Hi all I put three new folders into the net. Please check it out. http://www.photo.net/photodb/user?user_id=410860 Thanks for your comments. Michael

-- Michael Wildi (michaelwildi@yahoo.com), January 23, 2002

Answers

IMHO it always interesting to see how (for lack of a better description) foriegners see the home turf. NYC is so much more than 9/11 as some of your pix illistrate. My fav is the cop and the taxis, now that is NYC. Now lose the 9/11 hook, it is shallow and calous.

-- Brooks (Bvonarx@home.com), January 23, 2002.

"Now lose the 9/11 hook, it is shallow and calous."

Why?(and I'm not asking that to start an argument).

I know that there are several agencies documenting the return to 'normality' in New York,Magnum for one.Do you want the whole thing to be forgotten? Maybe there should be a new law that says we can only photograph the 'nice' things in the world?

-- Phill Kneen (philkneen@manx.net), January 23, 2002.

I have to agree with Phill 100%. NewYork isn't the only place in the world to have suffered loss in the past few(hundred) years.Micheal was doing his photo's from a 9/11 point of view,do you think it should never be spoken of?

Yes NY is 'cops and taxis',but it is also 9/11.

-- Craig (craigsmith@hotmail.com), January 23, 2002.

I think the point that Micheal is making is that life goes on.To show this there needs to be a point of reference,in this case,like it or not,that point is 9/11.

Look at the Las Vegas folder.......life is 'going on'.

As I said, I'm not trying to start an argument or disrespect the dead.For every 1 sad or upsetting photo of New York there are thousands of positive and happy ones..........

-- Phill Kneen (philkneen@manx.net), January 23, 2002.

I can see both sides of the argument as to "losing the 9/11" tag (that was my gut reaction, too) Though as a fellow New Yorker, I can see where Brooks is coming from. Because this happened in our backyard, all the local news stories (print/tv) have covered some aspect of 9/11 everyday since then. Much of the local stories regarding that day probably don't make the news in other parts of the US/World. We are constantly reminded of it when we walk the streets (memorials, flags, etc). And perhaps that makes it just a bit harder to move on. My two cents, as they say.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), January 23, 2002.

it's a bit frightening from a european perspective how the 9/11 tragedy brought out even more nationalism in america. criticism was killed at that day in september. i definitely don't deny anyone the right to mourn their loss. i've been to america many times, but every time is struck me how many flags and other national symbols you encounter. i grew up in germany and this is a strange sight for me and wouldn't be accepted back home. i think it is good that people record such events, but pictures like these can also skid into propaganda.

9/11 was more than just an attack against the american nation, it was an attack against our system. it took place in new york, but it affected all of us.

next week i will fly to New York to visit my sister, who just moved there a few weeks before 9/11. i am looking forward to come back to one of my favourite cities. and i am curious...

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), January 23, 2002.

I think that it will be quite some time before visitors to New York, whether from out-of-state or from other countries, stop photographing The Site. It's similar to photographing the Arizona Memorial or Gettysburg.

I moved away from there in 1978 and went back right after New Years this year. Sure, there were lots of other things to photograph in New York, but I walked the perimeter of The Site and photographed the police and firemen, the folks queued for the observation platform, the memorials by St. Paul's, the damage to the World Financial Center, and so on.

It's something that I had to do, and I believe that many visiting photographers may feel the same for quite a while because of the impact of 11/Sep on our system, as Stefan said. Personally, I remember the pre-World Trade Center skyline. I watched the towers go up, and I watched them come done. Even though I don't live there any more, I felt as if a part of me fell with the towers. Maybe that's goofy, I don't know.

My sister, who lives just across the river in New Jersey, and who lost someone on the 11th, has similar sentiments as Richard, that the 11th is always in her face - The television news, the newspaper, the radio, people offering condolences - It's almost a twisted spectacle of some sort.

Anyhow, sorry for rambling and thanks for the eyeballs.

-Nick

-- Nicholas Wybolt (nwybolt@earthlink.net), January 23, 2002.

In an effort to further get myself into more trouble with my fellow posters "Now lose the 9/11 hook, it is shallow and calous" was a poor and frustrated response to everyone and everything drawing attention to themselves or thier work using 9/11 as the draw. If you live here you have a better sense of my ill expresed feelings. BTW I photographed the same hardhat in the very same spot but with a different result. I'd would like to share it some time when it's not such a bummer to look at. Sorry to go on but.....

-- Brooks (bvonarx@home.com), January 23, 2002.

Thanks for your responses on New York 9/11. I understand and I respect, that some people don't want to be reminded on 9/11. Live must go on - that's correct. But to show that live is going on, you have to show the point where it (almost) ended. I'll be in NYC in May and than I'll do pictures of the dayly New Yorker live with all the wunderfull people I met there. Best regards, Michael

-- Michael Wildi (michaelwildi@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.