The September 11 Photo Project (Hardcover)

by Michael Feldschuh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Like many people in the wake of the September 11 tragedy, Michael Feldschuh felt helpless and frustrated and wanted to do something. Immensely moved by the impromptu shrines and fragile remembrances all over the city, Feldschuh, an amateur photographer and Wall Street professional, thought of something to do. He quickly initiated the September 11 Photo Project. Within weeks, his idea to create a space for the community to collaboratively, in his words, "bear witness" to the horrific events, was open to the public. A huge donated space in SoHo, mere blocks from the World Trade Center site, served as a gallery. Over the next few months, more than 40,000 people visited the gallery to look, read, participate, and mourn. Thousands of people contributed photographs, text, and collages. This book is a collection of images from this important social project. Its proceeds will be used to support a traveling exhibition of the project and the New York City Firefighters Burn Center Foundation. Of course the images are heart-wrenching: handwritten notes remembering missing loved ones, messages written in dust at the site, clouds of smoke, frightened faces. The pictures--some taken with disposable cameras, with accompanying text written on paper scraps--are immensely personal, yet the images capture the devastated mood and feelings of a nation. --J.P. Cohen

Product Description

“I witnessed the fall of the burning towers and death of thousands of people just blocks from where I live.I had taken my camera with me that morning and in a crowd of people took photos while in deep shock, fearing for the lives of those trapped and the rescue workers rushing to save them. I have never felt so helpless in my life.”--Michael Feldschuh

During the three months that the September 11 Photo Project was on display at a donated gallery in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, more that forty thousand people visited the space to view the photos and read the words of the project's contributors. The photos in this book, selected from the submissions of more than five hundred photographers, young and old, amateur and professional, give a permanent voice to those who made the September 11 Photo Project what it is: an attempt to build new understanding from the ashes of what has been.

These photographs are presented in the following pages with the words of the photographers, as they appeared in the gallery.

The perspectives represented on the gallery walls were as diverse as the photos were haunting. Many visitors went away from the exhibit with a greater understanding of what had occurred and were able to begin the healing of the deep wounds of losing friends and neighbors, of witnessing unfathomable atrocity, of feeling that there was no way to help. Together in this book, these words and images lend insight into this calamitous event and our world as it changed in those terrifying moments on a sunny September morning.

The SoHo gallery is closed, but the project continues; the collection has embarked on a nation-wide tour.

The September 11 Photo Project will use its proceeds from the sale of this book to continue its mission, and to support the New York City Firefighters Burn Center Foundation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Regan Books (April 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060508663
• ISBN-13: 978-0060508661
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #758,153 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful., April 19, 2002

By A Customer

After looking through all of the books featuring photographs taken during the September 11th tragedy, I had decided not to purchase any of them. I figured one look was enough...until "The September 11 Photo Project" came along. The book not only features a variety of images from both amateur and professional photographers, some of which deserve artistic merit, but also letters and text written by those who witnessed this tragedy firsthand. Photographs taken from the rooftops of buildings near by, store windows, and on the street - some of them blurry and hard to make out, some very clear, but all very personal. Also includes a variety of photos of the still-standing twin towers taken before the 11th. A great collection of photos much different than the 9-11 news photos seen in every other book and magazine. This book is much like a scrapbook put together by the people, and one that is difficult to put down. Some of the book's pages present several photographs tacked to the wall with letters as they appeared at the exhibit, and clear enough to allow you to read the authors' handwritten words. Other photographs are presented full-page and half page with a printed eyewitness account in the black margins. "The September 11 Photo Project" is a nice presentation offering a lot to look at, a lot to read, and a lot to think about. I highly recommend this truly moving book.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars September 11th as seen by ordinary folks, April 19, 2002

By	m_s_ - See all my reviews

As a working photojournalist, I've bought a number the other 9/11 photo compendiums by that have been produced by professional photographers. This, on the other hand, is a compendium of images of the day and its aftermath taken largely by amateur eyewitnesses and residents of NYC. Yet somehow it's better than anything 'the pros' did on that day.

Sure, maybe the photos are a bit grainy, or fuzzy, or poorly exposed when compared to the images made on 9/11 by those who do it for a living. They aren't always sanitized, pretty pictures...but that's precisely where their power lies. Unlike some of the other photography books made about these events, this one leaves you with a real sense of what it was like to be a New Yorker on that day, watching this happen to your city and your world.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to Remember the Day!, June 2, 2002

By	Amy Leemon (North Fond du Lac, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I didn't buy the first September 11th book I saw. I was waiting for just the right one to keep as a record for our family. When I saw this, I knew it was the one!

One of the reasons is because it is composed of thoughts and pictures of "ordinary" people - not professional writers and photographers. Sure, maybe its chaotic but that day wasn't exactly organized either and maybe this book reflects that.

It's really too much to take in all at once. Somewhere in there will be a picture or words that really "get" to you. So you put the book down for a while and then go back to it. Keep it where you can get at it easily and look at it over and over. We need to remember.

To me, this is the best book I've seen on 9/11. I'm sure there will be others that I will get but I don't think they'll be any better. Plus the proceeds from the book are being used to continue their project and to support the firefighters burn center.