Boston Globe pictures of the year 2011

This was for a story on the 10th anniversary of September 11th. We had special access to photograph at the airport. That flag was put up at the gate at Terminal B where Flight 11 flew from, to commemorate the people who perished. An American Airlines pilot told us about it; we walked over and photographed it. It’s not a very compelling thing to look at, so I was trying to find the best way to evoke some mood. It’s static and straightforward; it had a somber feel. You don’t see any airplanes on the runway, to invoke that feeling of loss.