Thomas Hoepker

It was only about 5 hours ago that I found out Thomas Hoepker's photo of New Yorkers moments after the 9/11 attacks existed, but I keep going back to it. It's such an odd image. My brother sent me an article from The Guardian about it, and when I first saw it, I just thought it was photoshopped. I mean, look at it. It's insane.

In the article, Walter Sipser (the guy with the sunglasses) says that they were in a complete state of shock, and with that, I can imagine they simply didn't know what to do with themselves. Of course, it's the surroundings that make it so idyllic - the vivid green trees and shrubs, and the beautiful, bright September sky. It's hard to believe that what is happening in the back ground actually did happen, and that it's not just a well photoshopped image. In fact, in some sense, it's one of the best photos of that day. It's stunned disbelief, confusion, routine, and silent panic. I'll probably think some more about it, but would love to hear other thoughts.