Longtime LIFE photographer Joe McNally, architect of some of the biggest photographic productions ever attempted in the magazine industry, had used the camera, and when he saw what transpired at the World Trade Center, only blocks away from the studio, he felt that it would be worth the effort to create a document. Over the course of the two weeks, nearly 150 people involved in the tragedy — survivors, firemen, policemen, volunteers, doctors, nurses, widows, children, desperate searchers in the rubble — came before lens and, in a way, bared their souls.

"I've been shooting through tears a lot," said McNally. "I've heard countless stories of heroism, loss and recovery. It's interesting — I haven't heard a single bitter or angry word. The mood in the studio has been one of acceptance and healing. Anger has been absent."

McNally, at project's end, felt drained emotionally and physically, but convinced that the toil had been worthwhile, that his exhibit would stand as a dignified tribute to the courage displayed at Ground Zero. "I think this might be the one significant thing I will do as a photographer," said McNally, emphasizing that the victims of September 11 surely merit the tribute.