How we photographed faith leaders praying that President Trump doesn’t send the National Guard to Chicago

This week’s top photo comes from visual journalist Anthony Vazquez. Follow him on Instagram.

What makes this photo great?

The faith leaders are not just standing, they are actively engaged in a shared, physical act of prayer. Outstretched arms create a powerful, unified line that extends from the foreground to the background, with the pastors in the front leading the prayer and advocating for peace. It shows a cohesive spiritual force advocating for a cause, making the image both visually and emotionally compelling.

How did you get this photo?

I got this photo after a press conference in which the faith leaders spoke out about using social funding instead of military force to curb violence. They planned to walk together to the federal courthouse to deliver a letter for President Trump via the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Anticipating their movement, I kept positioning myself in front of them as they walked. I didn’t know when or where they would stop, but as they approached the federal building, they paused to pray. I was in the right position — in front of them — when they raised their arms. Working quickly, I captured the moment from various angles (low, mid, and high) before the prayer concluded.

Technical details:

  • Equipment: Canon R5
  • Focal length: 24mm
  • Aperture: f/2.8
  • Exposure: 1/80
  • ISO: 800

Plus 16 other great Sun-Times photos from this week in news.

Elizabeth French, mother of fallen Chicago Police Officer Ella French, reacts to the unveiling Sunday of a bronze statue dedicated to her daughter, at Wentworth Park in Garfield Ridge.

Elizabeth French, mother of fallen Chicago Police Officer Ella French, reacts to the unveiling Sunday of a bronze statue dedicated to her daughter, at Wentworth Park in Garfield Ridge.

Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times

Firefighters work to put out a fire in the 6300 block of North Broadway in Edgewater.

Firefighters work to put out a fire in the 6300 block of North Broadway in Edgewater on Aug. 30.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Firefighters put out a fire in the 6300 block of North Broadway in Edgewater.

Firefighters put out a fire in the 6300 block of North Broadway in Edgewater on Aug. 30.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Protesters yell and chant “quit your job” and “shame on you” as ICE agents come and go from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s office in Broadview on Friday.

Protesters yell and chant “quit your job” and “shame on you” as ICE agents come and go from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s office in Broadview on Friday.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Protesters block the driveway for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s office in Broadview on Friday.

Protesters block the driveway for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency’s office in Broadview on Friday.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Latino Leadership Council Board Member Berto Aguayo holds the Mexican and American flags at a news conference Thursday in Chicago Daley Plaza, calling on Chicagoans to peacefully celebrate the upcoming Mexican Independence Day in the face of Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard.

Latino Leadership Council Board Member Berto Aguayo holds the Mexican and American flags at a news conference Thursday in Chicago Daley Plaza, calling on Chicagoans to peacefully celebrate the upcoming Mexican Independence Day in the face of Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard.

Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

Antonio Ramos, Melanie Diaz and Elias Cepeda walk through Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen on Aug. 28 to check for ICE operatives.

Antonio Ramos, Melanie Diaz and Elias Cepeda walk through Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen on Aug. 28 to check for ICE operatives.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks with kindergarten students at Prairie Oak Elementary School at 1427 Oak Park Ave. in Berwyn on Thursday.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks with kindergarten students at Prairie Oak Elementary School at 1427 Oak Park Ave. in Berwyn on Thursday. Pritzker visited the school to learn about the impacts of pending federal actions on school communities.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Local residents Barb and Pete Viña hold up signs as Gov. JB Pritzker speaks with reporters after visit at Prairie Oak Elementary School at 1427 Oak Park Ave. in Berwyn on Thursday.

Local residents Barb and Pete Viña hold up signs as Gov. JB Pritzker speaks with reporters after visit at Prairie Oak Elementary School at 1427 Oak Park Ave. in Berwyn on Thursday.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Muralist Miguel A. Del Real stands on his newly installed piece titled "Flourish," a mural painted on the sidewalk at the corner of Orrington Avenue and Davis Street in Evanston.

Muralist Miguel A. Del Real stands on his newly installed piece titled “Flourish,” a mural painted on the sidewalk at the corner of Orrington Avenue and Davis Street in Evanston.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Lead vocalist Gerard Way performs with My Chemical Romance at Soldier Field on Aug. 29.

Lead vocalist Gerard Way performs with My Chemical Romance at Soldier Field on Aug. 29.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Fans dance and cheer as My Chemical Romance performs Aug. 29 at Soldier Field.

Fans dance and cheer as My Chemical Romance performs Aug. 29 at Soldier Field.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

A loved one of 14-year-old Jeremy Herred gets emotional Wednesday during a press conference announcing a civil lawsuit filed against the Chicago Park District and the former lifeguard who is accused of shooting and injuring Jeremy in June.

A loved one of 14-year-old Jeremy Herred gets emotional Wednesday during a press conference announcing a civil lawsuit filed against the Chicago Park District and the former lifeguard who is accused of shooting and injuring Jeremy in June.

Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

Elliot Schwarz, 4, who is riding a battery-operated toy Vespa, smiles as her mom, Erin Schwarz, rides a 2006 Granturismo 200 during Slaughterhouse 31 and Midwest Vespa Days near Motoworks Chicago on the Near West Side on Aug. 30.

Elliot Schwarz, 4, who is riding a battery-operated toy Vespa, smiles as her mom, Erin Schwarz, rides a 2006 Granturismo 200 during Slaughterhouse 31 and Midwest Vespa Days near Motoworks Chicago on the Near West Side on Aug. 30.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Hundreds march Monday in the West Loop during “Workers Over Billionaires: A Labor Day of Action” as activists, workers and politicians spoke against President Donald Trump and advocated for workers’ rights.

Hundreds march Monday in the West Loop during “Workers Over Billionaires: A Labor Day of Action” as activists, workers and politicians spoke against President Donald Trump and advocated for workers’ rights.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Police confront Mike Oles and Richard Rodriguez sitting at a makeshift table on the road Monday during a One Fair Wage rally across from Trump Tower at the corner North Wabash Avenue and East Wacker Drive in the Loop.

Police confront Mike Oles and Richard Rodriguez sitting at a makeshift table on the road Monday during a One Fair Wage rally across from Trump Tower at the corner North Wabash Avenue and East Wacker Drive in the Loop.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

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