This week’s top photo comes from Visual Journalist Anthony Vazquez. Follow him on Instagram.
What makes this photo great?
I like this image because of the haunting tone. Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez is under a lot of scrutiny, and I thought that the eyes in this image reflect that defensiveness and worry. It’s also an image that you don’t usually get at a press conference.
How did you get the shot?
TV viewfinders are a guarantee at a press conference, and sometimes, if you find the right angle and distance, you can focus on the image in the small viewfinder. Occasionally, you’ll capture a perfectly clear image, but other times, the result is a haunting and unique shot.
To get this image, you’ll need to find the right camera operator and viewfinder. There are green and black, black and white, and color viewfinders on the different TV cameras, all providing a different look.
Next, you have to hope the TV videographer isn’t standing in front of the viewfinder. They usually stick to the side, but in a packed environment, that can be tricky. Once you’ve picked your viewfinder, do your best to line it up with your lens. This might mean getting in an awkward position, lowering yourself down or raising the camera well above your head.
Focusing on the shot is the hardest part. You can’t control what the person speaking does, and they’re bound to be moving around. This is where patience and luck come in. Just wait, and the subject will eventually pop back into frame. I also recommend manually focusing because autofocus tends to get confused by the viewfinder.
Technical details:
Equipment: Canon EOS R5 with a RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM lensFocal length: 200mmAperature: f/2.8Exposure: 1/200 secondISO: 320013 more great photos from the Sun-Times staff from this week
Damariz Posadas, 27, hugs and kisses her 7-month-old son, nicknamed “Boon,” at the family’s North Side home, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. Posadas and her husband Maethee, 27, who asked that his last name not be published, both DACA recipients, are preparing for possible deportations during Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Damariz Posadas, 27, plays with her 7-month-old son, nicknamed “Boon,” at the family’s North Side home, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. Posadas and her husband Maethee, 27, who asked that his last name not be published, both DACA recipients, are preparing for possible deportations during Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Attendees dance during “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life,” a storytelling show by the SOL Collective, at The Promontory in Hyde Park, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
A person walks on shelf ice as it snows at Montrose Beach, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The PIP-II coldbox is guided toward Wilson Hall at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. The cryogenic coldbox, which can get even more frigid than outer space and is a key component of an important new particle accelerator, has arrived in the western suburbs after a weekslong delivery from France.
Joeff Davis/For the Sun-Times
Renata Araiza slides down the Humboldt Park Sledding Hill at Humboldt Park, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) stand beside each other during a news conference after a City Council meeting at City Hall in the Loop, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The food delivery robot Coco demonstrates it’s ability to navigate in snow on North Halsted Street, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates addresses the new Chicago Board of Education shortly after the board members were sworn in at the Chicago Public Schools headquarters in the Loop, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Chicago Board of Education members Debby Pope and Michilla “Kyla” Blaise high-five during a board meeting break at the Chicago Public Schools headquarters in the Loop, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Shoppers browse the frozen aisle on the opening day of Save A Lot in Gresham, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Errol Jacobson paints a Plein Air painting of one of the ponds at Humboldt Park, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Chicago Transit Authority Dorval Carter wipes his eyes before signing the full funding grant agreement for the Red Line Extension Project at the House of Hope in Pullman, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Carter announced his resignation this week.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times