Photographs of international events influence the understanding viewers develop of the world. Emphasis on specific aspects of an event means other prominent aspects are overlooked. This study examines the visual framing in photographs related to Iran’s 2009 presidential election, comparing images photographers identified as their best work to those judged to be the Pictures of the Year. The analysis shows that while photographers primarily covered events leading up to the election and the violence that followed afterwards, they communicated a variety of frames through their images. The award-winning photographs, which set a standard for photojournalists, mainly depicted violent events, ignoring the civil participation of a wide range of Iranian citizens.