New York City - 1 WTC at Sunset

There are some nights so magical and special, so all-encompassing in their scope that it feels impossible to relay their magnitude.

Last night was one of them.

This is one of the photos I took last night for The Guardian as I watched one of the most stunning sunsets paint itself across the sky from a terrace on the top of 4 World Trade Center.

I was up there to take night photos of 1 World Trade Center and hadn’t even seen the sky until I made it up to the 57th floor unfinished terrace. For a few seconds, it scarcely seemed real, as if the giant hand of an artist had crafted a colorful composite to serve as a background for the majestic 1 World Trade Center.

When I was asked to take photos to accompany an upcoming article about the World Trade Center for the Guardian, I was honored and also a bit curious about how I would feel photographing such an iconic symbol of strength built upon the hallowed, sacred ground of loss, and despair.

I have written about September 11th a few times on this blog usually accompanying photo-sets that remain a bit too emotional for me to view to this day: 1) The opening of the 9/11 Memorial, 2) In remembrance - The World Trade Center Memorial , 3)Tie a Ribbon of Remembrance - Public Art and the World Trade Center. Since 2001, the site has largely remained a solemn place of reflection for me and many New Yorkers.

Visiting the site initially a few weeks ago was a cathartic experience in retrospect. What once felt like a deep abyss of despair has been partially transformed into a powerful site of strength demonstrating New York City’s tenacity and ability to regrow while also carefully dwelling in deep remembrance.

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And so, last night I stood high up on a terrace of 4 World Trade Center looking out towards 1 World Trade Center which rose up in front of me like a phoenix as the sun spilled across the sky, and I smiled with happy tears in my eyes.

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* This is an 8 second long exposure taken with my Sony A7R.

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Information about my New York City photography book which is releasing in stores and online in the autumn of 2014 (including where to order it):

NY Through The Lens: A New York Coffee Table Book

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View: My photography portfolio, My Travel Blog, On G+,email me, or ask for help.

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