Matt Weber (Street photography), 9/11 Related

September 11th 2001

Having just returned home on that dreadful morning, I did what anyone would do, and turned on the TV. George W Bush (or Chimpy as many later called him) was coming into form, after a very feeble start. I was shocked by the SEVEN minutes as much as anybody. I had hoped that “The Seven Minutes” would remain a novel by Irving Wallace and not this new footnote in American history. People were either shocked by how inept Bush was, or if they’d voted for him, they gave him a pass, saying he was under incredible pressure. Either way, this was the beginning of “A Brave New World” and the results of the massacre that morning will be felt for a very long time…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), 9/11 Related, Men of New York, Portraits, Subway

Subway “9/11 Hero” 2005

There are all sorts of heroes in this world. There are the athletes that some of us root for as kids or even worse, still do as adults. Then there are the underpaid nurses who care for us when we get old, barely making ends meet, as they meet our rear ends with a towel…This fellow spent time at ground zero, and whether or not he had to deal with body parts, he surely had to breath those noxious fumes which lingered for several months. The smell of all the metal, plastics and who knows what burning, was so vile that breathing it on a daily basis, could make even the toughest people sick. His eyes seemed to have seen the worst of it, and I think he gave a lot more than most of us did after the terrible massacre on 9/11…making him a true hero.

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber 9/11 Related, Old New York

World Trade Center 1988

I keep finding pictures of these buildings which at the time of exposure, seemed pretty ugly to me. I’m happy I took the few pictures I did. I sometimes wonder if building another 100+ story building at the site is a smart idea. I understand the desire to replace the twin towers with something magnificent, but at the same time, it seems like the new tower will be shouting “I dare you to knock me down!” Maybe a few 50-60 story towers would have been wiser…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber 9/11 Related

September 11th 2001

“Ciao Bella” Turns out to be an Italian song from WW II…Very ironic first verse:

One morning I awakened

Oh goodbye beautiful, goodbye beautiful, goodbye beautiful! Bye! Bye!

One morning I awakened

And I found the invader


All Photos © 2001 Matt Weber
Matt Weber 9/11 Related, Times Square

Septemeber 15th 2001

It was only four days since the massacre and at first I was appalled and wanted to give some him some lip, but I also understand the fear of not being able to provide for one’s family. Tough call whether or not to give him a pass, while all the bodies were still burning…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), 9/11 Related, Kids & Teens

September 11th 2001

When I was fourteen I took the test for Stuyvesant high school and actually passed. I took the easy way out and went to Music & Art because I knew the academic demands would be much less. These kids were most likely from “Stuy” and I can’t blame them for being happy. At that age it’s possible to be happy under almost any circumstances. As you get older I think every bad bit of bad news, whether it be political or just another senseless bombing in the middle east, has a way of getting under your skin. The advice I often get is “If you can’t change it, don’t worry about it” If everyone felt that way, nothing would get done. I don’t know how I would have reacted to 9/11 when I was fifteen. I might have been like all the “tough guys” who wanted to “Nuke ’em All”.  I’m proud that I haven’t become a conservative guy in my old age. It’s so easy to do…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), 9/11 Related, The Urban Prisoner

September 11th 2001 10:28 AM

I sincerely apologize if this picture causes any pain to anyone, but I have decided to post the photos I took that morning and I realize that they can be very depressing. There is a need for discussion about what lead to the massacre and everything which happened as a result of the attacks that day. I am probably not capable of neutral and sensible debate, so please don’t expect me to see the Saudi point of view. I realize that we had military bases in Saudi Arabia and that there is a sacred black cube there which may contain Allah himself, but I never want 3,000 people to be incinerated, no matter who they are…

All Photos © Matt Weber

Matt Weber (Street photography), Old New York

World Trade Center 1988

Like most New Yorkers that I know, the world trade center did little for me as far as it’s design was concerned. The buildings were awesome to behold due to their scale and they also reflected light on occasion in a magnificent way.

A joke I heard recently went something like this: A young boy is looking at the skyline from Queens and his dad says “The Chrysler bldg. is the most beautiful and the Empire State Bldg. is the the biggest” The kid points to the left and says what about those? (The twin towers) and his dad says “Oh those are just the boxes which the other two came in”

All Photos © Matt Weber