The Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci who captured the instantly iconic photo of Trump with his hand raised after surviving Saturday’s assassination attempt has explained how he nailed the shot.
Vucci is the chief photographer for the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. and his photo of Trump with blood on his face and fist pumped in the air has already been called “a legendary American photograph” and the “pinnacle of photojournalism.”
But just how did Vucci pull it off?
“I knew immediately what it was, ” Vucci says of the attempt on Trump’s life. “I just went into work mode.”
Vucci photographed Secret Service agents diving on Trump and the quick-thinking photographer immediately began pondering how they were going to get the former president off the stage.
“I ran to the other side of the stage thinking that would be their evacuation route,” Vucci tells CNN.
“As the president was standing up, he started pumping his fists and I saw the blood on the side of his face.”
Vucci says he immediately knew that Trump’s pose was a big moment. Video recording shows that Trump was shouting “fight, fight, fight” as Vucci was taking that photo.
The experienced photojournalist has covered conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which served him well when he suddenly found himself in an unexpected combat zone.
“That experience does help in trying to stay calm and understand that you have a job to do,” he explains.
“As a still photographer, I don’t get a second chance. I knew that you have to keep your head and do everything you can to document everything that’s happening.”
You’re in the footage. I love your calm demeanor and seeing your intuition at work. You even check the EVF for framing/exposure and then switch back to the flip screen to give you that extra height needed
The composition wouldn’t have been as good if you were slightly to the… pic.twitter.com/PEot8HSwQl
— David Altizer (@dvdaltizer) July 14, 2024
‘It’s All About Anticipation’
Speaking to The Guardian, Vucci says that the job of the Secret Service agents is to stop Trump from being seen, literally putting their bodies in the firing line.
But when Trump stood up, Vucci says he “was kind of fighting his way to the front” and commanded the agents to wait before pumping his fist and shouting “fight” three times.
Vucci was “somewhat taken aback” when Trump did that but he was telling himself to “Slow down, think, compose. Slow down, think, compose.”
Modern photojournalist technology is such that as Vucci was shooting photos, they were being automatically wired to an editor.
Shortly after, Vucci and his fellow media were gathered in a tent where there was no mobile phone signal. It was only 45 minutes later that Vucci first saw his photo already going viral on social media.
“The thing about photography is two people can see the exact same image and have a completely different reaction,” Vucci tells The Guardian.
“But the image is so striking because of the blood on the face, the flag, the raised fist.
“A lot of strong, strong emotions are happening in that image, and I think that’s what people are reacting to.”
Image credits: AP Photo/Evan Vucci