Analysing an image

This image was shot on September 12, 2001 by documentary photographer Steve McCurry. It captures the sunrise in the aftermath of the Manhattan terrorist attacks. McCurry talks about this photograph in an interview with the New York Times. He speaks of the security being extremely tight, as you could imagine nobody was allowed in close proximity to the disaster zone. McCurry went down to the site in the early hours of September 12, 2001 and cut a hole in the fence. This allowed him access and he was able to spend the morning documenting the aftermath of September 11, until he was removed by angry police. McCurry commented that when he was removed from the area the police were very hostile as he was seen as a tourist/onlooker however he knew as a documentary photographer he needed to record this moment in time.

I selected this image for the sheer power of documentary photography. This photograph has become an historical document as it captured key elements from an event that changed the world as we knew it. The event resulted in various major conflicts around the world as part of the “War on Terrorism” and changed our awareness of the extent to which terrorism could impact the western world on its home soil.

Documentary photography takes the viewer to a different place, it helps people understand the significance and the aftermath. It is a powerful tool, in this case it allows us to understand the gravity of the situation. It captures the elements that have not been captured by live news.

It is events like this where thousands of people are fleeing the scene , the documentary photographers are trying to get to the heart of the story. They understand the importance of recording moments like these.

The photograph captures the pieces of what once was an iconic landmark. The photograph while depicting a broken building also symbolises the death and destruction that occurred. The colour tone of the photograph creates a very sombre feel, a life and death. The darkness is symbolic of the tragedy and the hundreds of lives lost and the light coming through the debris symbolises after life and the beginnings of hope.

The image has an unfamiliar feel, almost like another planet. It is like it has been shot straight from a war-zone, not on the familiar streets of Manhattan. The human elements standing in the foreground of the photo represent life , you could only imagine the magnitude of emotions they experienced in the clean up operation.

Historians regard photographs as critically important evidence that document past events. Susan Sontag once wrote “Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world, so much as pieces of it”. I believe that this is the case for the image McCurry shot on September 12 and the title of the work is also testament to this, “pieces of 9/11”.