Feature Focus

Photography Book Review: Island Records by Alan Dimmick

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On a warm, sunny Thursday evening in Glasgow, I popped along to South Block Gallery to pick up a copy of Island Record and spend some time looking at the exhibition. The photographs, beautifully presented in their understated grey frames, immediately drew me in. Before I'd even opened the book, I found myself reflecting on the quiet familiarity of the images and how they captured something so recognisable about returning to a place that becomes part of your life.
 

Once I got home and sat down with the book, it quickly became apparent that Island Record is much more than a photography publication. Alan has created an incredibly personal archive spanning almost fifty years of visits to Millport and the Isle of Cumbrae, documenting family holidays, day trips, changing landscapes and the passage of time. What would have remained a private family collection for most people has instead become something that speaks to all of us.
We all have places that hold memories, places we return to throughout our lives, and Alan has found a way of sharing that experience with honesty.

What struck me most was the extraordinary level of detail throughout the book.
Alan hasn't simply assembled photographs; he has carefully preserved the story surrounding them. The handwritten diary entries, notes and observations scattered throughout the pages are genuinely touching. They provide an intimacy that allows the reader to experience not only the photographs themselves but also the thoughts, memories and emotions connected to each visit. They remind us that photography isn't just about what was in front of the camera—it is about the lives that existed around it.

I was equally impressed by the meticulous documentation of the many places Alan and his family stayed over the decades. It would have been easy to overlook these details, yet they become an essential part of the narrative. Together they create a fascinating record of family life, holiday traditions and the experience of visiting the island. This careful attention to detail transforms Island Record from a collection of images into a rich historical and personal document.

The photographs themselves are quietly beautiful. They don't rely on dramatic moments or spectacular scenery to make an impact. Instead, they celebrate the everyday—the beaches, promenades, streets, changing weather and familiar landmarks that become family memories over years of returning. The photographs simply allow those moments to exist as they were experienced.

As Director of the Glasgow Gallery of Photography, I spend a great deal of time looking at photographic projects from artists working across many different genres. What I particularly admire about Island Record is Alan's commitment to preserving his own history. It serves as a reminder that our personal archives often become far more valuable than we realise. Family photographs are not simply records of people; they become records of places, communities and the subtle ways our lives change over time.

Island Record is a beautifully considered publication that rewards both careful viewing and careful reading. It is meticulously assembled and deeply authentic. Alan has produced something that is both personal and surprisingly universal. Whether you know Millport intimately or have never set foot on the Isle of Cumbrae, the book invites you to reflect on your own memories, your own family journeys and the places that quietly shape who we become.

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Michael McCann

Gallery Director

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Exhibition: Emergence Project 2026

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Leaving university or college with a photography degree is a significant moment. After years of learning, experimenting and developing a body of work, graduates are faced with the challenge of taking their photography beyond the classroom and finding an audience for it.

This is not always easy. Exhibition spaces can be expensive, opportunities are often limited, and making the transition from studying photography to practising it independently takes time. A photographer might spend months, sometimes years, working on a project, only to have very few opportunities to show it publicly.

The Emergence Project was established by The Glasgow Gallery of Photography to address some of these difficulties.

We wanted to give recently graduated photographers the opportunity to exhibit their work without having to meet the usual costs associated with putting on a show. The gallery covers the exhibition costs, including printing, allowing the photographers to concentrate on presenting their work.

For us, this is a practical way of supporting photographers at an important stage in their development.

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The importance of Value.

Photography is often a solitary activity.

Much of the work takes place before an image is made: researching, travelling, observing, building relationships and returning to subjects over time. Even after the photographs have been taken, there is the process of selecting, editing and deciding how the images should sit together.

An exhibition brings that process to a public audience.

Seeing photographs printed and displayed on a gallery wall is different from viewing them on a computer screen. The scale of an image, the space around it and its relationship to the photographs beside it all affect how it is understood. Visitors can take their time, look again and make their own connections between the images.

For a photographer who has recently completed a course, this experience matters. It offers an opportunity to see how a body of work communicates outside the educational setting in which it was made. It also creates the possibility of conversations with people who bring different experiences and interpretations to the work.

These are useful experiences for any photographer, particularly those beginning to establish an independent practice.

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Different ways of seeing

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One of the things we value at the gallery about working with emerging photographers is the range of subjects and approaches they bring to photography. There is no single way to make a successful photograph, nor should there be.

Some photographers begin with a personal experience; others are interested in particular places, people, social issues or the everyday details that often go unnoticed. Some work closely with documentary traditions, while others use photography in more constructed or experimental ways.

What interests me is how photographers make decisions about their subjects and how those decisions shape the work we eventually see. Why has a particular image been made? What does the photographer want us to notice? What remains outside the frame? These questions are central to looking at photography, and they are often especially interesting when a photographer is still working out the direction their practice will take.

The Emergence Project gives visitors an opportunity to encounter this work at an early stage. Rather than presenting photography as something that only matters once a career is established, we can recognise the value of the work being made now.

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An opportunity, not the finish line.

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There is sometimes an assumption that graduating marks the point at which a photographer is ready to begin a professional career. In reality, it is often the beginning of a much longer period of learning.

Photographers need time to develop their ideas, build confidence in their decisions and discover which subjects they want to pursue. They also need opportunities to show their work, meet other photographers and learn how audiences respond to what they make.

An exhibition does not guarantee what happens next, and it should not have to. Its value can be much simpler: a photographer has made a body of work, and there is now a place where people can see it.

That is an important step in itself.

By removing the costs of exhibiting, we hope to make that step more accessible.

The role of the gallery.

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At The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, we believe that showing work by emerging photographers is an important part of what a gallery does. Supporting photography should not be limited to established names or artists who already have access to exhibition opportunities.

A gallery can provide space, bring work to an audience and encourage people to spend time with photographs they might not otherwise encounter. It can also help create connections between photographers and the wider photographic community.

The Emergence Project is one way we can put these ideas into practice. It gives recent graduates the opportunity to exhibit their work and gives visitors the chance to discover photographers at the beginning of their careers.

I hope people who visit the exhibition will take their time with the photographs, consider the ideas behind them and perhaps find something that stays with them after they leave. They do not need to be photographers themselves to enjoy the work or have a response to it.

Ultimately, photography depends on people wanting to look, to question and to see things from another person's point of view.

The Emergence Project is about making that exchange possible. It gives new photographers the chance to put their work before the public, and it gives the public the chance to see what these photographers have been working on.

As Director of The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, I am pleased that we can offer this opportunity.

The Emergence Project is a starting point: a chance to show the work, share it with others and take the next step and this is what the gallery has always been about.

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The Exhibition runs at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography until October 31st

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Michael McCann

Gallery Director