David Swenson worked in a data center in New York City and had a habit of taking weekly time-lapse photos of a new building being built across the street. He used the Twin Towers in his shots as a steady reference point.
On the morning of September 11, while taking one of his usual photos, he saw the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, crash into the North Tower. He captured this moment and kept photographing the events, including the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, hitting the South Tower, and the collapse of both towers. His photos, taken from 499 Washington Boulevard in Jersey City across the Hudson River, give a unique view of the attacks from nearby.
“Tuesday morning at 8:45am, I was in our data center taking pictures of the new building across the street,” Swenson said. “I had been taking weekly shots, using the Twin Towers to line up each photo so I could later make a time-lapse video of the 30-story building’s construction.”
“After taking a shot, I saw a large plane flying south over the Hudson River. At first, I thought it would be a great picture, but then American Airlines Flight 11 suddenly tilted about 40 degrees to the left and hit the North Tower. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. After snapping a few more photos, I ran to the hall, met some engineers, and went up to the roof for a better view. The scene was surreal. When United Flight 175 circled and hit the South Tower, we all realized we were under attack. We kept watching for another plane, and my knees went weak. I will never forget the image of Flight 11 rolling left and hitting the North Tower. Even now, seeing a plane overhead still startles me.”/
No comments:
Post a Comment