September 11th Photos

Below is a gallery of photos I took over a period of time from lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights. I was not present in New York on that day, but rather in Milwaukee on a business trip. Cancelled flights required me to drive all the way home. Once back in Brooklyn, I picked up my camera and immediately started to document what I saw. Below are descriptions of the photo galleries and links to them in my photo section.

Worldwide Coverage

Stamm & Belz GmbH of Essen Germany are running a display of photographs which are blown up to poster size and put on display commemorating the victims of September 11th. I was contacted by Stamm & Belz in 2002 and was asked if my photos of 9/11 would be part of the exhibit.

The Photo Galleries

9/11/01 - Brooklyn Heights Vigil

A view of lower Manhattan from the Brooklyn Heights Promonade. After being stuck on a business trip in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I could not get a flight back to new York. Instead of waiting for the airlines to book me on a flight, I drove home. The drive was 1000 miles (1610 Kilometers) including a 100+ mile wrong turn. The drive started at 4:00am and ended the same day at 11:00pm. I drove this distance straight through with only bathroom breaks. I was very tired and I wanted to make it back to my apartment in Brooklyn. Once I got to Brooklyn, I grabbed my camera and ran down to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. There were hundreds and hundreds of people on the promenade. Usually, there are only 50 or so people walking around. You can see the place where the WTC once stood and in its place was this very white smoke lit up by the construction lights. There were many people crying and holding each other. Some had pictures of people they lost or were missing. There were candles everywhere along with pictures and banners from members of the community. This went on for weeks. For some it was a way to cope with the loss and stress of the event. — (Ron Poserina, Sept. 14, 2001)

9/11/01 - Ground Zero

Pictures from Ground Zero Sept. 19th, 2001 I work at 40 Broad Street, no more than .3 miles from the site (.5 Kilometers). I brought my camera to get some shots of what was going on at the site. There were thousands of people looking, filming and taking pictures. The police were trying to make people leave as they were over crowding the sidewalks and blocking the intersections. I used to go into 2 World Trade Center to work with a client of mine on the 86th floor. (Morgan Stanley), now there was nothing but rubble. I am thankful I did not have to go to visit my client that morning as I had many time before. — (Ron Poserina, Sept. 19, 2001)

9/11/01 - Back to Work

Back to work on Sept. 19th, 2001 This morning I was very eager to get into Manhattan and take a look around. As I got off the Subway at the N/R Whitehall Street station, It was very eerie. There were military people and trucks everywhere. It was difficult to get around as the police blocked off every entrance to the WTC site. The smell was very unique and is something I will never forget. It smelled like burning rubber and the smell electrical sparks make all combined. It burned your lungs. There was dust and papers every where. All the cars were coated in soot and papers clogged the streets.