Massimo Sestini

At the peak of the European migrant crisis in 2015, newspapers were filled with shocking images of men, women and children crowded into boats, making dangerous sea crossings in search of a better life. But one picture stood out. Shot by Canon Ambassador Massimo Sestini, it shows 500 refugees immediately prior to being rescued by the Italian Navy, seen from high above.

"I've become convinced that distance offers an invaluable advantage," Massimo says of the overhead perspective he used for this image, which took second prize in the World Press Photo – General News, Singles category in 2015. "Shooting a picture from as great a height as 2,500ft, I can capture the intimacy and power of a scene in a way that I wouldn't if I was shooting from the ground, in close contact with my subjects."

After high school, Massimo dived straight into photojournalism, working first for a photo agency, before setting up his own agency, Massimo Sestini News Pictures, in 1984. He soon built up a client list that included major news publications such as Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica. He travelled the world, telephoto lenses in tow, hunting for scoops. The biggest of them came in the 1990s – he was the only photographer to cover the funeral of speedboat racer Stefano Casiraghi in 1990 and he took the first shot of Princess Diana in a bikini in 1991.

Alongside news, he's undertaken many public commissions, documenting the work of state institutions such as the police, the military and the fire service. In 2020, he exhibited Dante 700, a series commemorating the 700th anniversary of the famous Italian poet's death, at the Quirinal Palace in Rome. He also exhibited Indispensabili infermieri [Indispensable Nurses], a reportage about the role of nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic at Santa Maria Nuova Hospital and Palazzo Vecchio in his home town of Florence.

Massimo's image of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea was made while on assignment with the Italian Navy and shot from the door of a helicopter. This has become his signature technique, showcased in his 2018 book, L'aria del tempo (The Air of Time). "Through an aerial perspective, you discover a completely different vision of the world," he says. "Everything takes shape in the instant that you hit the shutter, you discover something that you've never seen before … the beauty of the invisible."

In your 40-year career in photojournalism, you've covered so many different kinds of news stories. Is there a common method to how you approach a situation?
"As soon as I arrive at an event – whether it's a natural disaster or a crime story for example – I ask myself: from where is it possible to take a shot that will look different to what I can see in front of me? I'll always take a chance, try to shoot from another perspective, maybe from the roof of a building or underground, even if that means I risk going home with nothing."

How did you have the idea for your 2015 World Press Photo-winning shot?
"I wanted to take a photograph that was different to the images that we're used to seeing about the dramatic phenomenon of immigration. I had in mind an image that would give a sense of hope. In 2014, I tried for the first time to shoot some photographs of the boat but I wasn't satisfied with the results. I didn't manage to capture that moment where everyone was looking up at the helicopter, afraid, but happy at the same time because they were saved. In 2015, I tried a second time and my World Press Photo-winning image was born, just as I'd dreamed it."

What are the elements that go into making a strong aerial image?
"Being perfectly vertical above the subject that I want to photograph is essential. Also, the position I choose and therefore my framing; Canon's telephoto lenses, which let me shoot at speed using different focal lengths; and a skilful pilot with whom I can communicate well is fundamental."

Do you have some advice for photojournalists starting out today?
"Don't limit yourself, follow your instincts and act without over-thinking things. Have the conviction to seize the moment with the utmost determination. Even now, when I'm on a job, I get the same adrenaline rush as I did at the beginning. Photojournalism is the best profession in the world."

"I've learned over the years that everything can change at the last minute so when I'm on the ground, I begin by calculating probabilities. I know that even if everything takes a turn for the worse and seems impossible, I can't ever let myself become pessimistic – otherwise I'd end up staying at home. You must never think about the ifs and buts before doing something, you've just got to go there. Unlike other kinds of journalism, you have to physically be in a place to take photographs so you need to get up, run, arrive, look – and finally shoot."

Website: www.massimosestini.it