Evan Vucci (born June 15, 1977) is an American
photojournalist
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...
. He is the chief photographer for the
Associated Press in
Washington, D.C. Vucci shoots and produces both still photography and video projects worldwide, as well as on various subjects including Washington, D.C.-based sports, the U.S. military, and U.S. politics.
He was part of the AP reporting team that won the 2021
Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. From 2000 it has used the "breaking news" name but it is considered a continuation of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photogr ...
. In July 2024, he took
photographs of an injured
Donald Trump with his fist raised after an
assassination attempt
This is a list of survivors of assassination attempts, listed chronologically. It does ''not'' include those who were heads of state or government at the time of the assassination attempt. See List of heads of state and government who survived as ...
.
Early life and education
Vucci was born in
Olney, Maryland, on June 15, 1977. His mother was a secretary and his father was a police officer.
Vucci enrolled at the
Rochester Institute of Technology in
Rochester, New York, in 1995 on a path to commercial photography. Whilst there he attended a lecture given by photojournalist
Michael Williamson. In the lecture, Williamson showed his work and spoke of his travels all around the world while on staff with ''
The Washington Post.'' Vucci was struck by the photographs and life Williamson had lived and changed his major to focus on photojournalism. While still enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology, Vucci photographed sports for
Reuters.
Vucci graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in professional photographic illustration in 2000.
Career
After graduating from college, Vucci moved to
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city.
Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...
, and took a 30-hour-a-week position at ''
The Fayetteville Observer''. After about three months, Vucci realized that life at a small-town paper was not for him. Vucci took a job in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia, to work for the
International Olympic Committee as a photo manager during the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
. While working in Sydney, Vucci met then Associated Press photographer
Doug Mills, who would help him get his foot in the door at the Associated Press as a freelance photojournalist.
In late 2003, Vucci accepted a position at the Associated Press. One of Vucci’s most iconic shots came from Iraq while he was working for Associated Press. On Sunday, December 14, 2008, Vucci was at a joint press conference between United States President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and Iraq Prime Minister
Nouri al-Malik in
Baghdad, capital city of Iraq. The joint press conference was to announce the signing of a
status of forces agreement A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security ...
, which allowed the United States military to remain in Iraq. During the press conference, Iraqi journalist
Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at United States President George W. Bush.
In 2008, Vucci made several visits to
Forward Operating Base Marez in
Mosul, Iraq, profiling soldiers and their stories. His primary focus was a Cavalry Scout Platoon from Killer Troop, 3rd Squadron,
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Brave Rifles") is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
The regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1 ...
(3 ACR). He spent several weeks embedded with the platoon filming their patrols and lives spent at a Combat Outpost in Western Mosul. Many of those soldiers were wounded and three were killed.
In 2020, Vucci covered the
George Floyd protests for the Associated Press. Serving as the chief photographer for the Associated Press in Washington, D.C., he was part of the AP reporting team that won the 2021
Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. From 2000 it has used the "breaking news" name but it is considered a continuation of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photogr ...
.
Images during attempted assassination of Donald Trump
On July 13, 2024, Vucci photographed former President and
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
nominee
Donald Trump being led off stage after surviving an
assassination attempt
This is a list of survivors of assassination attempts, listed chronologically. It does ''not'' include those who were heads of state or government at the time of the assassination attempt. See List of heads of state and government who survived as ...
, with Trump's fist raised in the air and blood on the right side of his face.
The image was shared widely on social media and used as a cover image for
''Time''.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vucci, Evan
1970s births
Living people
Year of birth uncertain
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American photographers
American photojournalists
Associated Press photographers
Journalists from Maryland
People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election
People from Olney, Maryland
Photographers from Maryland
Pulitzer Prize winners
Rochester Institute of Technology alumni