Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Picturing life over 60 years
Snapper’s city photos on display
DUNDEE photographer Alex Coupar’s lifetime behind the lens has been captured in a new exhibition.
Coupar’s Camera depicts the rapid changes in the city over six decades and highlights his work.
Vanished views, changed landscapes and departed characters are captured.
Alex was educated at Dens Road Primary and Morgan Academy.
He always wanted to be a snapper, and joined DC Thomson after leaving school in 1947.
One of his regular assignments was photographing royal visits.
Alex first pictured the Queen Mother when she visited the Lord Roberts Workshop in 1953.
Later, on national service, he was assigned to the RAF School of Photography to spend a productive two years as a publicity photographer.
He was able to follow the Queen Mother at events such as the Royal Tournament.
Alex became known to his royal subject, and one photograph in particular stood out.
Alex said: “I was sent to the location at the crack of dawn on a misty morning. She stopped halfway down the hill and I was kicked out of the Land Rover to ask what she wanted.
“She was admiring the view and we did a picture, with the mist around her. Forty years later, I got a call from the Royal Archives, which wanted to use the pictures.
“I went to the shop next day and nearly every newspaper on the stand was carrying the photo.”
When Alex set out as a photographer, jute mills dotted the Dundee skyline and the Fifies were still in daily use, transporting Dundonians across the Tay.
Trams ruled the roads and kept the city running.
Forgotten names like Downfield, Lochee West, Magdalen Green and Stannergate served the various railway branch lines that radiated from Dundee.
Department stores lined the city centre during the halcyon days of GL Wilson, Draffens, DM Brown and Smith Brothers.
The exhibition, at Dundee University’s Tower Building, reveals some of the many changes and developments recorded by Alex over the years.
Large numbers of multis were built in the 1960s, mostly on the outer edges of the city but also in a few prominent inner slum-clearance areas.
He also photographed the start of the Tay Road Bridge construction in 1963.
Much of the historic city centre vanished, including the Empress Ballroom where many couples danced and shared their first kiss.
Among the photographs on display is the shot of the Flying Scotsman turning heads at Tay Bridge Station in May 1964.
The most famous locomotive in the world was making its maiden journey north of the Forth Bridge and sparked great interest.
Alex said: “I was unofficial Courier railway correspondent at the time, reviewing books and writing wee articles.
“She signifies the best of British. Lots of people who knew about the trip came down to see it.
“The crowds in the picture speak for themselves. You could never get a crowd like that in Tay Bridge Station nowadays. No chance.”
Alex photographed The Beatles in October 1964 at the Caird Hall, where they performed two concerts at 6.30pm and 8.45pm.
It was the last time they would come to Dundee.
Alex also pictured a fire at the Timex factory in 1966.
He heard the sirens and followed them to the Milton of Craigie plant. Smoke was everywhere.
His iconic image looked like one man was fighting the fire on his own and was nominated for the World Press Photo Competition.
It appeared in the display of winning pictures in The Hague.
Portraiture was a particular theme of Alex’s work.
Some of his portraits formed part of a weekly series called Faces of Dundee, which appeared in the People’s Journal.
Alex photographed the last ferry to make the Tay crossing in August 1966.
The flag-decorated Scotscraig was escorted by the lifeboat Robert and passengers sang Auld Lang Syne and there was dancing on deck.
The Queen Mother later opened the Tay Road Bridge, with Alex there to witness the occasion.
He left DC Thomson to open a photography studio and became a freelance.
Apart from taking photographs for news stories, Alex worked closely with Dundee Rep and photographed every production for 30 years.
The stars he pictured over the years included Alan Cumming, Gregor Fisher, Jill Gascoigne and Joanna Lumley.
Alex was frequently commissioned by architects to photograph their buildings, including supermarkets, retail centres and housing developments.
He added: “I photographed the huge swimming pool at the waterfront being built and demolished.
“I also watched Margaret Thatcher open the Hilton at the waterfront.”
He closed his studio in 2000 and donated his extensive body of work to Dundee University, which is displaying more than 100 of his photographs.
Coupar’s Camera can be seen in the Lamb Gallery on the first floor of the Tower Building from Monday to Saturday until November 2. Admission is free.