Matthew's POV
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There are a whole host of things to picture in New York, if you take one glance around whilst walking through Times Square you will realise that most of the tourists are indeed holding up smartphones to capture the buildings and their loved ones standing in front of them. A whole trail of tourists follows a talking tour guide with a microphone announcing different landmarks as they all look up at yet another similar building and snap away at their iPhones.
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Letting my camera rest around my neck on its straps, I pull my phone out of my jacket pocket and call up an email from the company in London. They're looking for some promotional shots of the area, and although for me it's not my ideal location due to the general chaos and the absolutely lurid colours I decide to make it my mission to make my shots diverse and inclusive of all of the culture here. Striving to find some quieter spots that go beyond the city lights. The joy of this however is that I am being paid essentially to walk around like a tourist and take my own pictures of the sights.
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Broadway and all it has to offer comes under my lens and I snap away, I'll need to edit later on which may mean a night going through each shot in front of my laptop in that big king sized bed in the hotel. I'm sure that something will catch my eye and I will end up sketching it on the balcony at three am too.
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The movement of the people in this area interests me. The way everybody lines up to cross the roads and how when the traffic stops because of the lights streams of people cross the road at once. One could easily become lost just by following the crowds mindlessly. As I gaze up at the billboard from my spot on the sidewalk however I decide that California is a better fit for me. New York is bustling, loud and downright bolshy. Looking directly over the walkway I spot a smaller, non chain New York bakery and coffee shop and decide that taking a small break from the photography is a good idea. I become one of the joiners in the queue to cross the road and I wait for the lights to turn red and for the hurtling taxis to stop before I follow the swarm across the road.
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The scent of fresh bread and coffee fills the air as I take a step over the threshold away from the honking horns and the cacophony of voices outside on the streets. Ordering my coffee black and picking up a bagel on the way I descend the quirky stairs down to a seating area that is less busy than the upper level. Small clusters of leather chairs around tables and an open fire greet me as I walk over to a spot near the fire. Pulling my leather jacket off and placing it on the back of one of the chairs I plunge into my seat and take a sip of my coffee before flicking through the shots on my camera.
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Several of the shots are of a high standard and I rub my jaw wondering in my mind what else I could get in order to reflect the city. Where I could go and what would reflect New York and show it in a positive light. Tapping my fingers lightly on the table I brainstorm in my head whilst sipping coffee.
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After a while and once the coffee cup is empty, I decide standing up in one swift motion that New York City hall is a definite, alongside the financial district. After all what better way to boast about a city than to highlight its wealth. And so as I climb the winding stairs I embark upon my short journey, mapping it out in my head and imagining the various angles of my shots.
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The bell rings out on the door as I leave the bakery and head up the street through the torrents of people all going about their day. Pulling my headphones off from over my head I rest them around my neck and try to embrace the chatter around me, like a continuous torrent of noise. In all honestly the loud rock music I had been tuned into was quieter than the New York City streets. And more my style.
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A line of yellow taxis waits at a red light and I snap a picture of the bright lurid cars, the business men and woman crossing the roads before them clad in their finest suits. Briefcases in one hand coffee in the other and headsets strapped on their ears. Everybody is in a hurry, a hurry to talk on the phone before they have even gotten into work. A hurry to simply cross the road. The financial district is however sophisticated, less tourists although they still linger with their I heart New York tees on. Muddled in with the smart attire of those that are on route to work.
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Finally I arrive at city hall, the white pristine building glowing in the morning sunshine. I snap a few low angle shots first establishing the building and its grandeur. The stone pillars and the many steps leading up to its entrance.
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Staring into my lens and zooming in slowly to the small tower at the top of the building, I focus as it’s a shot I want to capture correctly. The sun just behind it illuminating it as I frame it and breathe out with my finger just resting above the clicker. Holding perfectly still until the ground shakes underneath me. My head telling me that I must be mistaken or that it must be my imagination and yet my ears taking in a deafening roar just behind me. A sound so high pitched and screeching that it evokes utter terror in me.
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All of a sudden people around me are running, crashing into one another as they look up faces a-gasp with shock and horror. The sound becomes unbearable, the waves of it emitting way out for miles as I try to work out the hysteria and the panic. Glancing around me frantically I can see people’s mouths open screaming but I can’t hear a thing apart from the ringing in my ears, the sound of metal screeching around me. The booms reverberating like a bomb. It’s my only conclusion to draw from the scenario, a bomb has gone off.
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Until I look up at the towers behind me and some wild part of my brain urges me to picture it. Something so disturbing, so fraught with panic as I stand motionless and I garner a few shots of an aeroplane collided with the north tower of the world trade centre. It’s bizarre I think in my head, the horror washes over me as I think of the people inside. My brain unable to fathom the situation.
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My phone vibrates in my pocket, I can feel it inside my leather jacket as I stand looking up at the tower and trying to work it all out. The vibrations stop as I look around me, hearing sirens tear through the city. In a daze I walk around, pushing my way through people who are overwrought. My camera strapped to my neck as I grasp my phone out of my jacket and register a call from Ross. Cursing I dial his number again and he answers on the first ring.
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“Matthew” he says exasperated.
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“The fuck are you okay, have you heard, the world trade centre…” he almost shouts barraging me with questions.
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“I’m there. I literally just saw it happen I’m here okay” I say slightly strained and he curses.
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“Fucking hell Matthew you need to get far away” He advises me as I shake my head slowly looking up at the billowing clouds of smoke rising from the eighty fifth floor of the tower. The plane protruding out of the side of the structure.
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“I’m fine Ross” I say utterly shell shocked as I look up at the sky, the deafening sound returns. A high screech, metal penetrating the second tower as I fall to the ground in shock at a second aeroplane colliding with the south tower. The unbearable grinding and booming noise shaking the earth beneath me as I scramble for my phone picking it up off of the pavement and hearing Ross shout and screech down the phone.
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“I will be okay Ross.” I tell him.
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“I’ll get myself out of here” I say breathless hearing only the commotion around me as the call disconnects. People scrambling not knowing whether to run away or stand gawking up at a sight so full of tragedy and destruction. There are two kinds of people in this world, I decide in this very moment, those that run away and those that run forward in the pursuit to help. Taylor my mind screams as I take my first few strides forward. It is risky, I know that I could be injured or worse I could become another fatality. However I also know that I never want to look back on this moment and say that I ran away. I’m no first defender, not a hero but I’m sure that somewhere along the line I’ll be able to help.
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