This week’s top photo comes from Visual Journalist Zubaer Khan. Follow him on Instagram.
What makes this photo important?
This is the first Chicago Sun-Times staff photo of Pope Leo XIV in his current role. He’s not just the leader of the Catholic Church and one of the most important men in the world, he is also a native Chicagoan, and so it is only right for us to have our own images.
How did you get the shot?
I was in Italy to cover Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s meeting with Leo. The day before, the pope was scheduled to have a general audience, but I still had not secured Vatican press credentials. I had a choice between getting in line with the people visiting from around the world or go to the press office and try my luck. I chose the press office, and, unfortunately, had no luck.
With 10 minutes to go before the event began, I ran out of the press office and tried my best to position myself for a decent shot. Photo Desk editor Ashlee Rezin had pushed for me to rent a 100-400mm lens for the occasion, and I’m glad she did, because I ended up having to stand behind the barricades with five to six rows of people ahead of me.
When Leo came out, escorted in the popemobile, I had no idea where he might turn. There’s a sort of course laid out through the crowd, but the direction in which it’s driven isn’t predictable. I followed the cheers and the directions people were turning their heads until I found him, his bright white robes standing out among a sea of the faithful. I shot what I could and prayed that it would all turn out OK in the end.
Technical details:
- Equipment: Sony A7III
- Focal length: 400mm
- Aperture: 1/8000
- Exposure: f/5.6
- ISO: 500
Plus, 21 more great images from Chicago Sun-Times photographers:
Willie Williams, a nurse at West Suburban Medical Center for 38 years, attends a rally with dozens of religious leaders, healthcare workers and community members outside West Suburban Hospital in Austin to demand the re-opening of the hospital Tuesday. Williams said the hospital is an “anchor of this community” and that the closing of the hospital is already affecting her family, who are patients at the hospital, and her community.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Chicago Police Department officers salute Sunday during a street dedication to honor fallen CPD Officer Enrique Martinez in West Lawn on the Southwest Side. Martinez was shot to death while making a traffic stop in Chatham on Nov. 4, 2024, a month before the 26-year-old would have marked three years with the department.
Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times