Some of the Rio Paralympic stars will be the focus of a one-off photography exhibition in London to promote sport in the disabled community.
Pictures capturing the emotion of gold medallists Jonnie Peacock, Richard Whitehead and Hannah Cockcroft will be featured in the event.
The series of pictures were taken by Roger Bool, who was asked to capture official press shots of the British athletes who were competing in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games for the national charity WheelPower and Welsh organisation Disability Sport Wales (DSW).
Roger, who runs his own photography company, said: “As good as the action shots are, nothing beats capturing the athletes’ reactions when they break a record which is truly amazing.
“Despite the fact that this is my fifth Paralympic games, I still find the whole event exciting and exhilarating. It’s a wonderfully emotional experience and I am truly honoured to have been a part of it.”
Roger said some of his shots would not have been possible without the Canon 200-400 f4.0 L which was lent to him by Calumet Photographic specifically for the event.
The lens allowed him to capture close-up pictures of the athletes’ faces which will be used by WheelPower and Disability Sport Wales to promote sport among the disability community.
Roger said: “I only have a 300mm myself and for events as big as this, it’s just not up to the job. Sometimes you have to fight for position and because preference is given to agencies you’re usually a lot further back than you want to be.”
Jon Warner, Managing Director of Calumet Photographic, which has its head office in Tilbrook, Milton Keynes, as well as an online shop and eight stores across the country, said: “Roger is a hugely talented photographer and we were only too happy to lend him the lens as we knew it would help him capture some truly magical moments.
“We’ve seen the shots he took in Rio and feel they tell a story of the athletes’ journey. The passion on their faces is a sight to behold and we wanted the chance to show the world these incredible pictures.”
Paul Rushton, Head of Fundraising for WheelPower, said: “Being the national charity for wheelchair sport which provides, promotes and develops opportunities for disabled people to participate in sport, it’s really important we have amazing photos to promote physical activity.
“The photographs that Roger took in Rio will be used over the next four years to inspire disabled children and recently disabled adults to be more active and he certainly captured some extremely poignant shots which we are very proud to use.”
Gerwyn Owen, Academy Manager from DSW, said: “As an organisation which aims to help every disabled person become hooked on sport, we are overwhelmed with the photos Roger brought back from Rio.
“We wanted shots to help inspire disabled people, who otherwise might not believe it was possible to participate in a sport, and we believe the pictures will do just that.”
The exhibition will be held at Calumet’s Drummond Street store on Tuesday, November 29, 2016 until Saturday, December 31, 2016.
Roger will also be in attendance to meet visitors, answer questions and share his top tips to aspiring photographers.
Calumet Photographic is a leading photography equipment retailer supporting amateurs and professionals.
It also provides rentals, runs workshops, offers a student membership scheme, and has studio spaces available to hire for shoots.