Documentary photographer's captured moments of 20th century Scotland life goes global

They say a photographer never truly takes a picture, they simply ask to borrow the moment.

That certainly applies to the work of award-winning photographer Douglas Corrance who has been documenting the world around him for more than 50 years.

In that time, the former Scotland on Sunday staffer’s work has been published on countless occasions in a variety of newspapers, magazines and coffee table books.

Visually powerful, deeply intimate and frequently humorous, Douglas’ keen eye for composition is bolstered by an intrepid instinct to get up close and personal with his subjects, telling the stories of real people.

Douglas’ latest printed products have been produced by Cafe Royal Books. The independent Southport-based publisher is run solely by Craig Atkinson, who named the firm after his favourite Edinburgh pub.

Atkinson publishes an astonishing 70 titles a year, specialising in photography that predominately documents social historical and architectural change around Britain.

Suffice to say, Douglas’ formidable archive fits the bill perfectly.

Two new books, covering Scotland between the 1960s-1980s and Glasgow from the 1970s-1980s, have been created in Cafe Royal’s distinct hand-sized format and printed using sustainable materials.

Wee Janie, often called a "Glasgow Wean". Photographed in Maryhill in the mid-seventies.

They feature some of Douglas’ best-known compositions from those periods, including striking portraits of children playing in the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh, student protests, political marches, industrial change and street scenes capturing a vastly different Scotland.

He says: "If it’s not well-composed, then I’m not interested. I like photos where there is a story behind the picture, and where it captures a specific moment in time.

“There was a time when businessmen and trades people all had their own uniform. You don’t see that anymore and that’s what I miss. There’s a lot more casual dress these days.”

Launched this month, the books will be dispatched to major venues worldwide, including the Tate in London, New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Canada.

Glasgow 1970s-1980s.

Douglas is excited at the prospect of his work, particularly many of documentary photographs that have seldom been used commercially, tingling the retinas of people in places he has so far been unable to reach.

In the future, Douglas hopes the books will lead to exhibitions of his work, something he accepts is not possible at the present time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He says: “The return for me will be seeing my photography on show. It's really about the potential of seeing some of the older photographs being used and not lost.

“At some point, I would like to have an exhibition of my work, a retrospective. But for the moment, we can forget that.”

Queuing for ice cream in Kelvingrove Park.

Douglas’ extensive career in photography began aged 15 when he took up a post as a trainee graphic artist at the Highland News in Inverness.

When the graphic department unexpectedly closed down on his first day, the young Douglas was redeployed to the darkroom, and, within six months, found himself armed with a camera and promoted to newspaper photographer. The rest is history.

Now aged 73, he has absolutely no intention of hanging up his lens.

"A photographer never retires,” he adds.

Glasgow 1970s-1980s is available now at caferoyalbooks.com, with Scotland 1960s-1980s soon to follow.

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Rangers football crowd.

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