Although it rained almost all the time, giving the daily life photographs a true British feel, the bad weather managed to hold off for the Big Picture. In the middle of setting up, Richard Hodson arrived from staying up all night on his job as a fireman. I worried that he was not going to make it, but instead he was enthusiastic. He kept finding new things for us to put into the picture--the first record he ever bought (the Temptations' Greatest Hits); a rucksack he has had since he was a Boy Scout; and his Bobby Moore photo montage (Bobby Moore was England's World Cup soccer captain in 1966, when England won).
The Hodsons were wonderfully patient about waiting in the bitter cold while we fussed about, even when I made them come back for "just another roll" of film when at last the sun came out. I found myself hoping for a fire when I went to photograph Richard at his job, but instead we had the longest string of false alarms he could remember. Still, I learned that it is a good idea to have a flashing blue light on your vehicle when you want to get somewhere in London in a hurry.
