Thomas E. Franklin

 is a 1988 graduate of the State University of New York at Purchase. 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. The documentary lead to the expossure of toxic dumping by the Ford Motor Company and its impact on the Ramapough Indians and the environmen.

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.

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.

The flag-rasing photo 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.

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.

Opinion

Right place, right time photography. 

The works of Franklin carry a wistful desire to return in thought to a former time in life before the acknowledged violence and war; there is a sentimental yearning for the happiness which no one of this day and age will see.

Nostalgia is an ephemeral composition of disjointed memories. What seemed great in the past might or might not actually be better. There is no clear idea of what is an improvement or a perfection is in the grand scheme of things. However, there is a hope within the images that one day life will be at least satisfactory. They suggest that the past will cease to haunt individuals.