Having covered the Vatican for 27 years — that’s three popes — Associated Press photographer Andrew Medichini has mastered snapping images of papal pomp.
To capture this photo, Medichini knew exactly where to position himself based on the wind for a possible candid shot of Pope Francis.
Here is what he said about making this extraordinary photo:
Why this photo
After several years following popes out and in of the Vatican, you get to know where to be and learn how to anticipate the precise frame in line with the news or the conditions of the day — windy, sunny, rainy, etc.
The day I took this photo was moderately quiet, no big names meeting the pope, no particular weather conditions. So, I made a decision to go to the spot where he enters St. Peter’s Square within the automobile and gets relatively near me — and where there may be all the time some wind channeled from the arch he drives through. I used to be lucky, his cap flew and, just at the precise moment, he tried to catch it.
How I made this photo
The photo was taken from the primary of the steps that result in the churchyard at the doorway of St. Peter’s Basilica, where I had a clearer view over the heads of the pope’s security guards with a 600mm lens from a distance of around 40-50 meters.
It was then cropped in Photoshop, as the image was still quite wide with distracting elements in it. The camera was set to one among its highest frames-per-second speeds. From experience, I do know that if something happens it should likely be in a fraction of a second. That’s what happened on this case; I only got two shots and one was good.
Why this photo works
I think it really works since it shows an intimate and normal gesture by one of the known people on this planet. It’s so different from the formal meeting photos or the more ritual moments during ceremonies. For that split second, he’s like every person attempting to catch their hat because it’s blown away by wind.
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For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.
