In 1966 he entered the film business and his first work as cinematographer was Private Right by Michael Papas.
Notable features in the 1970s were the animated movie Butterfly Ball (the filming of the eponymous work by Roger Glover) and the science fiction series Quatermass by Piers Haggard.
In 1982 he received a BAFTA Award nomination for his work on The Flame Trees of Thika by Roy Ward Baker.
Other well-known films which were photographed by Ian Wilson are Edward II, Backbeat, Erik the Viking, Emma, and The Crying Game.
For the 1999 film version of A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart he received an Emmy Award nomination.