Thomas E. Franklin
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ewan Franklin is an American
photographer for The Bergen Record
, best known for his photograph Raising the Flag at Ground Zero
, which depicts firefighter
s raising the American flag at the World Trade Center
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
.
. He has been with The Record since 1993, and has been a professional photojournalist and documentary photographer for over 20 years. He has won numerous awards for his photography, and his work has been widely published and exhibited.
In 2005, his documentary
film, Ford's Toxic Legacy, was the winner of the New Jersey Film Festival
's Best Jersey Film award, and the NJPPA's New Jersey Understanding award. Based on The Record
Franklin has appeared on radio and television many times to discuss his photography. He has been a guest on many national programs, including: The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and Oprah. He has been a guest lecturer at major colleges and universities around the country and remains a highly sought-after public speaker in his local community, where he frequently speaks to civics groups, schools, corporations, and local organizations as a motivational speaker, sharing his unique experiences of 9/11 and his career.
Presently, he produces a weekly photo-column called 'Picture This', featuring colorful aspects of life in North Jersey. In 2007, Picture This, received an Award of Excellence from iPOY (International Pictures of the Year) and a First Place award in Feature Photography from SPJ-NJ.
Franklin is also an adjunct professor of photojournalism at Ramapo College
, and lives in Ramsey, New Jersey
.
A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002 for his photographs from 9/11, Franklin has received dozens of national awards from; MSNBC, Society for Professional Journalists, Editor & Publisher, the Deadline Club, National Headliners, among others.
was made shortly after 5 p.m on September 11, 2001. He was standing under a pedestrian walkway across the West Side Highway
, which connected the World Trade Center to the World Financial Center
at the northwest corner. Franklin said the firefighters were about 150 feet away from him and about 20 feet (6 m) off the ground, while the debris was about 90 feet beyond that.
In 2002, the United States Postal Service introduced the "Heroes" stamp, featuring the flag-raising photo. Proceeds from the stamp have raised over ten million dollars to help families and rescue workers of 9/11. Also in 2002, an autographed original print signed by Franklin and the three firemen pictured in the photo, sold for $89,625 at Christie's Auction House, with proceeds benefiting two 9/11 charities. The photo has also been instrumental in raising money for other charitable causes, including Juvenile Diabetes, autism, cerebral palsy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer for The Bergen Record
The Record (Bergen County)
The Record is a newspaper in northern New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. Stephen Borg is the publisher of The Record...
, best known for his photograph Raising the Flag at Ground Zero
Raising the Flag at Ground Zero
Raising the Flag at Ground Zero is a photograph by Thomas E. Franklin of The Record , taken on September 11, 2001. The picture shows three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at ground zero of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. The official name for the...
, which depicts firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s raising the American flag at the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
Biography
Franklin is a 1988 graduate of the State University of New York at PurchaseState University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
. He has been with The Record since 1993, and has been a professional photojournalist and documentary photographer for over 20 years. He has won numerous awards for his photography, and his work has been widely published and exhibited.
In 2005, his documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
film, Ford's Toxic Legacy, was the winner of the New Jersey Film Festival
New Jersey Film Festival
The New Jersey Film Festival is New Jersey's largest continuing public film series devoted to "experimental, offbeat and influential cinema". It is held in New Brunswick, New Jersey.-History:...
's Best Jersey Film award, and the NJPPA's New Jersey Understanding award. Based on The Record
Franklin has appeared on radio and television many times to discuss his photography. He has been a guest on many national programs, including: The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and Oprah. He has been a guest lecturer at major colleges and universities around the country and remains a highly sought-after public speaker in his local community, where he frequently speaks to civics groups, schools, corporations, and local organizations as a motivational speaker, sharing his unique experiences of 9/11 and his career.
Presently, he produces a weekly photo-column called 'Picture This', featuring colorful aspects of life in North Jersey. In 2007, Picture This, received an Award of Excellence from iPOY (International Pictures of the Year) and a First Place award in Feature Photography from SPJ-NJ.
Franklin is also an adjunct professor of photojournalism at Ramapo College
Ramapo College
Ramapo College of New Jersey is a public liberal arts and professional studies institution of the New Jersey system of higher education.- Location :...
, and lives in Ramsey, New Jersey
Ramsey, New Jersey
Ramsey is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located northwest of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 14,473....
.
9/11 Photos
Franklin rose to national acclaim for his coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York. His now iconic image of three firemen raising a flag above the rubble of the World Trade Center, taken hours after the attacks, is one of the most identifiable and powerful images in history. Life Magazine listed it as one of the "100 Photographs That Changed the World," and the photo is part of the permanent collection of the Library of Congress.A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002 for his photographs from 9/11, Franklin has received dozens of national awards from; MSNBC, Society for Professional Journalists, Editor & Publisher, the Deadline Club, National Headliners, among others.
Flag-rasing photo
The flag-raising photoRaising the Flag at Ground Zero
Raising the Flag at Ground Zero is a photograph by Thomas E. Franklin of The Record , taken on September 11, 2001. The picture shows three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at ground zero of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks. The official name for the...
was made shortly after 5 p.m on September 11, 2001. He was standing under a pedestrian walkway across the West Side Highway
West Side Highway
The West Side Highway is a mostly surface section of New York State Route 9A that runs from West 72nd Street along the Hudson River to the southern tip of Manhattan. It replaced the West Side Elevated Highway, built between 1929 and 1951, which was shut down in 1973 due to neglect and lack of...
, which connected the World Trade Center to the World Financial Center
World Financial Center
The World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, RBC Capital Markets, Nomura Group, the Wall Street...
at the northwest corner. Franklin said the firefighters were about 150 feet away from him and about 20 feet (6 m) off the ground, while the debris was about 90 feet beyond that.
In 2002, the United States Postal Service introduced the "Heroes" stamp, featuring the flag-raising photo. Proceeds from the stamp have raised over ten million dollars to help families and rescue workers of 9/11. Also in 2002, an autographed original print signed by Franklin and the three firemen pictured in the photo, sold for $89,625 at Christie's Auction House, with proceeds benefiting two 9/11 charities. The photo has also been instrumental in raising money for other charitable causes, including Juvenile Diabetes, autism, cerebral palsy.