Like so many people, 9/11 affected me profoundly. Profoundly enough that I joined the Army. Years later I finally had an opportunity to go to Ground Zero and the Memorial. It is a deeply moving experience. It was here that I made one of my most meaningful photographs, to me. A photograph is strong when it has a powerful story, and especially when told through a simple composition. I like the simplicity of this image. And it reminds of an event that was both profoundly consequential to our nation (and to the world), as well as deeply consequential to individual souls. On a broader level, this picture is an allegory to the paradox of the individual - inconsequential in the universe and yet of supreme importance to the self. I think the subtle reflection of the clouds onto the names on the monument unite the heavens with the individual.