Gail Over the Years
Every six months, like clockwork, Gail Shalan and I meet for a photo shoot. It’s become a ritual, one that feels both grounding and full of discovery. Gail—a brilliant actress and award-winning voice narrator—brings so much of herself to these sessions that they always feel more like collaborations than simple portraits.
There’s a running joke between us that we’ll keep this tradition alive for another 10 or 20 years, just so we can publish Gail Over the Years.
But, if I’m honest, it doesn’t feel like a joke at all. With each shoot, we create images that seem to hold their own stories, images that I cherish more and more as time goes on.
Gail isn’t just a dream to photograph—she’s a force. Every session begins long before the day itself, with emails and ideas, photos of vintage dresses, and conversations about themes. And when she arrives, she’s never without her perfectly packed suitcase, brimming with looks that are as striking as they are versatile. Each outfit feels like a character in its own right, and it’s a delight to see how Gail breathes life into them. One of these days, I’ll have to take a proper portrait of Gail and her suitcase—a behind-the-scenes moment too good to stay hidden in memory.
Over the last couple of years, our sessions have explored light and shadow, movement and stillness. There’s a quiet alchemy in the way Gail steps in front of the lens, and suddenly, the space around her feels charged, alive. I never quite know what we’ll create, but I know it will feel like her: layered, evocative, and endlessly compelling.
Today, though, I want to step back from the portraits to celebrate something truly special.
Gail was recently honored with the prestigious AudioFile Earphones Award for her narration of Gabrielle Korn’s The Shutouts.
Her voice—a voice capable of carrying a listener through entire worlds—brings such depth and nuance to the story, it’s no surprise she received this recognition. Seeing one of my photographs accompany the announcement in AudioFile Magazine was its own quiet thrill—a small way to feel part of her incredible journey.
Congratulations, Gail, on this well-deserved honor. I can’t wait to see where your artistry leads next. And as for the portraits? I’m already looking forward to the next chapter—and yes, that eventual book.
