September 11, 2001

On the day of the World Trade Center attack, I was living inside what quickly became known as "Ground Zero".  I grabbed my camera when I heard the first plane hit, and didn't stop. My photojournal was my way of sharing my experience with other people. Despite the horrors of the day, what stuck with me most is the strength and kindness of everyone coming together.

Please feel free to share it with others. If it makes a difference, if it reaches one more person who may take away something from it, I am grateful. 
On a TugboatI was pulled out on a tugboat, and taken to the redcross camp set up in New Jersey. You can start the photojournal HERE.  Please click on the next image at the top right, or use your right-arrow key to progress.
Since 2001, I have retraced my footsteps and some of those photos are referenced in-line, but can also be found here.

Contributions

NIST Investigation and Congressional Report:  It turns out I was one of the few photographers documenting the day as it unfolded, from the South side of the towers.  Some of these photographs have been a part of the NIST investigation into the collapse, and a part of the final congressional report.  The time stamp on a digital camera, apparently helped the investigation with establishing a timeline of how fast the fire spread.  

National September 11 Memorial Museum:  Some images are also a part of the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

LIFE:   In 2011, on the 10 year anniversary, my photos were picked up by LIFE Magazine's online spread - a great honor, so I've put those images separately here. 

NYC Epicenters: 9/11 - 2021 1/2:  And now, on the 20 year mark, some of my photos are in the Spike Lee Documentary "NYC Epicenters: 9/11 - 2021 1/2".  A love story to the strength and endurance of NY, through the 9/11 attacks to COVID.

Steven

But the best story that came out of all of this, is about Steven.

On the 10th Anniversary of September 11, LIFE published some of my photographs in their online Memorial feature. Steven found me online in 2011, having seen this image of him. He told me he was the unidentified man in the photograph, and asked if he could have a copy.  I said yes, of course, and asked him if he would send me a photo of him smiling, in return. He sent me this photo, with his daughter who was still a newborn in 2001.  He is there to see her grow up, and now I remember him as the guy in this photo, not the face of anguish in the photo above.  THAT, makes me profoundly happy.   EpilogueThis is Steven.

Steven found me online in 2011, having seen this image of him. He told me he was the unidentified man in the photograph, and asked if he could have a copy. I said yes, of course, and asked him if he would send me a photo of him smiling, in return.

He sent me this photo, with his daughter who was still a newborn in 2001. He is there to see her grow up, and now I remember him as the guy in this photo, not the face of anguish in the photo above.

THAT, makes me profoundly happy.

(*I did not take this image, as is clear from the above) Thank you all for reading through this.