1
Capture character
I approach portraits from the
point of view of wanting to
capture the essence of the
person. Shooting them in their
environment can really set the
scene for a portrait and add
narrative. Taking a snap
of someone is very different
to making a portrait, and my
aim is to capture the subject’s
personality each time. I always
take time to speak to my
subjects before picking up
the camera, and treat them
the way I would a friend.2
Get great light
For environmental portraiture,
where I photograph a person in
their surroundings, I will always
look to remove bad light from the
scene if it exists, then introduce
good light back in where it is
needed. It is a simple but
effective process.
I normally expose for the
lighting that already exists in the
environment, then introduce
light on my subject to balance
the exposure between the two.
This is the process whether I’m
shooting indoors or outdoors.9 | DOCUMENTARYHeroes of the air
Terry Donnelly explains how his portrait experience
let him raise awareness for an invaluable charityost of my time as a child
was spent taking pictures
and developing the film at
home. Photography was
purely a hobby until 2006,
when I became involved in supplying
commercial images to the construction
industry on a full-time basis. I currently
work in a multidisciplinary environment,
and supply images for PR, promotions,
top-flight sport and portraiture to
private clients and the national press.
I wanted to create a body of work that
would give an insight into the daily roles
of the paramedics and pilots of Wiltshire
Air Ambulance, who provide a life-saving
service. The aim was to raise awareness
of the self-funding requirements of this
service, which currently stands at £3.75
million per year – or over £10,000 everysingle day. One of my roles as a Sony
Europe Imaging Ambassador is to
tell real-life stories with images,
and this project was a perfect fit.
The resulting photographs, including this
portrait of line pilot Nicky Smith, featured
in a print exhibition at the Wiltshire Air
Ambulance airbase in Semington, showing
65 prints on display, before travelling to
several other locations around Wiltshire,
then on to Bristol and London.Terry Donnelly is a Sony Europe Imaging
Ambassador, Rotolight Master of Light
and Fotospeed Ambassador.
http://www.terrydonnelly.co.ukFurther details of Wiltshire Air
Ambulance can be found at
http://www.wiltshireairambulance.co.ukM
34 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com