Ilisa Stack graduated from City of Glasgow College in November 2018 with a First Class BA (Honours) in photography.

Her story from leaving school at 15 to returning to education, aged 32, as a mother of three, is humbling. What started as an evening photography class at the college progressed to studying and achieving an HND, and in turn the Honours degree.

Ilisa’s degree projects received national and international recognition and, thanks to her portrayal of Glasgow youths as noble characters, she was one of the winners of the 2018 Portrait of Britain competition. Her work was selected from 13,000 entries to make the final 100 images for publication and display on billboards across the country. 

Ilisa has established herself as a respected social documentary photographer whose work has been exhibited in galleries and festivals in Amsterdam, Berlin, Edinburgh, London, Manchester and France. She regularly takes part in commissions, talks and workshops worldwide.

With a keen interest in giving back to her local community and beyond, Ilisa organises regular workshops with homeless, vulnerable and socially excluded groups, and youth projects, as well as teaching photography to primary and secondary pupils.

She recently completed Glasgow City Council’s Creative Communities: Artist in residence initiative. Throughout her involvement with the citywide arts and culture programme, Ilisa worked with a number of groups in Shettleston engaging them in a range of creative photography workshops.

“Studying at the college transformed my life. It helped me to develop my skills, build my confidence and achieve my dreams of becoming a professional photographer and artist. I have grown so much as a person and I now try to give something back to students by sharing what I have learnt through my experiences.”