Photographing Miss America and Miss Photogenic (Miss Universe)
To date, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing not one but two crowned heads of the pageant world.
Gionna Cabrera, Miss Photogenic (Miss Universe)
Gionna Cabrera, from the Philippines awarded Miss Photogenic at the Miss Universe pageant and Miss America, Kirsten Haglund. Both were a pleasure to work with. Beautiful, charismatic and fun… There’s a desire and enthusiasm to do good work that inspires.
Gionna is of course stunning, but what impressed me was her professionalism. She was focused and stayed that way throughout; Tireless, gracious and willing to play along. It’s great working with people that are enthusiastic about trying things; and it usually pays off with great images.
On a personal note, I was in Manila a few years back. It was nice talking to her about my three-month long stay; comparing notes on the things I had seen and the people I’d met. I even tried some of the Tagalog I remembered… and she didn’t laugh (much).
The first time I met Kirsten I was struck by her poise and maturity. She spoke with authority on a multitude of subjects but always with humility; a winning combination by any account but particularly
Miss America, Kirsten Haglund.
impressive for someone in their late teens. She’s an actress, singer and a trained dancer! She started acting long before her tenure as Miss America and now that she’s passed the crown to the current Miss America, she returned to acting and is based in LA. Did I mention she has a beautiful singing voice and speaks French? …We really had fun during the shoot.
In fulfilling their duties (most of which have to do with charitable organizations and raising awareness for good causes) both these young women were constantly on the move, traveling to interesting places and meeting the movers and shakers of this world. It was a pleasure and a privilege to have met them and a lot of fun to hear some of the remarkable things they’d accomplished in their twelve-month tenure.
I wish them both the best of luck and continued success in their careers.
Hair and make-up by the talented Alvin Lumbres. His contact information is available upon request.