• Photographers revisit 9/11; 'It was that horrific'

    In his new documentary "Witness to History," photojournalist Thomas Franklin revisits 9/11 through the eyes - and lenses - of photojournalists who captured iconic photos that day.

    By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC News

     

    When Tom Franklin, photojournalist for The Record newspaper in New Jersey, took the picture showing  three firemen raising the American flag above the rubble of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, he had no idea it would become an iconic image.

    “It was something that just happened,” he said. “I shot it the best way I could and I moved on.”

    Franklin said he was standing about 30 yards away from the three firefighters, and the photo was one of a series of frames he shot of them that fateful afternoon.

    On the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Franklin - now a multimedia editor for NorthJersey.com - revisits the day of the attacks in a new documentary about the iconic photos of the day and the photojournalists who captured them. Franklin says photographers played an important role in documenting the historic day.

    “I hope a lot of people get to see [the documentary],” he told msnbc.com. “It’s a way of recognizing what journalists do.”

    Featuring dramatic images of 9/11, the 13-minute documentary “Witness to History” looks behind the lenses of professional photographers such as David Handschuh of the New York Daily News and Aris Economopoulos of the New Jersey Star-Ledger, and accidental witnesses such as Carmen Taylor, who happened to be visiting New York from Arkansas that day.

    Taylor, who was on vacation by herself, told Franklin she would have been screaming if she hadn’t been busy taking photos.

    While iconic, most of the images from that day are stirring, if not shocking. Franklin argues there is real value in retelling what happened, particularly because of the horror of the events.

    “9/11 was that bad,” he said. “It was that horrific.”

    Watch the entire documentary here, and watch Thomas Franklin explain how he got the iconic image of the firemen raising the American flag.

    More photos from Sept. 11, 2011.

  • Reflecting pools readied for National September 11 Memorial opening

    Justin Lane / EPA

    A view of the south reflecting pool at the National September 11 Memorial at ground zero in New York, August 2. The memorial is scheduled to open in time for the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

    By Rich Shulman

    The 911 memorial website has some excellent animations and graphics. (see animation below). Want to see the animation in HD? Click here to download a 46 mb Quicktime file)

    Click here to see how to find the names of the victims on the reflecting pools.

    If you plan to visit, you need to reserve a visitor pass in advance.

    A computer-generated fly-through animation shows the building and north and south reflecting pools as they will look when the National September 11 Memorial in New York is completed in September.

     

    Justin Lane / EPA

    A worker lays stone near the National September 11 Memorial at ground zero in New York August 2. The memorial is scheduled to open in time for the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

  • Ladder Company 3 fire truck lowered into September 11 Memorial Museum

    By Rich Shulman

    I can't wait to see the National September 11 Memorial Museum when it opens.

    As NBCNewYork.com reported:

    A fire truck used during the World Trade Center evacuation on 9/11 returned to ground zero on Wednesday where it was lowered into exhibition space for the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

    The truck is from the fire department's Ladder Company 3, which carried 11 firefighters from the firehouse in the East Village to the burning trade center site on the morning of the attacks. All 11 members died.

    The front of the truck was sliced off when the towers collapsed. A door and a bumper from the truck are now displayed at the firehouse as a tribute to those who died.

    The truck has been stored and maintained at an airport hangar for several years and was escorted to ground zero on Wednesday by the current Ladder 3 truck.

    Previous World Trade Center PhotoBlog posts.

    Seth Wenig / AP

    The Fire Department of New York's Ladder Company 3 fire truck is lowered by crane into the National September 11 Memorial Museum, in front of One World Trade, in New York, Wednesday, July 20. This fire truck was used to evacuate people from the World Trade Center towers during the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

     

    Pool / Getty Images

    Firefighters and other dignitaries watch as the Fire Department of New York's Ladder Company 3 fire truck is lowered by crane into the National September 11 Memorial Museum July 20 in New York City. The truck was used in the evacuation of people from the World Trade Center towers during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. All 11 firemen aboard the truck when it responded were killed when the towers collapsed.

    Seth Wenig / AP

    The Fire Department of New York's Ladder Company 3 fire truck is lowered by crane into the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York, Wednesday, July 20. This fire truck was used to evacuate people from the World Trade Center towers during the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

    A fire truck used by firefighters in the 9/11 rescue efforts was moved on Wednesday from storage into the underground portion of the museum at Ground Zero, which is still under construction. Brian Williams reports.