Photographer – Richard Drew

The picture was taken on September 11, 2001, shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center. The picture’s been widely seen by many people as it shows someone moments before meeting death. The man had been trapped on the upper floors of the building. Many people had been jumping out of the building since they were pushed away from the fire and smoke. It is unclear, however, whether the falling man willingly jumped or fell looking for safety. Although in this photo it seems he’s darting straight into the Earth when falling, a series of images taken shows that he was actually tumbling his way down. He is believed to have been an employee at the Windows on the World restaurant, however his identity is still unknown. I selected this photo because ever since I first saw it, it’s always been a picture I thought was both sad and beautiful. Seeing how desperate some people might’ve been to get as far away from the fires as possible is something I always correlate with this picture, as well as the many lives lost due to falling at this great height. The man’s presumably lifeless body in midair is an eerie sight, but I still love to look at the picture and think it’s very moving.

Photographer – Chris Hondros

In the photo is a little girl, Samar Hassan, who, prior to the photo, had been in the backseat of her parent’s car as they were driving home from Tall ‘Afar. Her parents were shot dead by US soldiers who claims they thought the car was carrying “insurgents or a suicide bomber.” This was when the war in Iraq was at its worst and an all-time low. It was devastating. I chose this photo because it was simply one that caught my eye. It made me realize how many devastations there has been in this world, and many caused by the US. It was a sad portrait of this girl and I think it can represent the many children who’ve lost their parents in similar circumstances.

Photographer – H.s. Wong

This baby’s mother was dead on the tracks nearby. After the photographer had tried helping the baby after taking the picture, his father ferried him away. This picture showed the destruction of Japan and China at the time and was dubbed the photo of Bloody Saturday. This picture led to Britain, France, and the US to protest such attacks like this one and eventually led to the second global conflict the world would face. I chose this photo because the pain in the infant’s cry and face is represented and seen perfectly through this captured photo. It’s a very sad image and, like the others I chose, moved me in a way and showed me the reality of the world we live in.