Richard Drew, a photographer for the Associated Press began his day on September 11 by taking pictures of a maternity fashion show. Just as he was about to stake out his 'real estate' in front of the runway, a CNN cameraman told him that a plane had crashed into one of the towers at the World Trade Center. A few minutes later his office called to confirm the report and Drew boarded a subway train to Chambers Street, the stop just before the towers.

Photographer Richard Drew

An experienced photographer, he had witnessed famous historical moments before. Decades earlier, he was one of only four photographers in the kitchen of the Los Angeles hotel when Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed.

Drew didn't immediately notice that both towers were on fire. He mingled with the crowd taking pictures of the debris on the ground from the impact of the planes and the stunned people rushing to leave the scene.

A policeman told him to move to West Street where he would be out of harm's way. A triage unit had been set up there to treat the injured and Drew hoped to get some better pictures. Panick reigned and soot filled the air.

It was here that Drew noticed the many people falling from the building. "I instinctively picked up my camera and started taking pictures. It's what I do. It's like a carpenter, he has a hammer and he builds a house. I have a camera and I take pictures. They would fall to a certain point and then I couldn't see them anymore because my view was obstructed, but you could always hear them hitting the ground like a sack of cement - a big thud."

As people on the ground fled the scene, Drew stayed to photograph the falling. He continued shooting until the first tower began to fall and was pulled by one of the rescue workers away from the scene.

The pictures Drew took that day were widely published and caused much controversy. "This is a very important part of the story. It wasn't just a building falling down, there were people involved in this and I think that is why it's an important picture. I didn't capture this person's death. I captured part of his life. This is what he decided to do and I think I preserved that," Drew later told The Digital Journalist.