Baby, you ought to be in pictures

Lawrence toddler semifinalist in nationwide photo contest.

By: Lea Kahn
   When Danielle Short’s aunt saw an advertisement seeking young contestants for the October cover of Babytalk magazine, she suggested entering a photograph of her infant in the contest.
   Although Gabrielle, Ms. Short’s 14-month-old daughter, won’t be gracing the cover of this month’s issue of the magazine, the fair-haired, blue-eyed child was named one of eight semi-finalists from among 125,000 contestants nationwide.
   Gabrielle and her proud mother also won a 1 minute shopping spree at the Babies "R" Us store at the Nassau Park Pavilion shopping center in West Windsor. Ms. Short scooped up an assortment of toys, a booster car seat, stroller and a bicycle.
   Seated in the family’s living room at their Bunker Hill Road home after the shopping spree on Friday, Ms. Short recalled being intrigued by her aunt’s suggestion to enter the contest.
   "I thought I would take a photograph (and submit it)," Ms. Short said. "I think she’s a beautiful child, as all mothers do. I thought it was something we were going to try. We had nothing to lose."
   Imagine Ms. Short’s surprise when she came home from work one day last May to learn Gabrielle — who by then was almost a year old — had been chosen as a semi-finalist.
   "I called Babytalk, and they said, ‘Congratulations, you and your baby are one of eight semi-finalists,’" Ms. Short said. "I was shocked. I had forgotten about it. I had to think for a second, and then it rang a bell. Then I remembered I had entered the photo contest."
   Ms. Short and Gabrielle, along with the seven other semi-finalists, were invited this past summer to spend two days in New York City while a professional photographer took pictures of the babies.
   The eight contestants, from as close as suburban New Jersey to as far as Nevada, also were filmed for a brief segment on the ABC television program "Good Morning America," which aired in mid-August.
   The tykes and their parents stayed at the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan where they mingled and had a "very nice time," Ms. Short said. They met the editors and staff of Babytalk, and the staff of "Good Morning America."
   "Gabrielle was a hit with the ("Good Morning America") cameraman," Ms. Short said. "She followed the cameraman around. She tried to take the microphone off the camera and hand it to the cameraman. They went back and forth with it. Gabby was eating a croissant, and she tried to share it with the cameraman."
   Once the segment was aired, viewers and Babytalk magazine readers were invited to vote online for their favorite child. When the votes were counted, Abigail Goldman, a 13-month-old from Cherry Hill, was declared the winner.
   Still, mom is "very proud of Gabby."
   "I was so excited for her," Ms. Short said. "I know I am biased — I’m her mother — but she does turn heads. It was a new experience and something that we enjoyed."
   While Ms. Short would not rule out entering another photo contest if the opportunity presented itself, it is not something she’s going to make an effort of, adding she is not seeking an agent for Gabrielle.
   "For now, I think that this was just a one-time thing," Ms. Short said. "If I hear of another contest, maybe I would send another picture. It’s not a goal of mine. I just want Gabby to be a child and enjoy her childhood."