Penny Bergman has directed several soap operas, and for her work on “All My Children” she received an emmy. Soon to direct a play in Cape May, NJ, I was hired to take her portrait in NY for it’s promotion. I went up a day prior to the shoot to scan the coastal areas of downtown Manhattan. I wanted something that would say “New York comes to Cape May”. In due time, I spotted a great little boat-turned-restaurant called the Frying Pan and knew it could work.
Now, sometimes I have crazy ideas, and I gotta be honest – not everything is completely thought through. This shoot was one of those times, when I played more the role of boatsman rather than photographer. The day of the shoot, I went to the top deck of the vessel where I intended to photograph her, only – I didn’t intend on the winds being 35mph and of course, I was working solo. Any light modifiers such as diffusion material turns into a sail and wants to stear the whole boat along with it. Nevertheless, I grabbed all the rope I had (including Sunny’s leash) and began to tie my gear down from every angle I could.
In a near panic as the shoot time crept closer, my softbox was finally secured to the boat. Penny ended up having a great time up on the howling deck. I was very pleased with the final shot – even if she forgot to bring her Emmy.
Frank Weiss Photo 