When I shoot a cover story or interview a celebrity, I always try to establish some kind of connection with the talent. After all, having a rapport automatically means that I’ll get a great interview, and that the pictures will be beautiful and meaningful.
For our cover shoot with Lorri Hafer, there was no trying—it was an instant connection.
From the moment we started speaking, I felt an immediate bond to Lorri. She just has this way about her that makes it easy to talk about anything. We shot her cover just steps away from her childhood home in New York City, and Lorri had lots of stories about her famous parents and what it was like growing up with them.
And then, I took out my old 45 rpm record of “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” and it was a total game changer. Tears were shed (from both of us, I’d like to add), and I told her how much I had loved that record when I was little. I had listened to it throughout my early childhood, and Lorri was so touched at how meaningful it was to me. Plus, to be able to hold it in her hands again was just miraculous.
Our cover shoot went on way longer than we had allotted for, because we were having such a good time laughing and sharing stories. And I can’t lie: when Lorri friended me on Facebook, I was only slightly giddy. We have become friends now, and continue to celebrate the joys and successes in each other’s lives. And that’s the joy of it all.