Archive for the ‘News’ Category
From the Faces of Ground Zero Project
Joe Hodges, Ladder 6, FDNY, 2001
On medical leave, Hodges was undergoing a stress test at a doctor’s office in Staten Island when the attacks occurred. A 20-year veteran of the DNY, he is eligible to retire but has no plans to do so anytime soon.
“I pulled myself off of medical leave and hiteched a ride on a tugboat to Manhattan. Knowing that everyone I worked with was in the buildings, I had to go. There are so many young guys on the job now, older guys like me have to show them the ropes. It’s a tradition in the fire department. Now’s not the time to leave.
Joe stayed on the job for several more years after 911. He was a quintessential go to guy in the house–veteran firefighter, always up for a laugh or a prank. I have to imagine guys like Joe are the glue that hold a whole firehouse together. He’s retired now, and thoroughly enjoying that retirement, living out on Staten Island. We visited him recently, shot a few pictures, and had a beer. I know his wife Eileen, who calls him her hero, is happy to have him home and safe, no longer plunging into burning buidlings.
I caught up with Joe a few years back as well, and made a photo with him from Governor’s Island in the New York harbor on July 4th, 2005. For the technically minded, this is one small flash, off to camera right, TTL, and a six second exposure.
Joe’s images and story will be on the floor of the Time Warner Center in NYC, starting this Wednesday.
more tk….
Press conference on August 24th, 9-11am, on the second floor of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. This has been a bit of a saga, folks, and I’ll be blogging about it through the show dates. Many thanks to all, especially our sponsors, and the folks at Related, who manage the Time Warner Building. This would not have been possible without a lot of effort from lots of folks. Just click on below to enlarge.
Bill Butler was with Josephine Harris and five other members of Ladder 6, inside the North Tower of WTC when it came down. They resolutely stuck with Josephine, refusing to leave her, despite her painfully slow rate of descent. Bill half carried her, cajoling her all the way about seeing her grandchildren again. The building came down, and the miracle of Josephine’s pace put all of them in a fourth floor stairwell that remained intact. Somehow, as the building came down, crushing everything around it, they, and Josephine, survived.
Bill Butler, 2001, Firefighter, Ladder 6, FDNY
While trapped with Harris and his ladder company in Stairwell B, Butler used a cell phone to call emergency numbers but couldn’t get through. As a last effort, he called his home in Orange County, N.Y. His wife, Diane, answered.
“I just said, “Hi, what are you doing?” I was trying to be nonchalant. She said, “Where are you?” I said “We’re at the World Trade Center.” She asked, “Is everything okay?” Then I said, “Well, we have a little problem. We’re trapped in the Trade Center, but we’re okay.” Then she started to cry a little bit, because she knew there was no World Trade Center. At that point I said, “Listen, you can’t cry. I have to give you some information. You have to call the firehouse or call someone and tell them where we’re at.”
Lieutenant Bill Butler, FDNY, Aug. 3, 2011
Ten years later, Bill is a lieutentant with FDNY, serving at Ladder 56, Engine 48, up in the Bronx. His memories of the day are still vivid, even with the passing of time. Shot this, along with a video interview with Bill, just last week. The interview, and the portraits open at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, on Aug. 24th.
Exhibition made possible with the generous sponsorship of Nikon USA, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan, and friends of the collection.
More tk….
It’s been a hectic week, with preparations for the show, late night shoots at firehouses in the Bronx, and trip prep. Jade Mountain popped up on CNN as the hotel with the number one view in the world. And it’s where we head next week to shoot a book project, and to teach a workshop. Info about the advanced lighting techniques workshop here.
All of a sudden, dealing with the week seems easier….:-) More tk….
As we approach, somewhat unbelievably, the 10th Anniversary of 911, I’ll be posting some of the work my studio has done over the years relating to that fateful day. Just postcards and notes, really, from that time of dust and destruction, to now, a time of healing and resurgence. All these updated photos, complementing the Giant Polaroids of Sept/Oct 2001, have been a project that has taken most of our time this year. They will be on display at the Time Warner Center in NYC, starting August 24th, and running through September 12th.
From the book, Faces of Ground Zero: 2001
Father Brian Jordan, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, midtown Manhattan
In the days and weeks after the attacks, Father Jordan, who succeeded his fallen friend, Father Mychal Judge, as FDNY Chaplain, ministered to workers at Ground Zero. In a special ceremony, he rode a crane bucket up to where welders had mounted the cross-shaped girder from Tower 1, then blessed the impromptu monument. “We have seen evil at its worst, but goodness at its best. I worked to provide hope and healing–to give comfort to the living and bless the dead.”
Ten year later, Father Jordan, still a champion of the labor unions, immigrant workers, and the working people of New York City, remains busy. Almost too busy for this photo. I trailed him onto the subway, where, predictably, he was still in his trademark sneakers, moving fast, helping people.
More tk….
