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
ahead design everyday imagine individual looking spend start time urge
I would urge everyone to start looking at the world in a different way. Spend some time looking at everyday objects, at their design, their shape, their individual characteristics. Think ahead and imagine their significance.
attracted
In New York, you have the street; in the U.K., we have the beach. I end up being like a migrating bird, being attracted to it.
subject taboo
Photographers never want to talk about the fact that they may well be in decline. It's the greatest taboo subject of all.
everywhere jarring
If there is any jarring at all in my photographs, it's because we are so used to ingesting pictures of everywhere looking beautiful.
films pleasant
The trouble with Hollywood films is that they always have a pleasant ending.
aficionado british famous great throughout visited worked
I pride myself in being an aficionado of the British seaside. Throughout my career, I have visited and worked in many of the famous British resorts, from Great Yarmouth to Largs.
filming
Filming is always a challenge because I'm not used to it. But I approach it head-on. I'm not technically brilliant, but it's the spirit that counts.
brown shoot
You can't shoot in sepia, so converting into black and white and then into brown makes everything feel less real.
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.
propaganda glamorous
Most of the pictures we consume are propaganda.
lists shooting next
I am kept awake by the list of possibilities for shooting more photos and deciding what I must prioritise next.
tourism world industry
Tourism is the biggest industry in the world.
tourists records moments
From the moment the tourist enters the site, everyone has to be photographed in front of every feature of note.... The photographic record of the visit has almost destroyed the very notion of actually looking.