Iconic photo of near miss: The hero photographer behind the lens

During the rally in Pennsylvania, he stood right under the stage. He captured the bullet in the photo that almost killed Donald Trump. He didn't stop photographing even when Secret Service agents shielded the injured politician with their own bodies. Who is photographer Doug Mills, who took a series of unique photos? His photographs have gone around the world not for the first time.

Fractions of a second made the difference at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where photographer Doug Mills took an iconic photo. He managed to capture the moment when a bullet flew just past Donald Trump's head (the photo shows a horizontal streak against the sky). He also captured how the politician grabbed his right ear and then looked at his hand.

When the 20-year-old assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, started shooting, Mills, like other photographers, was standing under the stage, just a few yards from Donald Trump.

Suddenly, I heard what I perceived as three or four loud cracks. The first thought was that it was a car. The last was that it was gunshots, - the photographer recounted in an interview with "The New York Times".

Mills did not think about saving himself. He simply kept taking pictures.

More shots were taken when Secret Service agents appeared on stage. The photographs show not only blood but also the emotions written on the politician's face.

According to many commentators, unique shots, including those by Mills, will not only be recorded in U.S. history, but they may also influence election results.

Doug Mills, the author of iconic photos, is not an unknown figure. He is a dedicated, experienced photographer working with "The New York Times" and has been photographing U.S. presidents for over four decades.

According to ndtv.com, Mills is from Greensboro, North Carolina, and is 64 years old. He studied at Northern Virginia Community College in Virginia. He has a wife and two daughters.

Mills began photographing presidents in 1983. He started by taking pictures of Ronald Reagan. He started working at the Washington office of "The New York Times" in 2002. Before that, he served as the chief photographer for the Associated Press in Washington for 15 years. In 1993, Mills was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

(...) For 35-40 years I have been dealing with presidents, but I did not want to witness something like this - Mills admitted in an interview with American media, referring to the attempt on Trump's life.

Interestingly, it was Mills who in the past captured the moment when President George W. Bush learned about the attack on the World Trade Center.