Franklin and Rosenthal’s photographs define photojournalism
On August 20, 2006, 1945 Pulitzer Prize winner Joe Rosenthal passed away. While a larger body of his photographs are not as visible, his “Iwo Jima Flag Raising” has transcended America’s consciousness. The power of the photojournalist in our digital age remains far reaching. When the world first saw Mt. Suribachi in the pages of LIFE magazine, the full frame of the photograph was shaped to fit the pages and format of LIFE. Modern photography collectors are actually able to include the image as it appeared in the forties, in full frame as released by the Associated Press in conjunction with the Pulitzer organization or as re-interpreted by modern photojournalists like Thomas R. Franklin. Franklin’s Bergen Record image of “Fire Fighters raising the flag at Ground Zero” has it’s roots in Rosenthal’s influence. Photo editors decide on content based on how the visual tie-in will relate to the audience. Franklin’s photograph pulled in America’s past pride, symbolized the grief matched with hope of a country and the free world, and as a photograph continues to resonate and invoke emotions.
