RE: devil photo controversy/I am photographer
Title
RE: devil photo controversy/I am photographer
September 11 email body
Mark,
I hope in the time it's taken me to respond you've found some satisfaction. I certainly think someone should have talked to you in the process of discussing your photo, the image in the smoke and any question of manipulation. It is a pretty poor example of journalism to have done otherwise.
That said, I notice the story and photo are no longer on the Poynter web site. I'm not sure this qualifies as a suitable solution. I doubt I'll be any help getting to talk to Vin Alabiso. I would be glad to post a letter from you to the NPPA's discussion list. That would at least get your voice heard by a couple thousand photojournalists.
I'm open to any other ideas you might have.
Sean
<------>
Sean D. Elliot
The Day
s.elliot@theday.com
<------>
Director
National Press Photographers Association Region One
<------>
>----------
>From: Mark D. Phillips
>Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 8:33 PM To: s.elliot@theday.com
>Cc: melsean@ctol.net
>Subject: devil photo controversy/I am photographer
>Sean,
>I have not been a member of the NPPA since 1994(?) but I feel I must contact you. I was a member of the organization for over 15 years. I shot the photograph of the World Trade Center burning that people are saying or implying was digitally manipulated to include the face of the devil.
>As the photographer at the forefront of a controversy, I find it amazing that NO ONE has bothered to talk to me about this image and give me the opportunity to defend my reputation. I would never "doctor" an image. The "face of the devil" occurred.
>I sold this image to the AP for one time use prior to knowing it contained anything beside the twin towers burning. I transmitted this photo only minutes after it was shot.
>As a photographer for three newspapers, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, I am amazed that anyone could call my reputation into question. I was inundated with email through my company website, http://www.stellarimages.com, to the point where I had to put up an open letter bringing everyone back to the fact that it is a photograph, not a religious or moral statement. Everyone has to look at this photograph and decide on their own what it shows.
>Vin Alabiso still has not returned my calls. He is making statements when he never talked to me. I stand by my reputation of 25 years. I am no longer in the "news" business, starting an Internet company in 1994, but everyone I have worked with in the news industry knows the high standards I maintain.
>I invite you to read my open letter on http://www.stellarimages.com or http://www.markdphillips.com and would hope that you could contact me to discuss this. It has left a very bad taste in my mouth.
>Sincerely,
>Mark D. Phillips
>President, StellarImages
>718-858-8980 (work)
>718-522-1341 (home - here now)
I hope in the time it's taken me to respond you've found some satisfaction. I certainly think someone should have talked to you in the process of discussing your photo, the image in the smoke and any question of manipulation. It is a pretty poor example of journalism to have done otherwise.
That said, I notice the story and photo are no longer on the Poynter web site. I'm not sure this qualifies as a suitable solution. I doubt I'll be any help getting to talk to Vin Alabiso. I would be glad to post a letter from you to the NPPA's discussion list. That would at least get your voice heard by a couple thousand photojournalists.
I'm open to any other ideas you might have.
Sean
<------>
Sean D. Elliot
The Day
s.elliot@theday.com
<------>
Director
National Press Photographers Association Region One
<------>
>----------
>From: Mark D. Phillips
>Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 8:33 PM To: s.elliot@theday.com
>Cc: melsean@ctol.net
>Subject: devil photo controversy/I am photographer
>Sean,
>I have not been a member of the NPPA since 1994(?) but I feel I must contact you. I was a member of the organization for over 15 years. I shot the photograph of the World Trade Center burning that people are saying or implying was digitally manipulated to include the face of the devil.
>As the photographer at the forefront of a controversy, I find it amazing that NO ONE has bothered to talk to me about this image and give me the opportunity to defend my reputation. I would never "doctor" an image. The "face of the devil" occurred.
>I sold this image to the AP for one time use prior to knowing it contained anything beside the twin towers burning. I transmitted this photo only minutes after it was shot.
>As a photographer for three newspapers, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, I am amazed that anyone could call my reputation into question. I was inundated with email through my company website, http://www.stellarimages.com, to the point where I had to put up an open letter bringing everyone back to the fact that it is a photograph, not a religious or moral statement. Everyone has to look at this photograph and decide on their own what it shows.
>Vin Alabiso still has not returned my calls. He is making statements when he never talked to me. I stand by my reputation of 25 years. I am no longer in the "news" business, starting an Internet company in 1994, but everyone I have worked with in the news industry knows the high standards I maintain.
>I invite you to read my open letter on http://www.stellarimages.com or http://www.markdphillips.com and would hope that you could contact me to discuss this. It has left a very bad taste in my mouth.
>Sincerely,
>Mark D. Phillips
>President, StellarImages
>718-858-8980 (work)
>718-522-1341 (home - here now)
September 11 email cc
September 11 email date
Tue, 18 Sep 2001 13:28:53 -0400
September 11 email from
"Elliot, Sean" <S.Elliot@theday.com>
September 11 email subject
RE: devil photo controversy/I am photographer
September 11 email to
"'Mark D. Phillips'" <mphillips@stellarimages.com>
Source
born-digital
Media Type
email
Created by Author
yes
Described by Author
no
Date Entered
2001-09-18
Collection
Citation
“RE: devil photo controversy/I am photographer,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 27, 2026, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/2986/.