Happy snapping the class of 1980
Acclaimed photographer catches up with his old classmates as they turn 50
It began with a visit home to the Highlands.
There, on the wall of Mallaig Heritage Centre, was his old secondary school class photo from 1980.
It gave acclaimed photographer Donald Maclellan the impetus to fulfil a long-held ambition, to catch up with and photograph his old classmates.
Now, after an 18-month quest and some 3000 miles travelled, his exhibition My Class @ 50 tells of what happened next.
Donald said: “I’d wanted to do something for over a decade but when I was showing my daughter Ishbel the photo it struck me that everyone turning 50 would be the perfect reason.”
The photographer, who now lives in Oxfordshire with Ishbel, 15, and wife Tamar, decided to track down his olds pals.
He said: “I think 50 tends to be the age where you’ve made your choices in life and are looking back rather than forward.
“So I wanted to find out what jobs they did and what else had happened to them.”
Donald, whose work is in the permanent collection of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, has previously featured famous faces such as Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton and Brian Cox.
This was to be something very different and very much more personal.
Donald was at high school in the Lochaber port between 1979 and 1983. He joked: “I hated every single minute!”
Having not seen many of the pupils for 35 years, Donald was starting with a clean slate as far as tracking down his classmates was concerned.
Old-fashioned detective work, web searches and tip-offs took months but most of those he contacted were surprised but willing to get involved.
All were to be photographed at their place of work and Donald travelled all over Scotland and to Ireland.
Daughter Ishbel was his trusty assistant on the shoots and took the 24th shot, of Donald, herself.
“It was an absolute pleasure catching up with them,” he said.
“They’re lovely people and you still had that connection as you have that shared background, the teachers and the stories.”