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
documentaries fans bigs
I am a big fan of Jim Jarmusch, and I do love big screen documentaries.
thinking groups individual
I never think of photographs as being individual. Always as a group.
artist facts decline
As artists get wealthier and more famous, often their work gets worse... I'm fascinated by the decline of artists. I suspect I'll be in decline myself. It's a fact of life.
writing phones up-early
I get up early and open my emails, write cheques, and answer the phone; whatever needs to be done.
photography guilt tests
I accept that all photography is voyeuristic and exploitative, and obviously I live with my own guilt and conscience. It's part of the test and I don't have a problem with it.
challenges brilliant spirit
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.
lists shooting next
I am kept awake by the list of possibilities for shooting more photos and deciding what I must prioritise next.
interesting people photographer
I looked around at what my colleagues were doing, and asked myself, 'What relationship has it with what's going on?' I found there was a great distortion of contemporary life. Photographers were interested only in certain things. A visually interesting place, people who were either very rich or very poor, and nostalgia.
tourism world industry
Tourism is the biggest industry in the world.
reality tourism different
The thing about tourism is that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it.
people wealth shows
Wealthy people have not disappeared, they are just not so willing to show off their wealth.
people littles documentaries
Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.
photography roles intimidation
Photography's central role is to be the absolute medium of the day. It is fantastic that there is no longer any technical intimidation.
black-and-white color years
In 1982 I bought the newly released Makina Plaubel 55mm fixed-lens camera. With this shift from 35mm to 6 x 7, I also changed from black and white to color. Later that year, I started my project on New Brighton called The Last Resort. However, the first project I shot in colour was composed of urban scenes from Liverpool. This image was on the second roll of film. It's the first good photo I made in this new chapter of my work.