This compilation of news reports captures the essence of that morning better than almost any other video on YouTube.
Category Archives: General
9/11 Tribute – In the Arms of an Angel
Chip East Reflects on the Last Photos of His Friend, Bill Biggart, Taken on 9/11
Photographer Chip East was staring intensely at his laptop screen.
It was two weeks after two jetliners had plowed into the towers of the World Trade Center. His good friend, photojournalist Bill Biggart’s body had been recovered from the rubble. His personal effects, including his cameras had been released by authorities to his widow, Wendy.
Bill Biggart’s Last Photos – 9/11
Bill Biggart’s final photograph. He was killed when the second World Trade Center tower collapsed on top of him. He was 53 years old.
I Believe – A 9/11 Tribute
Remembering 9/11
Photo by James Nachtwey for TIME magazine.
I will never forget staring at the screen. I was stunned. It was just a few moments after I got the phone call to turn on the TV. Then the second plane hit.
On this date, seventeen years ago, we experienced a great national tragedy in the United States. Not only in the lives that were lost in the terrorist attacks, the families torn asunder, and the emergency responders who suffered and continue to suffer terrible health problems as a result of working at the scene – but also in the way we view ourselves and our world. Over the last 12 months since 9/11/2016, 33 more first responders died of health issues related to 9/11.
In remembrance of that day, and to honor the lives that were lost, I am posting some tributes.
Favorite Photo, September 10
Andrew, Playground. September 10, 2005.
I looked in my “favorite photos” folder for September 10 at two photos, an image of flowers and an image of one of my grandsons. It was an easy choice.
Favorite Photo, September 9
Nicole. September 9, 2008.
My favorite photo for September 9 is a casual portrait. I was in a restaurant sitting across the table from a professional model. I loved the light on her face so I picked up my camera and clicked the shutter.
Update: Nicole also happens to be my favorite image for September 12.
Favorite Photo, September 7
Ryan on the water slide, Texas. September 7, 2015.
This is the same swimming pool as the one for the favorite photo for September 5. Our grandson Ryan has just come down the water slide and hit the water. I took photos as he came down the slide several times. This was the best photo of the bunch. I picked it for the splash he created when he hit the surface of the pool, as well as the expression on his face.
Favorite Photo, September 5
Sunset, Swimming Pool. September 5, 2015
We were visiting family in Texas and we all decided to head for the local swimming pool. As the sun set the beautiful light in the sky was reflected in the rippling water of the pool. This was an easy pick for my favorite photo taken September 5
Favorite Photo, September 4
Terran in a Tree. September 4, 2016.
Today’s choice for favorite photo was an easy pick. I found Terran, one of my grandsons, up in a tree and holding forth on some topic of conversation that was of interest to him at the time. He is very expressive.
Favorite Photo, September 3
Love Field, Dallas Texas. September 3, 2015
Our plane landed in Dallas at Love Field. When I stepped outside I liked how the curved wall of windows was reflecting the sky and clouds. This is my most favorite image for today’s date.
Favorite Photos – August
Favorite Photos, August 1-31. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for August. They are largely a mixture of portraits and nature photography. I began this project August 6, 2018 (the story behind this project is here). There isn’t a photo for August 8 since my “favorite photos” folder doesn’t have a single photo taken on that date over the last 30 plus years.
Favorite Photo, August 29
Kansas University “Jayhawks” volleyball players. Las Vegas airport. August 29, 2013.
My favorite photo for August 29 is a result of a chance meeting in the Las Vegas airport. I was on one side of a divider of hanging chains and several members of the University of Kansas Jayhawk volleyball team were eating on the other side of the chains.
Favorite Photo, August 26
Janae, August 26, 2001.
My favorite image for August 26 was easy to pick. This is our daughter. This photo wins hands down! I bet many of your most favorite images are of people in your family.
Favorite Photo, August 25
Erin in the park. August 25, 2015.
There are over 3400 images in my “favorite photos” folder, but only one image for August 25, this lovely young woman.
Favorite Photo, August 24
Anzhelika. August 24, 2015.
Hmmmm. Which image should I choose as my favorite image for August 24. A beautiful model against a brick wall, or a pair of orange mushrooms?
Favorite Photo, August 23
Ellie-Marie. August 23, 2007. Three photos digitally combined.
My favorite photo for August 23 was another easy choice. I was doing a photo shoot with Ellie Marie at Battelle Riverfront Park in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
Favorite Photos, August 21
The sun before totality.
August 21, 2017 was the Great American Eclipse. It was my first total solar eclipse. I made the trip to a great location in Kentucky with not too many people around. Traffic getting there was awful, pretty much like everywhere else along the path of totality. The eclipse was such a stunning experience, visually and photographically, that I could not pick just one favorite photo for the day. But if I was forced to choose just one it would be the image above of the sliver of the part of the sun that is not yet covered by the moon, just a few minutes before totality. I love the sunspots.
So here is a series of images. Click any image to see a larger version.
Two Photographers and Eleven Outdoor/Travel Writers Pick the Best National Parks for Fall
Long’s Peak and Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
Fall is a fabulous time of year to visit the national parks. Crowds are usually smaller than in the summer, temperatures are cooler, and some of our national parks have glorious fall colors. With so many to choose from, where should you go? Which national parks will provide the best photographic opportunities in the fall?
The Best National Parks for Fall Photography
Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
What are the best national parks to photograph in the fall? Here are my choices, grouped by state and province from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to, plus the ones I most want to see based on the recommendations of the photographers I trust, like Tim Fitzharris and QT Luong. More about them later.
Favorite Photo, August 19
Our three children. O’Haver Lake, Colorado. August 19, 1990
In my “favorite photos” folder there is only one photo for August 19, but it is very special to me.
Favorite Photo, August 18
Sunny at the bank.
Of the photos I have taken on August 18, two stand out as favorites and this one is my most favorite. I was at the drive through window at the bank. Sunny knows when the plastic canister comes back through the vacuum tube from the teller there will be a doggy treat inside. This is his moment of anticipation. One year ago, August 18, 2017.
Favorite Photo, August 16
Our three children at O’Haver Lake. August 16, 1979.
Easy choice today. I went through my favorite photos folder and found two photos taken on August 16. This one is far and away my favorite for sentimental reasons.
Favorite Photo, August 15
Northern Lights over Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan Shores Roadside Park.
My August 15 photo was an easy pick. I was leading a photography workshop in northern Michigan. We were about to wrap up a night time field trip when I saw a little bit of a flicker in the northern sky. Northern Lights! So instead of packing up we stayed out longer.
Favorite Photo, August 13
John and Melissa on the trail up Flattop Mountain. Longs Peak in the background. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Wednesday, August 13, 1969.
When I went looking through my favorite photos folder for photos taken August 13, I found a few photos from August 13, 2016 at a workshop I was leading in Northern Michigan, and just one photo captured with an instamatic camera August 13, 1969. The 1969 photo is the clear prize winner as my favorite August 13 photo.
Favorite Photo, August 12
Group Portrait
All my favorite photos for August 12 were again (August 11 post) from Jeremy Bruskotter and I’s second nature photography workshop at Gibraltar Island for OSU. Out of those photos my most favorite image was the group photo toward the end of the morning field trip. A little Photoshop might have been involved.
Favorite Photo, August 11
When I went looking for my favorite photos for August 11, they were all from the same year. It was my second year leading a nature photography workshop with Jeremy Bruskotter workshop for OSU at Gibraltar island. August 11, 2012.
Series: Favorite Photos by Date
Some of the digital images in my “favorites photos” folder.
It Began Like This . . .
It all started the morning of August 6, 2018 when I woke up and asked myself, “What is the best photo I have ever taken on August 6?” So I went through my “favorite photos” folder to find all of the photos I had taken on August 6, no matter what year. I found only three photos, all of them portraits. My favorite August 6 image is a head and shoulders portrait of a young woman in a wedding dress. So I posted it. August 7 I did the same thing. I found no photo for August 8. (August is not my favorite photo month.) August 9 I found three photos to pick from and posted my favorite. What started as a one time thing has become a regular thing.
Favorite Photo, August 9
Kristin
Kristin is my best “August 9” photo. This was a fairly easy pick. My only other August 9 option is an image of the sun, but I will post a favorite sun image from the August 21, 2017 eclipse when we get to that date.