3 Days After 9/11, a Guard Photographer Walked Into Ground Zero

Published Sep 11, 2026, 8:11 AM EDT

3 Days After 9/11, a Guard Photographer Walked Into Ground Zero With Rolls of Film

Mark Olsen carried rolls of film into Ground Zero three days after 9/11. His own photographs preserve the faces of those who worked amid the wreckage.

Three days after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mark Olsen walked past cars piled on top of one another near the World Trade Center. Some were taxis. One of the most haunting images he recalls? Headlights still burning bright through the fog of rubble. The New Jersey Air National Guard technical sergeant had crossed the Hudson River on a state police boat that morning, carrying rolls of film and deciding for himself what to photograph. He wanted to reach Ground Zero, but he kept finding things along the way that needed to be recorded.

Damaged taxis and other vehicles are piled near Ground Zero in New York on Sept. 14, 2001. A light remains illuminated on the taxi at center. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/DVIDS)