INCREDIBLE photos of 1970s Glasgow which lay forgotten in a loft for more than 40 years are to see the light of day in a free exhibition.

Jos Treen’s beautiful shots, taken over one whole year, capture ‘the resilience and humour’ of Glaswegians.

“I went out to record the lives and environment of the people I lived with in Glasgow,” explains Jos. “I shopped at the same shops, signed on at the same job centre, visited the same pubs.

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“I didn’t go out specifically to record the appalling housing and poverty, that was a backdrop to their resilience and humour.”

He adds: “I always tried to show people in the context of their environment or buildings and situations which were unique to Glasgow.”

Jos laughs he is an “emerging photographer” at the age of 65.

He was born in Malta, and the family moved around the UK while his father worked for the Royal Navy, eventually settling in Glasgow.
"I left Glasgow to move to Nottingham in 1980 and while I have been back many times, this will be my first visit to Maryhill in 40 years," he explains.

“I was a kid in the early 60s, the one who always took charge of the family camera.

“I would race round to the local chemist by bike and race back a week or so later to pick up the pictures.

“By the age of 20, my interest in photography was growing and for my 21st birthday I was given an SLR (single lens reflex) camera.”

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Jos says he owes “a huge dept of gratitude” to Hillhead Library on Byres Road in the west end.

“It was there, reading photobooks and photo magazines, that I received my photography education,” he explains.

“Then one day I opened a photobook that contained some works by Henri Cartier Bresson. That was it – I was hooked, I had to try and do something like this. In late 1977 my job came to an end, so I decided to spend the next year walking the streets with the camera.”

Jos adds: “My darkroom was one of those that only got dark at night and the water for developing and printing went from cold to freezing…. At the time these things didn’t seem to matter.

“I also discovered something about myself about 20 years ago, that explained all my issues with reading and writing - I’m dyslexic.

“I suddenly realised why I felt naturally drawn to a camera. It was my way of framing and telling a story. Looking through a viewfinder made perfect sense. No letters jumping around, just pure composition.”

A few of those photos made it to an exhibition in Strathclyde University’s library in October 1978 but Jos needed a job, and so he returned to work in the chemicals industry, and the rest of the negatives were packed away in a box.

“I had a crisis of confidence and lacked money, so I went back to work,” he says. “I spent the next 37 years in the chemicals industry, keeping up my interest in photography whenever I could.”

It was only after he retired that Jos discovered the negatives languishing in his loft.

“There were images from Glasgow and from Stromness, and looking through the negatives, scanning and seeing them again, brought it all back.”

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He smiles: “I knew what I had to next - get back out on the streets with a camera.

“I want to achieve something with photography that I was not able to do in the 70s.”

Glasgow Photo Journey runs until November at Maryhill Burgh Halls. Tickets are free, but you must book in advance.

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