It was a beautiful day in New York. The morning calm was broken by a passing taxi driver who yelled out that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Bill ran home, grabbed three cameras (two film, one digital) and began heading toward the WTC. Walking and shooting as he went, he moved quickly downtown toward the smoke and flames. 

“I’m safe, I’m with the firemen.”

As his pictures indicate, Bill was eventually shooting straight up at the burning buildings. He was not far from the first tower when it fell. After being overtaken by the dust cloud, he photographed the devastation all around him. Wendy, his wife, reached Bill on his cell phone shortly after the first tower fell. He told her not to worry, he would meet her in 20 minutes at his studio. “I’m safe,” he assured her, “I’m with the firemen.” It was the last time they ever spoke.

About 20 minutes later, the second tower collapsed. Bill’s body was found in the rubble four days later. His camera equipment was damaged, but his friend and fellow photographer Chip East was able to extract the films and flash card, which contained Bill’s final images. The last photograph was time-stamped at 10:28:24, seconds before the second tower collapsed.