Days after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush had a great deal on his hands.  The destruction was still being searched through, people were still unsure if their loved ones had made it out, and if there was another possible attack on the way.  As President Bush took on the days following the aftermath, he had to have various meetings and phone calls.  Photographer Eric Draper had the privilege to photograph the president as he had a televised telephone conversation with Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.  Draper uses the elements of symbols, focus, and color to express the tension and the significance that day will always have on the lives of Americans.

Draper was able to use symbols as a way to show the significance of that day to all Americans and the President himself.  There is nothing particularly busy happening in this photograph, for it is just the President on the phone, with the American flag in the background.  Although the flag is slightly blurry behind the President, this flag still shows how this day affected the country.  The positioning of this symbol also shows how the country is still on the President's mind during that time of recovery.  It is slightly behind the President, so even though it is not clearly in his mind, he knows it is the underlying reason he must do what he has to do.  The flag in the photograph also brings out the significance of that day by reminding us that we will always be Americans, and we will always be together.  The symbol of the American flag that Draper captured in his photograph helps portray the lasting affect that September 11th left on the country.

The focus in Draper's photograph helps portray the confusion and the tension that was felt around the country days after 9/11.  President Bush is the only thing in the photograph to be completely in focus, while the background is blurred.  Bush is on one of the most important phone calls, with the governor of New York and the mayor of New York City.  He is unsure of what to do, this has never happened to the country before, but he knows he must act quickly.  There is still so much uncertainty in the air.  Americans have no idea if there will be another attack or if they are safe in their own homes.  The president had to act quickly, for the country was waiting on him to respond.  This phone conversation was televised, for all of the people to see.  The focus of the picture depicts how President Bush was still so unsure of how to move forward, even though he had to be confident for the sake of the nation.  Through the confusion and tension following the days of 9/11, President Bush still had to have the country in mind.

Draper could have made this photo in black or white, or focused solely on one color, but instead, he chose to keep the picture in its full color to exemplify the vividness that everyone has of that day.  No one doesn't remember where he or she was standing that day when they heard the news.  No one forgot how it felt to wonder if his or her loved ones were in that building.  No one forgot how the panic stayed for days, months after the attack.  The color shows how nothing was black or white, regarding decisions that the president had to make in the days following the attack.  He had to take everything as it was, in its full entity.  The use of full color in the photograph by Draper helps fulfill the idea of the significance that 9/11 brought to the President's job, and the people of the nation.  

Draper captured a very powerful photograph days after the tragedy we know as 9/11.  President Bush had a great deal on his plate for days and months after the attack.  He had to speak to many people, including this phone call Draper documented with Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani three days after the planes struck the Twin Towers.  Draper's photo captures the emotion and significance that day left behind with its use of symbols, focus, and color.

