I had the honor of being selected as a de photographerl President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on the occasion of his visit to the Rione Terra on 11 September 2021.
All the highest local and national authorities were present for the occasion, including the Governor Vincenzo De Luca, the archbishop of Naples Mimmo Battaglia and the bishop of Pozzuoli Don Gennaro Pascarella.
Let's analyze in detail the phases of the visit and how they were dealt with.
My equipment
For the occasion, I entrusted myself to a double camera body, with two practical and versatile objectives: on the one hand Fujifilm X-T3 with Fujinon 35mm f / 1.4 on the other Canon 5D Mark IV with my new Tamron 24-70 f / 2.8 purchase and, on my back, the Canon 70-200 f / 2.8 warranty.
The main problem of photography of major events with public offices is the union of the timing, perfect framing at the first try and the ability to produce immediately usable files.
In fact, you can hardly ever shoot in RAW and the photograph produced must, in fact, be the right one at the first try: the very short times of the delivery to the press and communication managers they require an almost connection instant of the camera to the computer or even to the mobile phone. In this aspect Canon plays the lion's share, with a well-designed and working app on both Android and iPhone.
Big disappointment for Fujifilm that, despite the years and the extraordinary experience of the development team, it seems that it is not yet capable of producing a reliable smartphone app.
Would I give up my X-T3? Never. And indeed the best photos are always hers, just for the management color which is - in my opinion - still unsurpassed.
The difficulties to be overcome
The difficulty of this work are remarkable. Paradoxically, it is simpler than the role of popular politicians like Giuseppe Conte, where you have to face the throng of journalists, the crowd and
With the Head of State it's you and his escort. And you have to be coordinated like a swiss watch, you can't go wrong not even a moment why the times are respected in a military way.
The trick? There is not. You just have to be very good at getting yourself communicate in advance the schedule of the day and run backwards like a shrimp.
In the meantime, however, there are many challenges to be faced.
The first problem, that technical, is in the continuous change of environments, color temperatures and lights: after the outdoor walk, the President of the Republic in fact first visited the Cathedral of the Rione Terra and he wanted to meet the young people involved in the rehabilitation project in person “Puteoli Sacra”. One passes in an instant from the light of a sunny morning to the total darkness of the church, which slopes more and more towards the altar.
Here, when some guys presented themselves to the President, I decided to opt for the Canon 70-200 f / 2.8: in the phase of conference it is in fact the perfect lens. It allows you to capture the emotions and the gazes of the protagonists, without even disdaining context photographs, exploiting the focal ordinate of 70mm. The quality of the Canon L series does the rest.
In the walk phase, however, the 24-70 f / 2.8 it is the only possible lens to use. It allows for shy portraiture with quality bokeh, clearly when used on full frame, and the brightness allows you to play in more situations without going into difficulty with ISO and shutter speeds. There Tamron stabilization, then, it is a winning weapon.
Here too it is not all easy. THE political leaders, and to an even greater extent the Head of state, they have a "safety cord" beyond which it is absolutely it is forbidden to enter. It is therefore not easy to use an extreme wide angle like the 17mm, my favorite lens (which instead could give a nice perspective), but it is more advisable to use a "polite" 24mm, which distorts much less, but brings his homework home without disfiguring, being able to approach the right with an overview. Here the managing the contrasts of light between sky and road is a very difficult game, but the possibility of sacrifice the sky to have the subject well exposed. Or find tricks to keep it from appearing in the shots.
The Museum and the high ISOs
After visiting the Cathedral, the President of the Republic finally moved to the Museum to admire one of the most beautiful canvases by the painter Artemisia Gentileschi.
The last challenge was just this: facing the photograph of a dark place without flash, which would have disturbed the presentation.
Here the solution is only one. High ISO, to keep shutter speeds safe, but without exceeding so as not to deliver grainy photographs. Here she came to the rescue Fujifilm which, with his 35mm f / 1.4, allowed me to realize excellent portraits, containing ISOs.
Here too, with the presence of spotlights that illuminated the painting, a choice had to be made and, clearly, I decided to film the audience.
Goodbye, President!
The visit ended with the regards and with a goodbye that, for me, gave a shiver of emotion. I have been dealing with political photography for several years, but be faced with the Head of state for the first time it is one of those experiences that does not make you sleep the night before and after the event: Sergio Mattarella is truly a great man.
Elegant, refined, with an austere presence, but with a reassuring look and words. His face is enough to inspire that in the viewer sense of belonging and trust in the values of the state.
Goodbye President. I hope with all my heart to see you again even after your term of office has expired.
-Federico Quagliuolo
All photographs are my property. Any unauthorized use will be prosecuted and damages will be requested.
