Yesterday, Gene Smith, a professional photographer who is a friend, did me the great favor of making a portrait of me for the cover of Eight Survived. The G-man, as we (and he) call him, worked wonders, given the limited material available.
We drove across the Delaware River into Philadelphia and stopped at Penn's Landing, a city riverfront park. There are three ships there on permanent display. The Moshulu is a square-rigger that was a grain carrier and is now a restaurant.The Olympia was the flagship of Admiral Perry. (There will be a quiz later, I'm told.) And the Becuna is a World War II submarine.
You have to pay to board the Olympia and the Becuna. But I talked to the nice lady at the gate and she agreed to let us in so Gene could take his pictures.
I stood on the deck of the Becuna, in the shadow of the conning tower. The sky was brilliant blue and the sun was sliding down the afternoon ramp, so the shadows were already long.
But it was breezy and cool, and the beige LL Bean barn coat I'd worn thrashed in the wind.
That wasn't a problem for Gene. But my bulky sling with its foam bolster was an issue. The coat was draped over the left shoulder. The sling propped the coat's fabric in a way that made it look like a tent. Gene said that, with the bulky garment, I looked as though I was pregnant with twins.
When we returned to Gene's studio, he manipulated the images on the computer. It was like magic.
I hope he gets some business through his work yesterday. He made me look respectable, which itself is a serious accomplishment.