The nine months I worked at Ground Zero were among
the most rewarding of my life. I came in as an outsider, a
witness bent on keeping the record, but over time I began
to feel a part of the very project I’d been intent on
recording, and I was accepted on the site as a member of the
tribe. Photography is often a very solitary profession. But
the intense camaraderie I experienced at Ground Zero inspired
me, changing both my sense of myself and my sense of responsibility
to the world around me. September 11th was a tragedy of almost
unfathomable proportions. But living for nine months in the
midst of those individuals who faced that tragedy head-on,
day after day, and did what they could to set things right,
was an immense privilege. I am deeply grateful to have worked
alongside these men and women. I documented the aftermath
for everyone who couldn’t be there. But this book is
dedicated to those who were.
