Paolo Potestà

Paolo Potestà watches clandestinely.‭ “‬The little girl was moving innocently amongst the crowd,‭ ‬unaware of the religious protagonists of the parade.‭ ‬I followed her unnoticed with the camera,‭ ‬anticipating something was about to happen.‭ ‬Suddenly,‭ ‬she saw a mummified‭ ‘‬penitente‭’ ‬and started to scream in panic.‭ ‬That was the moment I pressed the button.‭” ‬Wait,‭ ‬follow,‭ ‬and trust that the situation will deliver a strong image‭ – ‬which is exactly what happened at Semana Santa.‭ ‬The traditional Easter procession beckons hundreds of thousands of devoted believers and curious onlookers who enjoy the impressive sight of the‭ ‘‬penitentes‭’ ‬carrying the cross,‭ ‬the‭ ‘‬costaleros‭’ ‬who bear the religious icons to the church,‭ ‬and‭ ‘‬nazarenos‭’ ‬who follow behind.‭ ‬The participants are there to empathize with ceremony.‭ ‬Others,‭ ‬like Paolo Potestà with his Leica M7,‭ ‬are there to seek out the most impressive subjects.‭ ‬Since‭ ‬1987,‭ ‬the‭ ‬39-year-old has been documenting the Semana Santa.‭ ‬He’s managed to attend almost every year,‭ ‬and always shooting black and white film‭ – ‬a tradition he plans to continue.