Joe McNally Presents: A 9/11 Remembrance, In Pictures

john1027

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Alexandria, VA
As we near the 10th Anniversary of 9-11, one of the most poignant articles I have read that should resonate with all photographers is the story told by professional photographer Joe McNally in the linked blog post. There is a video embedded in the post that is very moving and well produced.

Joe McNally Presents: A 9/11 Remembrance, In Pictures « Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Blog » Photoshop & Digital Photography Techniques, Tutorials, Books, Reviews & More

While we all might not be professional photographers that operate on the level that Joe McNally does, I think all serious photographers can benefit from his thoughts in this passage from his blog:

A quote from Photographer Joe McNally in the linked blog:

Here’s the thing about being a photog, which we sometimes forget when we get too involved counting pixels. When someone agrees to have you make their picture, even a quick snap, there’s an exchange, or the beginnings of a relationship, however cursory or fleeting. The subject is out there, in front of a lens, which is a very vulnerable place to be. Effectively, they give you, at the camera, a gift. It’s up to us as photographers to take care of it.

When someone comes to your studio during a time such as 911, everything ratchets upwards. Their vulnerability. The amount of trust they place in you. Your responsibility to them.

The flash of the light speaks a language beyond simple exposure. You trip the shutter (or, as with the Giant Polaroid, you pull the cap off the lens) and you have made a pact with that person out there on the seamless. You are effectively saying, I will do my best to make this a good photo. I will do my best to try to make sure you don’t regret coming here. And, just as importantly, you are promising to be the good shepherd of your image.


Please also visit the following site and view the photographs from 2001 and the updates for 2010. Appropraiately labeled the Faces of Ground Zero.

FACES OF GROUND ZERO
 
John, thank you so much for your post and the links. I saw Joe McNally's original tribute in Manhattan when it first opened. I can't remember when that date was but it felt as though it was shortly after September 11th, 2001, though I am sure it wasn't. Walking through the glass gallery with those huge color photographs, in the city...was an extremely moving experience.

Living where I do, in one of New York City's bedroom communities there is much in the local and area news about commemorating this 10th year remembrance. The deaths and loss hit home here in many ways. I will be reading this blog entry and looking at the two different sets of photographs, certainly more than just once. Again, thank you so much John.
 
I'm going to take the liberty to add my own tribute here. This is a photograph I took right around the 4th of July, our Independence Day here in the USA.

6128493661_afe49fcff3_b.jpg


The family here lost their son in the attacks on the World Trade Center, within the year the father died of a broken heart. In 2001, I did not know this family, though I knew of them. Since then I have gotten to know the mother and she is an indomitable woman, and an inspiration. I see her almost daily, as we both walk our dogs and we all like each other. I'm posting this in honor, in remembrance and in hope for peace.
 
thanks for the link. i am still as overwhelmed with grief as i was a decade ago, and i was an hour outside of manhattan at the time. NYC is my birthplace, and the news attention recently and all of the reminders of what happened ten years ago have been a lot to handle... this photo project really brought a smile to my face though. thank you again for sharing the link.
 
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