The photo is chilling. It shows a young man standing on the observation deck of the World Trade Center. He’s wearing a toque, a light parka and a bored expression. Part of Manhattan is stretched out behind him.
But behind and below him, out of his line of vision, is an American Airlines jet, on a collision course with the building.
The photo bears the time and date stamp of 9/11/01. It’s said to have been snapped by a tourist seconds before the first plane was flown into the north tower, where it killed thousands of people. The film was supposedly found in the wreckage.
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Horrific, in light of the terrorist attack and its aftermath. Downright sadistic when you realize it’s a hoax being perpetrated across the worldwide web.
Documented at www.urbanlegends.com, the World Trade Center’s observation deck is on the south tower, the second one hit on Sept. 11. The north tower, struck at 8:45 a.m., can’t be seen or photographed from the observation deck on the south tower. And even if it could, the deck wouldn’t have opened until 9:30.
The photo is a product of digital manipulation. Unfortunately, it manipulates people’s emotions stemming from that dismal day.
Let’s talk of happier photographic material, of the unaltered, true-to-life variety. On pages 70 to 73 of this issue, you’ll find images of harvest 2001 in Western Canada.
In a reprise of last year’s harvest photo project, Western Producer staffers and freelance photographers captured a myriad of harvest images this fall.
Some are heart-warming because they’re so typical of harvest time: families eating in the field; a grandfather helping his grandson separate grain from chaff; a farmer struggling with repairs.
But, encouraged to take photos beyond the standard “combine in the field,” our shooters also focused on the harvest of hay, potatoes, honey and even turkey.
Harvest 2001 had some success stories, but drought in many regions and excess moisture in others made this harvest generally short on optimism. Our photographers heard about the disappointments of this year’s harvest, delivered with typical prairie farmer candour. It’s a way of speaking that seems to evolve through existence in “next year country.”
Thanks to all the photographic subjects we found in fields across the four western provinces. You’ve helped us show the variety, the depth, the pathos and the richness of harvest 2001.
