The 11th of September 2001 was
a devastating event for many people; the world trade centre was attacked by
suicide bombers and caused about 3000 deaths. Many people took photos of the
disastrous event however one particular photo became better known than the
others. When Thomas Hoepker was walking around Brooklyn trying to get images of
the event, he came across something he didn’t expect to see. This photo became
his defining image as a photojournalist for the rest of his life.
Thomas Hoepker was born in Munich, Germany on the 10th June 1936.
Hoepker first began taking pictures when he was 16 as he received an old 9x12
glass plate camera from his grandfather. He developed his photos that he took
in his family's kitchen and bathroom, and began to sell pictures to friends and
classmates. Hoepker studied art history and archaeology from 1956 to 1956 at
Goettingen, in Munich, Germany, where he was taught about understanding images
and composition. While he was in school, Hoepker continued to take photos and
sell images to help pay for his education. In 1960 he began his first job as a
photographer for Münchner Illustrierte and Kristall, reporting from around the
world. Magnum Photos first began distributing Hoepker's photographs in 1964, It
took until 1989 for Hoepker to become a full member.
Hoepker was known for very different images originally, his
most famous being of Cassius Clay (before he became Mohammed Ali) not just in
the ring but also outside in his home town and where he grew up. These images,
taken in the 1960’s, allowed the public to see Clay from a whole new angel and
not just a boxer in the ring. Though Hoepker had all of these popular images it
was the one he took on September the 11th 2001 that defined him as a
photographer.
On the 11th September 2001 Thomas Hoepker took a photo that
became highly controversial. The photo was of the infamous attack on the world
trade centre in which suicide bombers crashed planes into the two buildings.
This devastating event shocked the world all over. There are five people in the
foreground of the image that seem to be acting like this is any other sunny
day, completely ignoring the devastation of the twin towers destruction in the
background. Hoepker banned his own photo for several years as he believed the
world wasn’t ready for such an image. The reason he decided not to reveal this
image to the public is because he saw offence in it himself, they weren’t ready
to see what he believed to be people not caring about history being made before
their very eyes. A photo is more than just an image, it’s a moment frozen in
time that will stay in people’s minds forever.
Hoepker explains that when he took the photo he was on his
way to the world trade centre to get some images of the disaster. He said “somewhere
in Williamsburg I a group of young people sitting in the bright sunshine of
this splendid late summer day while the dark, thick plume of smoke was rising
in the background. I got out of the car, shot three frames of the seemingly
peaceful setting and drove on hastily, hoping and fearing to get closer to the
unimaginable horrors at the tip of Manhattan.”
Hoepker wasn’t the only person to comment about the image; Walter
Sipser was in that picture that Hoepker took. He said that “We were in a
profound state of shock and disbelief, Thomas Hoepker did not ask permission to
photograph us. Had Hoepker walked fifty feet over to introduce himself he would
have discovered a bunch of New Yorkers in the middle of an animated discussion
about what had just happened.”
This comment from Sipser just goes to prove how an image can
be misread in many ways. Depending on the angle and timing of the shot you can
make any scenario look like another. For example photos can make mourning
people at a funeral look like they are celebrating due to what people might be
doing at that one second in time.
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