Preston "signs on" with Goodbaby

Goodbaby is the top manufacturer of infant and children's products in China. They sell anything from strollers to baby baths to high chairs etc. The company was in search of a "western-looking blonde haired, blue-eyed toddler under the age of two" to model some of their products. Since Preston fit all of these categories (and not many Asian children do.....) I sent the company a picture of Preston, and told them he had expressed interest in being their spokesmodel. We were so proud when Preston was offered the positition. (ha ha) The day of the photo shoot we pulled up to the location and saw the official "Goodbaby" bus filled with 20-25 Chinese employees who would assist with the photo shoot.





Since we are not experienced "cat walk models" in the Wilde family, we were not sure what exactly to do, or have Preston do. I figured a few big grins to the camera, and we could call it good.....not so! The company was looking for particular hand motions, facial expressions, etc. These pictures would be published in the company's 2009 GoodBaby catalog, and they wanted to make sure the child's appearance would SELL the product. So, with the Ukranian model-pseudo mother (shown here) together with Preston, photographers, illustraters, tech-specialists, etc., the next three hours were interesting to say the least. Preston was photographed with different strollers, high chairs, and toddler "ride on's." The first hour and a half, Preston thought he was in heaven with all the new toys, and gadgets. However, after that, a few nasty kicks to the strollers, a couple meltdowns, and one large tantrum, it was evident he was done!! I was impressed when the amazingly patient chinese crew stood back, and told me they would wait as long as Preston needed before taking more photos!! (Inside my head I wondered if they truly realized this type of behavior sometimes can take a couple days to snap out of it, and didn't think they wanted to wait THAT long!)


Ironically, during one of his breakdowns, Anna grabbed Preston and threw him into the air (his favorite thing). The photographer captured the moment, loved the pose and expression, and immediately the crew realized they had the perfect picture for one of their catalog pages. (It was amazing how fast a computer can transform a bare-tummy into a perfectly-clothed child!)

A lot was learned today---first, how much WORK, and PATIENCE, this type of work really takes. Second, don't ever judge the product by the model's expression---some are forced. And Third, after this photo shoot, I'm all about digital retouches, and airbrush!! In the end, it was a fun experience, and a good first paycheck for Preston-boy! We look forward to seeing what pictures will actually be chosen when the catalog comes out shortly.