Why this photographer’s 9/11 ‘Falling Man’ photo remains controversial

They fell alone. They fell together.

A woman in a business suit who held down her skirt as she stepped off a ledge. A couple who held hands before jumping together.

People who lost their grip on drapes they hoped would act as a parachute. Faces frozen in shock as they fell for ten seconds at speeds of almost 150 mph.

Richard Drew could hear them land. The Associated Press news photographer had arrived on the scene to document the Sept. 11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center. Far above, people trapped on top floors crowded around broken windows as smoke and heat encroached.

As many as 200 victims leapt or fell to certain death in the 102 minutes between the first jet collision and the collapse of both World Trade Center towers.

At 9:41 a.m., Drew focused his 200mm zoom lens on one man. He snapped a series of frames. One image would capture the horror of 9/11 like no other.

A man pointed straight downward, perfectly in line with the towers’ vertical beams, captured at a moment that suggested dignity or calm, his leg bent almost casually, in striking contrast with chaos and destruction around him.

A…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/