Brace for Impact, on Vanity Fair!

The Vanity Fair slideshow is here   thank you to everyone who has made this exhibition possible, I am happy beyond belief.

Brace for Impact: The Aftermath of Flight 1549

by Feifei Sun

September 14, 2009, 5:58 pm

Of all the guests who gathered at the Front Room, in Brooklyn, last Saturday for the opening reception of photographer Stephen Mallon’s exhibition, “Brace for Impact: The Aftermath of Flight 1549,” perhaps the most notable was Denise Lockie—a passenger on the US Airways plane that crashed into the Hudson River last January.

“The reality is overwhelming,” she said of Mallon’s large-scale photographs, which detail the salvage of the plane from the water in the weeks that followed. “Knowing what we went through that day, and the emotions from everything that happened, it’s hard for me to walk through and look at the damage to the aircraft. I don’t think people realize how much damage was done to the plane.”

Mallon got the call to photograph the salvage from Weeks Marine, the crane company hired for the rescue. He spent two weeks with the company, as well as with various federal agents and firemen. “It was an exhilarating and beautiful process, but every once in a while, it’d hit me that there was a plane in the water,” he said.

"Brace for Impact: The Aftermath of Flight 1549" is on display through October 11. Herewith, a slide show of images from the show.


Stephen Mallon at the opening reception of his exhibition at the Front Room in Brooklyn.Photograph by Ingrid Hertfelder.

Brace for Impact, the aftermath of flight 1549 on MSNBC

this is the link to one of two interviews  i did on MSNBC Sunday Sept 13th- thank you Alex Witt and all of the crew at MSNBC!

Brace for impact, the salvage of flight 1549 on NBC

here is the video interview (NEW LINK!) from NBC' that Daniel Aycock, the gallery Director of Front Room Gallery, and I did with nbc channel 4's reporter Andrew Siff.   The story was picked up by NBC  washington dc and nbc portland maine as well!  I am going to be doing a live interview  onMSNBC about the exhibition sunday sept 13th at 8:50 am and again at 10:40 am The opening is tonite  Sat sept 12th from 7-10 pm!

Brace for Impact, the Aftermath of Flight 1549

The Front Room Presents  "Brace For Impact: the aftermath of flight 1549" Photographs by Stephen Mallon September 10th-October 11th, 2009 Reception Sat. Sept 12th, 7-10 Viewing hours: Fri-Sun 1-6 and by appointment "On Jan. 15, 2009, a few Canadian geese with bad timing became snarge, a steely pilot became a hero, and the world became fascinated with images of a jet splashing into the Hudson River and then floating calmly as passengers crowded its wings. But until now, few people have seen the equally surprising pictures of the second half of this story: when a salvage team used the biggest floating crane on the East Coast to pluck the ill-fated Airbus A320 from the frigid water.” Matthew Shechmeister, “Wired Magazine” Front Room Gallery is pleased to present Stephen Mallon's "Brace For Impact: the aftermath of flight 1549.” It is very difficult to encapsulate the events that happened during and following the crash of flight 1549, but Stephen Mallon's large-scale photographs, taken during the salvage of the fuselage and engine, impart a physicality and scale to these incomprehensible occurrences. Mallon's photos present us with the aftermath of this disaster and remind us how it was averted despite nearly unbeatable odds through the mastery and bravery of the pilot and crew. Never before has a commercial aircraft crashed in the Hudson with the complete survival of all passengers and crew. They were rescued by the Circle Line sightseeing cruise ferry (along with other rescuers) almost instantly. Men, women and children waited their turns patiently standing on the wings of the plane, half-submerged in the icy water on what felt like the coldest day of the year. This feat is a testament to the bravery of the crew and passengers. As the fuselage and engine of the aircraft were later brought up intact by a gigantic crane and a team of divers in heated wetsuits, Stephen Mallon captured the moment standing on the deck of the crane-barge. In Mallon's uncanny photographs the plane sometimes appears to be a metaphorical wounded animal, like a whale lifted completely out of the water. It is damaged, beat up and missing one of its engines, but it nevertheless survives. The divers, in their heated wetsuits with huge face-gear, seem like astronauts floating through an icy void in space. And, we finally get a glimpse of the famous engine—disabled by some unfortunate Canadian geese—in a stunning pseudo-portrait by Stephen Mallon as it is lifted from some eighty feet of icy water.

2009 Lucie award!

I am pleased to announce that The Salvage of Flight 1549 has placed 2nd in the 2009 Lucie Awards Industrial photography category. The Lucie's are In their 7th year, with nearly 18,000 submissions spanning 104 countries! The IPA has established itself as an international recognized competition that continues to garner the attention of the photography community worldwide. The details of the winning for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place are available to view at under the 'Gallery' section here

The debut of this exhibition takes place as a prelude to the Lucies, held this year on Saturday, October 17th at Splashlight Studios.

The Lucie Awards ceremony held this year at the newly renovated Alice Tully Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York on Monday, October 19, 2009 purchasable at www.LincolnCenter.org. This is a first-come, first-serve event.

Join us for the biggest night in photography as we pay tribute to Photography's Living Legends and reveal the 2009 International Photographer of the Year, the Discovery of the Year and the Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year!

Stephen Mallon, Brace For Impact: the aftermath of flight 1549

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Stephen Mallon. Courtesy of Front Room Gallery.

Stephen Mallon, Brace For Impact: the aftermath of flight 1549

Front Room Gallery
Williamsburg / Greenpoint / Bushwick
147 Roebling Street, 718-782-2556
September 10 - October 11, 2009
Opening: Thursday, September 10, 7 - 10PM
Web Site

On Jan. 15, 2009, a few Canadian geese with bad timing became snarge, a steely pilot became a hero, and the world became fascinated with images of a jet splashing into the Hudson River and then floating calmly as passengers crowded its wings.

But until now, few people have seen the equally surprising pictures of the second half of this story: when a salvage team used the biggest floating crane on the East Coast to pluck the ill-fated Airbus A320 from the frigid water.

- Matthew Shechmeister, “Wired Magazine”

Front Room Gallery is pleased to present Stephen Mallon's "Brace For Impact: the aftermath of flight 1549.” It is very difficult to encapsulate the events that happened during and following the crash of flight 1549, but Stephen Mallon's large-scale photographs, taken during the salvage of the fuselage and engine, impart a physicality and scale to these incomprehensible occurrences. Mallon's photos present us with the aftermath of this disaster and remind us how it was averted despite nearly unbeatable odds through the mastery and bravery of the pilot and crew.

Never before has a commercial aircraft crashed in the Hudson with the complete survival of all passengers and crew. They were rescued by the Circle Line sightseeing cruise ferry (along with other rescuers) almost instantly. Men, women and children waited their turns patiently standing on the wings of the plane, half-submerged in the icy water on what felt like the coldest day of the year. This feat is a testament to the bravery of the crew and passengers.

As the fuselage and engine of the aircraft were later brought up intact by a gigantic crane and a team of divers in heated wetsuits, Stephen Mallon captured the moment standing on the deck of the crane-barge. In Mallon's uncanny photographs the plane sometimes appears to be a metaphorical wounded animal, like a whale lifted completely out of the water. It is damaged, beat up and missing one of its engines, but it nevertheless survives. The divers, in their heated wetsuits with huge face-gear, seem like astronauts floating through an icy void in space. And, we finally get a glimpse of the famous engine—disabled by some unfortunate Canadian geese—in a stunning pseudo-portrait by Stephen Mallon as it is lifted from some eighty feet of icy water.

interior photos are now released!

there were 3 images from the interior of flight 1549 that i was in love with and really wanted back available- well NTSB just gave me the green light to have them available again. At the request of the gallery i am going to keep them off of the web site for now but all three of them will be in the exhibition opening sept 18 at the front room gallery. Hope to see you there!