November 25, 2006

This diptych and description were e-mailed by Denny Tillman...

That day.

I stood on my terrace and watched the plane fly past my apartment.

I watched it continue to fly all the way downtown – – – and crash into the World Trade Center.

I was alone and could not believe my eyes. I thought, All those poor people. Who should I call?

Then I realized everyone would know already – and ran inside for my camera.

My first picture was about fifteen seconds after impact. I took pictures all day.

Then, as I was on the phone describing the first crash to my partner, Nancy, at her office in Westchester, I watched the second plane turn past the Statue of Liberty and fly into the south tower. I sounded like that man on the radio describing the Hindenburg disaster.

Strangely, the night before, just after a wicked thunderstorm, I had taken a picture of [the] downtown [skyline]. It was prescient that I took that picture; I had never photographed that particular view in my 28 years living here. The clouds obscuring the Trade Center that night [had] made a deep, eerie impression.

On the evening of September 11th, I returned to the exact same place as the night before, remembering how by watching the clouds swirl around the towers the night before I was given a gift.

The world would be a different place now.

PHOTOS BY DENNY TILLMAN (SEPTEMBER 10 & 11, 2001)

In Denny's e-mail he wrote that he sent these images in memory of his artist neighbor and friend, Michael Richards, who perished there that day.

I write about Richards and his last night on earth, as remembered by his friend and colleague, the filmmaker Monika Bravo, on page 145 of Watching the World Change.