Doug Mills and the Importance of Photography

How Still Pictures Provide Indelible Insights in the Toughest of Times

Doug Mills has been photographing presidential elections since the days of Ronald Reagan. On July 13, 2024, he captured what may be the most important images of his career.

On assignment for the New York Times, he was working just a few feet from Donald Trump when a series of shots were fired toward the podium during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I was focused on the president as he was making his remarks,” Mills said while being interviewed by Sabrina Tavernise for The Daily Podcast*. “There was a huge flag, American flag above him flying. I was trying to do something that showed him on the podium and him with the flag up there.

“And I was in the right moment as far as concentrating and being right there so I could see him. And then the former president was making remarks. He was gesturing towards his right.

“There were these three or four loud pops and I just kept taking pictures and it all became a blur. I just kept my finger on the shutter.”

The results from that sequence will be part of the historical account from a deeply disturbing day in America.