9/11 Photographer Thomas Hoepker

 September 11th, 2022

Commenting on a 9/11 quote by Thomas Hoepker

By: Connor Albaugh

Comment on the following 9/11 quote by Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker: "I strongly believe in documentary photography, in taking pictures of real life. When I looked at the pictures from our photographers, there were some that were wonderful or clever compositions, but they emphasized the artistry in photography rather than telling the story. We didn’t put those pictures in this book. I don’t think they belong in this book because they do not serve its purpose, which is to bear witness. In a moment like this you must be very humble. When something like this happens, nothing you do can adequately respond to the monstrosity of the event."

        Before I begin my blog, I would like to take the opportunity to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Today marks the 21st anniversary of one of the largest terrorist attacks orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist group "Al-Qaeda". Not only did they crash planes into the twin towers in New York City, but they also crashed planes into the pentagon and one almost made it to the White House. The twin towers were arguably the largest buildings in the world and were a symbol of power, peace, and American pride. Tuesday in 2001 seemed to be as normal as every other day for people until tragedy struck. Some people experienced immense pain, while others were lucky to be alive as they watched their workplace, a place many would go to on a daily basis to make their living go up in flames and fall to the ground. This was a day that shocked a lot of people, and being that I was less than four months away from being born, I feel somewhat of a connection to the event even though I was not yet alive to witness such a horrific and catastrophic event. For many, it was a day that was shocking, sad, and rightfully so, angered and frightened not only the New York citizens, but people across the world. After such an attack on our soil, the United States was under attack and there was nothing anyone could do but react and respond. No one, and I mean no one, saw this coming. 

        One person who happened to witness as well as photograph the event of 9/11 goes by the name of Thomas Hoepker. He is a Magnum photographer, a company whose goal is to capture important historical events. Thomas was one of many photographers who were able to capture photographs of such an important, yet tragic event in our nation's history. On behalf of his quote, there are multiple details that are worth commenting on. First off, documentary photography. Documentary photography revolves around the idea that the photographs taken are supposed to document, describe, and account for a major circumstance or event. Additionally, it allows the photographer to generate some kind of narrative to explain the event or situation they are in without words, unless they actively write about the event or situation they are in along with the photos they took. With this being said, Thomas believes in this type of photography and takes great ownership in being able to have such a role in our society. Documenting such events or circumstances requires one to be present and active in order to digest and take in all that is happening through the use of photographs. In Thomas's quote, this is what he is mentioning. The photo he took of 9/11 is a good example of a "real life photo" in real time as people look to be going through their day as normal while two of the tallest buildings in New York and the world happen to be surrounded by smoke and physical destruction. There seems to be people riding bikes and enjoying a nice September day and don't seem to be bothered by the huge cloud of smoke flying over the Chesapeake Bay. This type of documentary photography is a perfect example of Thomas's "photos of real life" because the people in the photograph are acting as they would on any day of the week, but this is a day that happens to be an exception to normalcy. The second part of Thomas's quote talks about photos taken by photographers and their inability to capture a "true story" because they chose "quality and artistry" over photos that would work well in detailing the event of 9/11 in a much more precise and delicate fashion. I agree with this statement because when something of this magnitude happens, photographers in this case see an opportunity to obtain a good image of the event to give them some sort of souvenir or memory of such a tragic event. Photos of this event could make a photographer a lot of money, and also may give them a sense of accomplishment and could be seen as a prize. However, 9/11 is much more than a picture of an event that may make its way onto someone's wall to look back at as to remember the past. This doesn't do justice to the event and doesn't give respect to the ones who lost their lives or to the people who are doing their best to protect our country and save lives. For example, the picture above is a good example of what Thomas is talking about in regards to "artistry" instead of telling true story about the event (Article #1). The photo shows the Empire State building in the foreground and the city of  New York as well as smoke that is coming from the planes who have struck the twin towers. The main message for this photo is that the Empire State building is untouched and holds its ground as a historical, yet remains as one important piece of New York as another, if equal or more important, piece of New York's city which happens to be the twin towers groans as their eventual reign of importance and power falls to the ground defenseless. The overall composition of the photo above is very well done, capturing important buildings of New York while also taking into account a serious event that is taking place. The focus is well executed because it focuses on the Empire State building and blurs out the twin towers slightly because the Empire State building will take over on behalf of height and will stand as one of New York's largest and most important landmarks fall in defeat. Lastly, the buildings in the center are well centered, as the photographer of this photo most certainly wanted the viewer to keep their attention on these two buildings because of how important they are historically and globally on behalf of world peace and economic prosperity. 

        However, as we take a look at this photograph, it fails to document pain, sadness, and distress that was experienced and felt by the American people as well as the New York citizens who were present for this event when it happened. When Thomas says "it focuses more on artistry than telling a story" and that "he didn't place these types of photos in this particular book," I think he was right in doing so. A photo that captures the building from ground zero pointing up that pictures the tower's deterioration as well as the panic of people in the streets of New York city would do a far better job at telling a story then the photo pictured at the top of this blog. Another picture that would do better at creating a far better depiction visually and emotional distress on behalf of the event could be of the first or second plane inches from the tower while also photographing people on the streets in New York City going through life as normal. Both would serve as good examples in terms of telling a story of the event because a photograph that shows life before the event would serve as a symbol of people comfortable and would simply detail a normal day where no one expects an airplane let alone any aircraft get anywhere close to a building. A second photograph that shows people panicking, the twin towers in poor shape, and the feeling of being scary and terrified would help draw a story about how people are reacting as terror and uncertainty fill the air after such a horrific event occurs. Often times as photographs we try to get the best angle, height, composition, visual settings, and positioning for an image without taking into account the true significance of the situation at hand. This is what Thomas means when he comments on the fact that "they don't tell a story in full entirety" because Thomas felt many of the photographers generate incredible images yet failed to take in the significance of 9/11. It is hard to say whether a photo can be too artistic or not because it truly depends on the photographer and what they were able to capture at a point in time. Each photograph has their own style, craft, and creativity that one implements into their work and it is up to them what they make of the things they photograph and whether they generate a story that is worth telling and eventually remembering. But, for 9/11's sake, photos that tell a story and are able to remind us of what had occurred and what people experienced on this day holds to be more important than an image that is visually and technically well done to please the photographer on seen and people who may see the photo in the future.   

        Although one could point out several examples of photos to tell a story about such an incredibly sad and pain-stricken event in our nation's history, this brings me to my last comment on behalf of Thomas Hoepker's quote above. Thomas comments on the fact that 9/11, as prodigious as it was, needs to be handled gently and "in a moment like this one should be very humble". This day on a normal Tuesday in September turned out to be an attack on US soil and on the American people. Thomas speaks very well here and makes a good point on behalf of the importance of the event. A photographer in this case shouldn't be so caught up in themselves to capture something meaningful for them on behalf of a photograph. It neglects human lives that were lost and would otherwise fail to give credit to the people putting their lives at risk to protect the country, help people injured from the event, or people who are running for their lives scared and afraid. There were many heroic things done on this day, such as firemen sprinting up the stairs of burning twin towers as an attempt to save more lives as well as the passengers who were able to take over the plane headed for the White House and crash it in a field. In this scenario, people knew they were going to die and instead of letting cowardice and selfishness get in the way of resembling a true example of an American and saving the country from another account of destruction, people on the plane came together to outnumber the terrorists who put our nation at risk. These people, along with the people working on ground zero and in the pentagon to help others and save the lives of the fallen are all true examples of what it means to be an American citizen and what it takes to leave an impact on you and others. When Thomas talks about being humble, this is what he means. In terms of a photography point of view, one who simply photographs the event for personal enjoyment is missing the point is acting and doing what's best for oneself. Instead, a photographer who not only documents the event and is able to showcase such an event in true entirety but also makes an effect to play a part in making sure the American citizens are safe, find medical attention, or allow them to have some type of tranquility in such a traumatic turn of events is a photographer worth noticing. "When something like this happens, nothing you do can adequately respond to the monstrosity of the event" is the last sentence of the quote shown above that was said by Thomas Hoepker. Thomas ends his take on 9/11 through photography and personal experience nicely here. His reasoning for saying such a line that is simple, yet has a lot of hidden meeting is worth noting. Most people in such an event are in shock and there naturally instincts start to kick in. There are a lot of things many people fail to understand and take into account on behalf of the event and why it occurred. People may second guess their judgement, place blame on people such as airport security, act only for themselves to save their own lives, or simply be too taken back that it affects them for the rest of their lives. Here, Thomas is saying that there are so many variables involved such as emotion, fear, anger, etc. that people may attempt to use when putting some type of label or meaning on this event to solidify their understand or explain their perspective. When it comes to photography, Thomas wants people, especially his Magnum photographers as well as people who were on the streets before, during, or after the event, to see that there will always be things to add or things people miss when trying to handle such a time. 9/11 will always hold significant value, emotion, distress, etc. towards this event that may be more or less than the person beside them. But, the one thing that Thomas Hoepker wants his photographers as well as normally people to take away from this is that on behalf of the extent of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there will always be something worth pointing out or reminiscing about that holds a special meaning and weight for each and every person who saw our safety and security in the hands of dangerous people. Thomas wants people to take in such an event on their own and find meaning that holds true to such a horrible time in our nation's history that not only honors, but gives thanks and appreciation to those still with us and to those who are no longer with us. 

Sources: 

Article #1: https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/unmentionable-odour-of-death-offends-that-september-night/