Sean Donnelly, |Finding Yourself Through the Camera

Oftentimes, a person’s calling in life can appear to them in ways that are completely unexpected. For Sean Donnelly, photography became his passion almost by accident.

 

“Honestly, it was one of the best mistakes I’ve ever made in my life,” Donnelly believes.

 

Donnelly came to the American University of Florence (AUF) through the Veteran Affairs program in 2021. He joined the School of Digital Imaging and Visual Arts, thinking initially that he would be taking film production classes. The courses he ended up taking were not what he originally pictured, but a fascination with photography quickly blossomed in his mind. 

 

“While my passion is still there for videography, since I’ve come to this school, I very much grew just as passionate, if not more, about photography,” Donnelly recounts.

 

Donnelly recalls from an early age a desire to express himself creatively, and since he never had a knack for music, visual mediums seemed like his best bet. Growing up watching films and television with his father gave Donnelly the belief that he could pursue projects like that in the future.

 

“There’s got to be something of you in it,” says Donnelly. “If you’re not telling about a part of you in your photography, then what’s the point? You’ll have no drive to continue the project or you’ll easily leave it by the wayside.” 

 

Donnelly does not have a specific style that he can identify with his own photography, but he finds himself drawn to documentary projects where he can explore the semiotics of a frame. Semiotics are the elements within a picture that tell a story. For example, a generic photo of someone standing in front of a wall does not tell much about the person, but if you give them a book to hold, that signals that they probably enjoy reading.

 

In a city such as Florence, with tourists aplenty and a collection of iconic landmarks, amateur photographers are always out and about. Advancements in cell phone cameras have made it so that anyone can be a photographer at any time, and social media only boosts the desire to take and share photos. Combine that with the rise of A.I. imagery in recent years, and it is easy to see how photography can become oversaturated in the modern age.

 

Despite this, Donnelly remains confident in the future of photography as an art form.

 

“Everyone is capable of having and expressing their voice, it’s just the people that choose to express it in an appropriate manner and dedicate themselves to expressing their voice and their point of view that makes a difference between me and someone who’s just taking a picture for the hell of it,” Donnelly believes. “I think the beauty of art is its subjectivity.” 

 

 

A childhood spent on the move has shaped Donnelly’s own subjective voice. With his dad in the military, Donnelly’s family bounced from place to place, both within Italy and abroad. When he was around seven, the family moved to Livorno, a coastal town around 95 kilometers west of Florence. Livorno proved to be foundational to Donnelly’s upbringing, as the family always seemed to end up back in their apartment, despite all their moving around. 

 

After years spent overseas, he returned to Italy in 2016 and spent a few years up north in the mountains before coming back down to Livorno. With his last few years spent in Florence attending AUF, Italy has been Donnelly’s home for the majority of his life, and he hopes it can stay that way for the foreseeable future. 

 

Since neither of his parents are from Italy, and he spent much of his adolescence on the move, Donnelly recalls not always being viewed as a “true” Italian. When he was younger, this identity crisis often rubbed him the wrong way, but he soon learned to block out the noise and accept himself for who he really is with assuredness.

 

“This is where my values were built, this is where my heart stays … I could see myself living somewhere else out of financial necessity,” he says. “Aside from that, if I could help it I would stay here, quite frankly. But you never know what’s in store for the future.”

 

Donnelly credits the staff at AUF for developing his burgeoning passion for photography, especially David Weiss, the school’s Head of Visual Communications.

 

“Sean puts in a lot of elbow grease, and I think that’s what really shows in his work and his academics,” Weiss says. “He’s receptive to criticism, he does his own critical thinking on his stuff, on any subject matter. Sean’s just very present.”

 

Weiss helped Donnelly recognize the value of growing his professional portfolio while simultaneously pursuing passion projects that fulfill his creative urges. Their relationship goes both ways; Weiss has high standards for the photography he judges, whereas Donnelly seems to always find the artistic merit in any piece.

 

Donnelly received strong reviews from Weiss for his photos from a recent event, revealing in conversation between the two, “Your critique scale is if you say it’s alright, then it’s good. If you say it’s good, then it’s great.”

 

“And if I say it’s excellent, that means I’m being over the top,” Weiss laughs in response. “It was really good work.”

 

For his final project before graduating next September, Donnelly wants to return to and photograph Livorno, his childhood home that has been an object of his affection for most of his life.

 

“I want to dive into what makes my home city what it is, and try to express why it’s my home, why I love it so much. At the same time, the nuances of the relationship that I have with it… we’ll see how that goes,” Donnelly describes.

 

To better flesh out the project, Sean and another student walked most of the way from Livorno to Florence, a distance of over 80 kilometers. The two spent the time taking videos and photos of the Italian landscapes, interacting with the locals in towns along the way, and camping out under the stars at night.

 

He hopes to capture the town’s social gatherings, such as its fish markets and coastal hangouts, as well as Livorno’s philosophical and political profile. He describes in passionate detail the town's chickpea pies: chickpeas between baguette or focaccia, black pepper, and eggplants - You can’t go wrong with that.

 

Donnelly also lays out the one thing that you have to do in Livorno when you’re there. “Go a bit south and there’s a road full of cliffs and rocks… just gorgeous water. There are a few coves, cliffs and rocks in the cove… that stretch between the edge of Livorno and that next town is just prime for me when it comes to swimming, they’re my go-to spots,” he details.

 

For Sean Donnelly, photography is more than just a fascination for him to pursue. It is a medium used to explore the world around him and, in the same manner, himself. Photography has brought him closer to his home country of Italy and the communities he is a part of. Most importantly, it has brought him clarity of purpose and shown him where he fits into the world.