Duncan's book took more than just a click

Nov 29 2012 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

A member of the Paisley Colour Photographic Club was right in the frame when his snaps were used in a major new picture book.

Duncan McEwan found himself having to take pictures of famous Glasgow landmarks – replicating shots which had been taken decades previously.

The project – titled Glasgow, The Classic Then and Now Photographs – required Duncan McEwan to match up around 50 modern pics with their latter-day equivalents.

But little did Duncan realise that the job would soon become one of the most challenging he’d ever taken on.

The 68-year-old retired teacher told the Paisley Daily Express: “I initially thought it would just be a case of matching up photographs with their age-old predecessors, but suddenly it became one of the toughest jobs I’d ever experienced

“I soon found myself with a real challenge on my hands, and it took around 15 trips from my Bridge of Weir home to Glasgow to get it right.

“There were many real issues, such as trying to get to the same vantage points that the original pics had obviously been taken from.

“The original snappers definitely had better vantage points than me, but I just had to accept that this is 2012. The city has changed so much and many of them simply don’t exist now.”

Overgrown vegetation was also a major issue for Duncan, while he insisted that the changing seasons played a part in altering his already hectic schedule.

The dad of two said: “I simply didn’t realise how important planning the whole operation would be. Of course, with a job like this, it would have been nice to have had a little longer, but I had what I had, and just got on with it.

“You think you know Glasgow until you get stuck into a project like this, but many of the places no longer exist.

“I went along to Anderston Cross and soon realised they’d built the M8 Motorway on top of the location I had been looking for.

“It was hard to imagine where the original snap had been taken from, but I just had to give it my best shot. It didn’t make for the best photograph, although it did provide a strong comparison.”

He added: “I faced a similar problem while trying to get a decent shot of Glasgow Green. The trees were just so high and despite the full co-operation of the nearby High Court, I just couldn’t get high enough to replicate the shot.

“It would only have been manageable with the use of a cherry picker.”

Duncan, who married a Paisley Buddie, Fiona, is an ex-president of Paisley Colour, and has been a member for more than 40 years.

He said: “I always had a slight interest in photography but it didn’t really kick in until I joined Paisley Colour – the club has been a massive influence on me.”

Glasgow, The Classic Then and Now Photographs, by Duncan I. McEwan and James McCarroll, and published by Fort, is available from all good book shops priced at £13.95.