March 17, 2007

Photojournalist Bill Biggart was one of two working photographers who perished while covering the events of September 11, 2001. (The other was police photographer and videographer Glen Pettit.) Bill's experiences that day, and that of his widow, Wendy Doremus, are explored at length in Watching the World Change. The 304 images he made on 9/11 constitute a visual chronicle of that morning. According to eyewitnesses -- and as evidenced on his recovered images (150 frames taken on traditional film, 154 with digital equipment) -- he survived the collapse of the south tower, while standing perilously close to its perimeter. The time code on his camera shows that his last shot was exposed just at the moment the north tower collapsed, taking his life in the process.

Bill's widow, Wendy Doremus, informs me that a Web site featuring Bill's life and work has been activated this week. I urge visitors to check it out, and to honor Bill's memory by spending time with the photographs he left us.