Story of an image - Number 11

First a couple of clarifications! One, this is not one of my most technically excellent shots. Two, I am not religious!

However, I have chosen to write about this photograph because I was emotionally moved by the event.

So let's provide the background.

Easter is Spain in big! Being a catholic country, they actually spend a whole week celebrating it. In fact it's called Semana Santa, or holy week in English. The events culminate on domingo de resurección (Easter Sunday) with pure celebration.

All week various religious fraternities had been participating in solemn parades through town. The centre piece of each parade is their "trono" (literally throne) which is a huge display portraying the apostles, or Jesus or Mary et al. The trono is literally carried by devotees through the town along a designated route. See below.

I was aware that Easter Sunday was something special, because two of the fraternities routes end together outside the Town Hall, and that this meeting triggers joyous celebration.

So, to get my shot I got there a couple of hours early and stood my ground as the crowd built up in the Town Hall Square.

Eventually the trono featuring a huge Jesus arrived from the left, and the other featuring his mother Mary entered from the right. Their very presence was the cause of much emotion from the devotees all around me. The fervour then reached new levels as the devotees carrying the tronos then made them "dance" with each other. Sounds silly doesn't it? But it really was something to behold. Both of these huge thrones were moving and swaying with each other as music played. All the dignitaries and invitees in the Town Hall then launched small colourful cards into the air which rained down on us.

People around me were in a state of rapture and yes, I felt emotion. It was obviously a special time for those that do believe in god.

Did it change my views? No, but I always loved photographing Semana Santa because I found it fascinating. From a photographer's point of view, Spanish traditions provide some awesome photo opportunities.

If you are interested in the settings, it was 1/200th of a second at ISO100 with aperture at f9.

Thank you for reading.

#alicante #fotomondeo #easter #pascua #semanasanta #spain #españa #tradition #alacant