Glasgow photographer Alan Wylie launches exhibition of his life's work

Alan Wylie is a former press photographer who, over the past 45 years, has photographed everyone from Dame Judi Dench at the Theatre Royal to Billy Connolly at the Scottish Baftas and Frank Sinatra at Ibrox stadium, as well as a host of other  well-known names and faces of the screen and stage, alongside writers and poets. 

His new exhibition, 'What I have Seen', features over 60 photographs throughout Wylie's career from 1979 up to the late 1990’s, and includes many of his commissions when he was the official photographer for Glasgow European Capital of Culture in 1990.

Speaking exclusively to our sister title The Herald, Mr Wylie said: "I’ve been a photographer for about 45 years and spent all of it in Glasgow, mostly working for the arts and cultural sectors.

"The pictures that I’ve chosen for the exhibition are ones that I actually like myself. I like all my photographs but these are ones that stand out for me and have fond memories for me, like Bill Paterson, Peter Mullen, Jenny McCrindle and Peter McDougall. Peter rarely condescended to be photographed but I managed to get him in a good mood. It’s a cracker.

"There’s other people there like Deborah Kerr, Lulu with Al Green, Judy Dench, Leonard Bernstein, George Wylie, Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh. Just a complete mix of personalities and just what I have seen."

Wylie admits, however, that he had a tough time choosing the photographs for the exhibition, adding: "I just made a fairly random selection and I’ve come up with what I have exhibited. Photographers tend to be quite protective of their work. It’s so difficult to choose what you might think is better."

The exhibition features a selection of photographs Wylie took of Nelson Mandela during his historic visit to the city in 1993 to collect the Freedom of the City of Glasgow award.

Deacon Blue's Lorraine McIntosh and Ricky Ross (Image: Alan Wylie)

Wylie, who was enlisted by Glasgow City Council to document the visit, noted: "There’s five photographs of Nelson Mandela and every one is a winner. He was the most important and gratifying person I ever photographed."

As well as the well-known names and faces, the exhibition also showcases some of Wylie's documentary photographs of the social aspect of Glasgow.

Wylie says the images, often the result of "wee incidents in the street that are funny and you just slowly put the camera up to your eye and take a photograph" help to illustrate "just how good natured" his fellow Glaswegians are.

Despite the advent of smartphones, advancements in camera technology and professional editing apps allowing people to be photographers in their own right, Wylie is still a keen advocate of seeing a photograph in a frame.

Nelson Mandela and Marah Louw dancing on stage in Glasgow in 1993 (Image: Alan Wylie)

"Today millions of people take millions of photographs every day on their phone. That’s no way to look at a photograph in my opinion, unless your going to put it in your own house in a frame or on display.

"People keep them on their phone or on their laptop or whatever. I think a photograph becomes a bit of an art form when you put a mount and a frame around it and hang it on a wall instead or just put in a drawer or lying on a table", he noted. 

And Wylie expressed his hope that the exhibition proves an engaging one for visitors.

He finished: "I’m just hoping people like my photographs and they like what they see, and maybe they are entertained or informed and puzzled by them. With people’s love of photography so great today, it’s absolutely brilliant to be showcasing my work.

"Looking at all the photographs, I can almost remember the story behind each of them and how I came to take each photograph and things like that.

"Quite a lot of people will write a diary about their life. These photographs are my diary."

Alan Wylie's exhibition, 'What I have Seen', runs until December 15 at The Glasgow Gallery, 57 Glassford Street