
Peter Degnan | The Barras, Glasgow, 1970s-80s
Peter Degnan is a self-taught photographer who lives in Derby, England. He is originally from Glasgow, where he lived and worked for most of his life.
Peter recalls his earliest memories of photography as helping his dad develop films when he was a boy. This sparked his interest in the entire process of photography and led him to create and process his own work starting from the age of 15. The first camera he ever started with was a ‘Zenit E’ SLR, and using this camera, he learned a lot about the basics of the craft.
Peter “These photographs of the infamous Glasgow “Barras” Marketplace were taken on film from the mid-1970s through to the late 1980s. During this time, the Barras was always bustling with activity, although not always legal, it was nonetheless always entertaining. The Barras was a great place to photograph as it was always full of colourful characters, and enticements such as throwing free towels to the crowd. The patter was first class with exclamations such as: “Come in a bit closer to the stall missus, I don’t dae mail order!”
Peter recalls his earliest memories of photography as helping his dad develop films when he was a boy. This sparked his interest in the entire process of photography and led him to create and process his own work starting from the age of 15. The first camera he ever started with was a ‘Zenit E’ SLR, and using this camera, he learned a lot about the basics of the craft.
Peter “These photographs of the infamous Glasgow “Barras” Marketplace were taken on film from the mid-1970s through to the late 1980s. During this time, the Barras was always bustling with activity, although not always legal, it was nonetheless always entertaining. The Barras was a great place to photograph as it was always full of colourful characters, and enticements such as throwing free towels to the crowd. The patter was first class with exclamations such as: “Come in a bit closer to the stall missus, I don’t dae mail order!”
Gallery first published 16th February, 2020.
© Peter Degnan / British Culture Archive. All rights reserved.
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