By Joe Arney
The facial expression Donald Trump is making. The positions of the Secret Service agents trying to shield him. The angle of the American flag and the unbroken shade of blue sky in the backdrop.
Ross Taylor has total recall of what he called 鈥渢he perfect news photo,鈥� taken in the moments after Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania.
鈥淭he composition truly helps this photo stand out,鈥� said Taylor, an assistant professor of journalism at the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder and an award-winning photojournalist. He described what he called 鈥渁 perfect circle of entry鈥� beginning with the agents, moving to Trump鈥檚 bloodied face and raised fist, and a clean background that helps the viewer understand what鈥檚 happening.
鈥淚t鈥檚 emblematic of the journalists who put themselves out there鈥攚hen others are running away from violence, they respond so we can have a better understanding of what happened.鈥�
Ross Taylor, assistant professor, journalism
鈥淏ut what really makes it iconic is the flag,鈥� he said. He first saw it while scrolling through X (formerly Twitter), and 鈥渨hile I saw other versions of this scene, without the flag, they don鈥檛 hold the same aesthetic strength as this one.鈥�
The photo was taken by Evan Vucci, a longtime photographer with The Associated Press who Taylor counts as a friend. He was unsurprised by reports that Vucci raced forward to get the photo as others fled for safety.
鈥淓van and others in that sphere are fearless,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淓van has said he鈥檚 more of an operator than a photographer鈥攖hat he knows how to maneuver through these kinds of situations. A lot of people can compose an image, but can you operate under such duress and stress in an unbelievable short amount of time?
鈥淚t鈥檚 emblematic of the journalists who put themselves out there鈥攚hen others are running away from violence, they respond so we can have a better understanding of what happened and what it means.鈥�
For Taylor, the image will join the likes of the firefighters raising the flag over the fallen World Trade Center or the execution of a Vietcong fighter鈥攖he kind of image that explains an event and shapes our collective reaction to it. That will be the case however the 2024 presidential election is decided; Taylor said its influence on the election was one of the first things he thought about upon first seeing the photo.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no way around it鈥攊t will have an influence, perhaps already has had an influence,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f he wins, we鈥檒l remember this as being emblematic of his rise toward his second term as president. I鈥檓 not sure how he and others will use it to advance an agenda, but we鈥檒l soon see for ourselves.
鈥淣o doubt, this photograph documented a key moment in our history鈥攁nd that鈥檚 the power of photojournalism.鈥�
Photo by Evan Vucci of The Associated Press.