Martin Parr
Martin Parr
Martin Parris a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in particular documenting the social classes of England, and more broadly the wealth of the Western world. His major projects have been rural communities, The Last Resort, The Cost of Living, Small Worldand Common Sense...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionPhotographer
Date of Birth25 May 1952
easily wedding
You can easily take photographs at a wedding - no one would question it. But funerals are different.
magazines opportunity projects
One of the things I regret is that magazines now are so lifestyle-orientated that the opportunity to do bigger projects is gone. This is a serious misjudgment on the part of magazine editors.
people
I photograph people as I find them. But people have issues about how they look.
nature responsibility whether
Photography is, by its nature, exploitative. It's whether you use this process with a sense of responsibility or not. I feel that I do so. My conscience is clear.
family local prepare struck valuable vietnam visited
When I visited Vietnam for Oxfam, the thing that really struck me was how the local farmers had to prepare to evacuate or climb to their mezzanines with their valuable family possessions.
work
There are elements of irony in my work, of course.
photography propaganda
All photography is propaganda.
photography world complicated
Photography is the simplest thing in the world, but it is incredibly complicated to make it really work.
passion havens
You can't learn passion, either you've got it or you haven't.
propaganda glamorous
Most of the pictures we consume are propaganda.
photography reality giving
With photography, I like to create a fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society's natural prejudice and giving this a twist.
ego photograph
I am what I photograph.
photography roles world
Part of the role of photography is to exaggerate, and that is an aspect that I have to puncture. I do that by showing the world as I really find it.
photography two way
There are two parts to the process: taking the picture and finding ways of using it.