Portraits, identities, culture and self - Martin Parr

Martin Parr

Martin Parr

Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is 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 (1975-'82), The Last Resort (1983 ‐ '85), The Cost of Living (1987 ‐ '89), Small World (1987 ‐ '94) and Common Sense (1995 ‐ '99).



Parr's photographic style is close up with saturated colours. The proximity allows him to put his subjects "under the microscope" in their own environment, giving them space to expose their lives and values in ways that often involve inadvertent humour. The result of his technique for his book Signs of the Times: A Portrait of the Nation's Tastes (1992) has been said to leave viewers with ambiguous emotional reactions, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Parr has said of his photography:

The fundamental thing I'm exploring constantly is the difference between the mythology of the place and the reality of it.. Remember I make serious photographs disguised as entertainment. That's part of my mantra. I make the pictures acceptable in order to find the audience but deep down there is actually a lot going on that's not sharply written in your face. If you want to read it you can read it.

Parr's aesthetic is close up, through use of a macro lens, and with saturated colour, a result of either the type of film and/or use of a ring flash. This allows him to put his subjects "under the microscope" in their own environment, giving them space to expose their lives and values in ways that often involve inadvertent humor. The result of his technique for his book Signs of the Times: A Portrait of the Nation's Tastes (1992) has been said to leave viewers with ambiguous emotional reactions, unsure whether to laugh or cry.


Rural communities, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Ireland, 1975–1982
In 1975 Parr moved to Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire where he would complete his first mature work.2] He was involved with the Albert Street Workshop, a hub for artistic activity which included a darkroom and exhibition space. Parr spent five years photographing rural life in the area, focusing on the Methodist (and some Baptist) non-conformist chapels, a focal point for isolated farming communities that in the early 1970s were closing down. His series in back-and-white, The Non-Conformists, was widely exhibited at the time and published as a book in 2013. Critic Sean O'Hagan, writing in The Guardian, said "It's easy to forget how quietly observational Parr was as a black-and-white photographer."
Parr's first publications, Bad Weather, published in 1982 by Zwemmer, Calderdale Photographs (1984) and A Fair Day: Photographs from the West Coast of Ireland (1984), all featured photographs from mostly northern England, and Ireland, in black-and-white. For some of Bad Weather he used a flash.

The working class, The Last Resort, 1982–1985

In 1982 Parr and his wife moved to Wallasey, England, and he switched permanently to colour photography, inspired by the work of US colour photographers, mostly Joel Meyerowitz, but also William Eggleston and Stephen Shore.





 During 1987 and 1988 he completed his next major project, on the middle class, who were at that time becoming increasingly affluent under Thatcherism. He photographed middle-class activities such as shopping, dinner parties and school open days,  predominantly around Bristol and Bath  in the south west of England. It was published as his next book The Cost of Living (1989) and exhibited in Bath, London, Oxford and Paris.

His book One Day Trip (1989) featured photographs from having accompanied people on a booze cruise to France, a commission from Mission Photographique Transmanche.

I feel that Martin Parr's approach could be likened to August Sander. Parr and Sander's photographs are concerned with typology and resemble a scientist studying a species. Sanders emphasized this work on individual's identities.

Parr has created a cultural portrait of the British with all the realities of dress, eat, work, play and interact often with uncomfortable honesty.

"I go straight in very close to people and I do that because it's the only way you get the picture. You go right up to them. Even now I don't find it easy. I don't announce it. I pretend to be focusing elsewhere. If you take someone's photograph it is very difficult not to look at them just after." (Martin Parr, 1989, British Journal  of Photography).