How we photographed a vigil at South Chicago Chapel
Sep 05, 2026
This week’s top photo comes from Assistant Photo Editor Pat Nabong. Follow her on Instagram.What makes this photo important?South Chicago Chapel made headlines when 56 decomposing bodies were discovered in the funeral home in August. Since then, families have come forward with rage and doubts over
how their loved ones' remains were handled. On Sunday, some families whose loved ones were cremated by South Chicago Chapel held a vigil outside the boarded-up establishment to demand answers about the contents of the urns that were given to them. At least two families say they believe that the urns they received may contain rocks, not their relatives' remains.How did you get this photo?Shawnese Shannon's family is among them. Her family, including her daughters Franquella and Marshawna Campbell, attended the vigil. Reporter Cindy Hernandez and I previously connected with the Campbells for a story that was published in the Sun-Times.During the vigil, the Campbell sisters set up an altar for Shannon in front of the boarded-up entrance of South Chicago Chapel. Some of Shannon's grandkids were lingering around the altar, and when I saw one of them crouch down, I framed the photo to highlight the looming exterior of the funeral home.Technical details:Equipment: Sony A7III with a 24-70 f/2.8 lensFocal length: f/2.8Aperture: 25mmExposure: 1/200ISO: 6400
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