Masked penitents brotherhood take part in the 'Ensogado' procession at Maundy Thursday
Masked penitents brotherhood take part in the 'Vera Cruz' procession at Good Friday
Tarragona, Spain. 7 April, 2023: A member of the Brotherhood of 'Cofradia Dels Pescadors' holding a candle takes part in the Good Friday procession in Tarragona.
Masked penitents brotherhood take part in the 'Vera Cruz' procession at Good Friday
Tarragona, Spain. 7 April, 2023: A little girl from the 'Cofradia Dels Pescadors' brotherhood shields with her hand a candle against the wind during the procession Good Friday procession in Tarragona.
Masked penitents brotherhood take part in the 'Vera Cruz' procession at Good Friday
Hooded penitents from the 'Congregacion del Santisimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte' brotherhood walk the nightly streets of Barcelona during their Palm Sunday procession
Young penitents from the 'Gran Poder and Macarena Esperanza' brotherhood wave palm leaves while the priest blesses them at the end of the Palm Sunday procession in Barcelona
'Costaleros' (porter) of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood carry their float to its place in Barcelona's St Jaume church at the end of the Good Friday procession
'Costaleros' who carry the float with the religious image of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood the narrow streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter have a break during the Good Friday procession
Barcelona, Spain. 13 April, 2025: Hooded penitents from the 'Congregacion del Santisimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte' brotherhood walk the streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter during their Palm Sunday procession
A 'costalero' (porter) is seen through the fine grid of the religious image of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood during the Good Friday procession through Barcelona
A 'Saeteras' (saeta singer) sings a 'saeta' (very emotional religious song) during the Palm Sunday procession in Barcelona
A tattoo of praying hands is seen on the arm of a 'costalero' (porter) of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood during a break during the Good Friday procession through Barcelona
Penitents hold torches while they walk the streets during the Good Friday procession of the 'Nuestra Madre de las Angustias' brotherhood in Zamora
A brother of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood talks to the 'costaleros' (porters) carrying their religious image through Barcelona during the Good Friday procession
A hooded penitens of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood carries a cross as he parades through Barcelona during the Good Friday procession
A 'costalero' (porter) of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood reacts as they reach with their float Barcelona's St Jaume church at the end of the Good Friday procession
'Costaleros' (porters) of the 'Nuestra Senora de las Angustias' brotherhood react as they reach with their float Barcelona's St Jaume church at the end of the Good Friday procession
Barcelona, Spain. 13 April, 2025: Hooded penitents from the 'Congregacion del Santisimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte' brotherhood walk the streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter during their Palm Sunday procession
Penitents hold torches while they take a short rest during the Good Friday procession of the 'Nuestra Madre de las Angustias' brotherhood in Zamora
Penitents with torches gather at Zamora's Plaza Major for a chant during the Good Friday procession of the 'Nuestra Madre de las Angustias' brotherhood
About me
Matthias Oesterle
Matthias Oesterle is a German documentary photographer based between Barcelona and Menorca.
His work focuses on people, place and tradition, with a particular interest in the gestures, rituals and everyday moments that shape community life. Working close to his subjects, he seeks proximity and immersion, documenting events and lived environments from within rather than from a distance.
He began working in documentary photography in 2011 while covering the 15-M protests in Barcelona. Since then, his practice has developed toward long-term documentation of social and cultural life across Spain, especially in rural and traditional communities where identity, continuity and belonging are expressed through collective practices.
In recent years, his work has increasingly centred on traditions, rituals and popular festivals — including correfocs, casteller performances and regional celebrations across Spain. Beyond the spectacle of public events, he is drawn to the human structures behind them: preparation, inherited knowledge, domestic thresholds, shared effort, humour, fatigue and moments of connection between generations.
Before focusing on photography, he spent nearly two decades in visual communication, including work as an On-Air designer for Germany’s largest private television news network and later as Art Director at a leading Spanish advertising agency. This background continues to inform his structured approach to composition, colour and visual storytelling.
His photographs have been published internationally in media including The Guardian, National Geographic, Le Monde, Paris Match, El País and The Wall Street Journal.
He continues to work on long-term photographic projects documenting cultural traditions, public rituals and the communities that sustain them.