9/11 Aftermath, 2001

On September 11, 2001...


I was working as a staff photographer in the Philadelphia Bureau of the Associated Press. Reports came in that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. At the time, no one understood what exactly was going on, let alone understand the magnitude of these events. We didn’t even know for sure at first if it was a horrible accident or a terrorist attack. I was sent to the region to help cover the unfolding events. At sunrise, I made my way to the Hudson River coastal areas of Jersey City and Bayonne, NJ. When I looked at New York City across the river, I noticed that among the wreckage, debris, and smoke, the Statue of Liberty stood out on the skyline, holding her lighted torch high. After dark, I saw on the NYC skyline two columns of smoke rising from the wreckage, exactly where the Twin Towers had stood earlier. It would be days before airline flights would resume, and when they finally did, the sight of planes taking off was eerily juxtaposed against the smoldering smoke that still rose from lower Manhattan.


TECHNICAL:

Camera: Nikon D1 DSLR

Lens: Nikon Nikkor 500mm f4 IF AIS

Location: Port Jersey Blvd., Bayonne, NJ