![\"\"](\"\/export\/ZKBQp5pQ-300x400.jpeg\")
\nPortrait photographer to the stars, Rankin, has unveiled a series of portraits of doctors, nurses and other NHS staff who have been responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. He apparently took the portraits as a “mark of respect and thanks” to the NHS, which marks its 72nd anniversary this year; rather than being confined to some swanky gallery, the collection will be seen across the UK at bus stops, roadside billboards\u00a0and popular pedestrian areas including the Piccadilly Lights in central\u00a0London.<\/p>\n\n
“As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic began to unfold, I was moved by the incredible efforts of\u00a0people across the NHS and I wanted to document who they are and their role in\u00a0fighting this disease,” Rankin explains. “Taking a portrait is a unique and intimate experience, even with\u00a0social distancing in place. Everyone had their own inspiring story which to them was\u00a0just doing their job.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/export\/ye1PDauw-533x400.jpeg\")
\nThe subjects include an ICU consultant, a\u00a0midwife, a psychiatrist, a hospital porter, and a ward cleaner. One of those photographed is Emma Kelly, a Covid-19 critical care nurse at the Manchester University NHS\u00a0Foundation Trust. “At first, I thought it must be the wrong Emma as I feel like I’m\u00a0just doing the job I have been trained to do. While all of us who work for the NHS do\u00a0the job because we want to care for and support our patients, it is lovely to be\u00a0recognised in this way and to be able to share our stories with the world.”<\/p>\n