night on the Friday evening before it was scheduled, and decided to talk to her and assess her commitment level.  She passed the test, we finished up preparing on Saturday (with sometimes only reluctant help from Gabby, but she rose to the occasion every time I put it on the line), and on Sunday morning early, we headed off to Barnsdale Art Center to go to work.

Gabby was amazing, Gabby was perfect, Gabby was the consummate professional doing everything Robin (who is so amazingly cool, Hollywood cool, and definitely an artist - you know I relate to artists - that I loved her even as I envied her beauty and thinness) asked of her.  For three long, grueling hours, Gabby was focused, responsive, cooperative, and a woman (not a girl, but a woman and a professional) who was giving everything that was asked of her.  I can hardly wait to see the proofs later this week!

Robin was amazing herself.  She was great with Gabby, wonderful with me (what the h-ll do I know about being a Stage Mom?  I was winging it and she never made me uncomfortable as I made only a few suggestions but fumbled with the wardrobe changes quite a bit and was a garden of information as we chase this dream as far as Gabby wants to go), and I'd recommend her to pretty-much anyone with a child who wants to act.

After the shoot was over, Gabby mentioned that she had never seen Grauman's Chinese Theater, and since we were close to it, I knew she deserved a short field trip before heading home, and then immediately off to her Oliver! rehearsal.

Of course, she was tired when she got home, and this morning, she was still tired but getting back to her normal flamboyant self.  But I am changed.  That is, my attitude is changed.  Although Gabby can be quite challenging in all aspects at home, I adore her, I've now seen her at work, and I have absolute faith that she really does have the ability and focus to make the rainbow we're trying to catch a reality.

Gabby measuring herself up against Meryl Streep (who she hadn't heard of - lol!).  Does she have the ability to be the next Ms. Streep?  After today, I think the answer is probably yes!

Go Gabby!  You have the talent that only a few in Hollywood have.  You have been, since the moment I met you some three years ago, the girl who always stood out from the pack.  And now I see that you DO have the resources to pull out the focus required when it's needed.  I'm behind you the entire way!