Item DC 089/3/4/1/39 - Fraser Taylor portrait

McKell grew up in Weymouth in Dorset and went to boarding school at Clifton Collage in Bristol. In 1975 after a year foundation he studied graphic design at the Exeter College of Art and Design at the same time began working as a seaside photographer aged 19 in his summer holidays and became his first serious projected documenting his own life and the environment he grew up in including family, friends, girl friends, people who worked or lived in Weymouth and holiday makers. Moving to London in 1979 to work as a graphic designer At 22 he quit his job in design to follow a career in photography his new projects was the Mod/Skinhead revival and self published his first book titled SUB CULTURE. At 23 he took a trip to New York to photograph the Guardian Angels then returning to London’s immerging new underground scenes of 80’s club culture featuring Blitz Kids like Boy George who was totally unknown at this point. This led to editorial and record companies commissions and photographed the new rising star Madonna for her first ever magazine cover for pop magazine Number One. At 27 he held an exhibition in his own newly acquired studio in 1984 15 Westland Place in Shoreditch, East London entitled 'Iain McKell LIVE'. In this event members of the public were invited to witness McKell at work, he photographed members of The Comic Strip and many of the visitors. This was followed in 1985 by a show and open workshop in The Photographers' Gallery, titled LIVE! 85 showing his work and a documentary film about the previous year. McKell began to work on advertising campaigns for Smirnoff and Red Stripe and many others. At the same time did various road projects abroad from Spain to Morocco, Africa and Italy.
McKell has been photographing various subcultures since the 1980s, and has since documented various other counter cultures, including Psychedelic Trance in Thailand , Fetish, Druids/Pagans, winter night carnivals in Summerset, London Dandies and American Rockabilly. In 2004 he published his 2nd book Fashion Forever focusing on youth culture’s fixation on style. He has also spent over ten years befriending and photographing a group of New Age Gypsies. The result of this project was the publication of a book and various exhibitions, in New York, London, Paris and Milan. He also went on to collaborate with Kate Moss for V Magazine. Kate Moss travelled with Mckell spending time with the travellers and journeying for two days together living and sleeping with them and taking photos ect.
2012 McKell released his third book, Beautiful Britain, a collection of his photographs between 1970 and 2012.

He also started a Blog projected Look At Me Look At You and is invested in street photography. A dairy sketchbook, mirroring the work from his first projected in his home town Weymouth. It maps out Mckell’s emotional world and his feelings of the given moment. Mostly urban but some times trips abroad or road trips to the country side.

At present New projects An American Prayer- A journey by bus from the underground scene in New York to LA. Seaside Town – going back to my roots. A road trip around British Sea Side Towns. Radical People – A series of portraits of London people over 50 who are creative trail blazers shaping modern culture. Working on two projects at present.

The self published book SUB CULTURE 1979 has been repackaged with a limited edition 150 copies along with a sighed print which sold out over the weekend at the 2015 Los Angeles A Book Fair who in tern chose it as ‘Best book of the festival’.

At present working as an Executive Producer contractually partnership with an American Producer on a script development for a film project based on the book The New Gypsies to be for either TV or Cinema.

Clients include
i-D, The Face, The Observer, Sunday Times, Independent, Telegraph, English Vogue, French Vogue, Italian Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Cassa vogue, Numero, Dutch Zoo, Tank, V magazine, Beat, The New British. French Elle, German Glamour, French L’Official, Dutch L’Official. Black Book, New York Times and WSJ
Levis , Wranglers, Bonobo, Philips, Jigsaw, Max&co, Red Stripe, Vladivar, Tia Maria, Mercedes Benz, Nixon, Pepsi Cola, Smirnoff, Vidal Sassoon, Fishermans Friend, Sony Playstation,

Photographed numerous high profile personalities such as Kate Moss, Sam Smith, Brad Pitt , WILL I Am, Gilbert and George, Grayson Perry, Little Mix, Vivian Westwood, and others.