Ip Mclaren

Inspired as a child by watching his artist Dad paint in his creative home city of Glasgow. Known for his natural, no-gimmicks style, Ian’s images are authentic, honest and strikingly expressive.

As a nightclub DJ and musician, he took the plunge into the w orld of photography in 1985 when he was twenty five after buying a second hand camera from a pub hawker. He got bitten by the bug and read every photography book he could find and after taking a college course spent his days off experimenting with what he’d learned.

His first break into professional photography came after being offered studio space in a new Glasgow artists’ co-operative, WASPS and his career took off, taking pictures of models and people he met in his night club. Two years later the BBC made a TV programme about McLaren called ‘A style of one’s own’. He then became Artist in Residence at the Glasgow School of Art and in 1990 held an exhibition showcasing his art and life in Glasgow in its ‘City of Culture’ programme.

Soon afterwards McLaren produced his first album cover for top 90’s pop band Wet Wet Wet, followed by a series of portraits for American Vogue. He moved to London in 1991 and quickly become renowned for shooting straight from the heart pictu...

Mainly self taught did an HNC in photography in the 80s

Glasgow - Glasgow City Of Culture 1990
Cambridge - group exhibition 2010