“The symbol of the fighting America that he wants to embody,” analyses an AFP photojournalist

The image was taken Saturday at a rally of the Republican candidate in Pennsylvania. Within 24 hours, it had already gone around the world.

Will the photo of Donald Trump injured and with his fist raised be a historic one? The photo taken by Evan Vucci, a photographer at the American agency Associated Press (AP), has in any case been of record virality, both on social networks and on the covers of newspapers around the world. “This photo is already historic due to the extent of its distribution,” observes for franceinfo Ludovic Marin, photojournalist at Agence France Presse (AFP), in charge of covering the President of the Republic in France and abroad.

franceinfo: How is this image historical?

Ludovic Marin: This photo is already historic because of the extent of its distribution. And because the scene and the event were seen and commented on by everyone. Afterwards, will it remain iconic? That’s what we have to ask ourselves. Without a doubt, because it is a dramatic event, but truly exceptional in American political life. And the fact that it “ends” this way is notable. The candidate is injured but not dead, and so he testifies. He proves that he is not defeated. And the gesture he makes, the flag, the protection he receives, all of this is the symbol of the fighting America as he wants to embody it.

“The photo is almost a symbol of his slogan ‘Make America great again’. It has all the visual codes of the event.”

Ludovic Marin, photojournalist at Agence France Presse (AFP)

to franceinfo

Is this kind of shot particularly difficult to achieve in such a situation?

This photo is not predictable. Evan Vucci is a professional photographer with extensive experience in current events. When such a situation occurs, it calls upon basic reflexes: “I am a journalist, I am able to testify”. And we can clearly see in the images that, at the beginning, when the president is knocked to the ground by his bodyguards, the photographers try to go around the side of the stage to see if they can see the candidate on the ground. There are photos that show that some were able to see him, we see his head between the feet of the bodyguards. Then when the politician gets up, we can clearly see that the photographers who come back in front of the stage sense that something is going to happen, something.

There were indeed several photographers present at the meeting, but it was the AP one that circulated the most…

Agence France Presse was also obviously there and produced a number of photos that also went around the world. So yes, it was the AP photo that took precedence over the others, but our production is nonetheless strong and very effective. It is almost exceptional.

“We have a daily report every day that shows which are the most used photos in the world on the news of the last 24 hours. And there, there is no other photo that appears in the top 20 of the most used images by AFP.”

Ludovic Marin, photojournalist at Agence France Presse (AFP)

to franceinfo

This event crushed everything that could have existed in terms of photo uploads at the agency. I imagine that it is pretty much the same case for other agencies, such as AP or Reuters who were present at this event. It is obvious that this is a major event like America has already experienced, with assassinations or attempted assassinations on other American presidents.

Is there a risk that this photo will serve the Republican candidate’s communication?

The photojournalist never serves as a guarantor. The photojournalist is a witness to an event and his only function is to report this event, which is the case for all journalists who follow politicians. Here, he is confronted with an event that goes beyond the organizer of the meeting. The future will tell whether this photo will have an influence on the rest of the events. But it is not the photo itself that has an influence, it is the event itself.

The photo is only a testimony of what happened. We are never tools, we are observers. Our goal is to report the facts and exclusively the facts.