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
photography photographer remember
Everyone is a photographer now, remember. That's the great thing about photography.
hard
We live in a homogenized world, where it's hard to get excited when everything is slick and professional. The interesting things are the dull things.
We live in a difficult but inspiring world, and there is so much out there that I want to record.
Sometimes you feel uncomfortable taking a photograph, but that's all part of the job.
call fulfilling relaxing taking trip work
Personally, I don't take holidays; I go on trips. My idea of relaxing is taking a trip that isn't commissioned. I'll work just as hard, but without that nagging pressure of fulfilling a commission. Now that's what I call a holiday.
exotic subject
Most of us, when we go out with a camera in our own country, try to find exotic subject matter to photograph.
love platform privileged
I love curating, because I'm lucky and privileged that I have a platform and I can share my discoveries with other people.
passed
My father was an obsessive bird-watcher. The genes of observation passed down.
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.
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.
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.
projects travel work
By default, I am a travel photographer. I work on a combination of commissions and personal projects that take me around the world.
buy food looks package photo sold
If you go to the supermarket and buy a package of food and look at the photo on the front, the food never looks like that inside, does it? That is a fundamental lie we are sold every day.
fine good image says terms touch
When someone says to you, 'Oh, I don't take a good picture,' what they mean is they haven't come to terms with how they look. They take a fine picture, it's just that their image of how they think they look is not in touch with the reality.