I've always had a tremendous soft spot for the way Martin Parr candidly documents British life. The motley crew of strangers, precarious angles and vivid backdrops help create the symphony. All of these minute details build a story, create statements about society and pose questions to its recipient. Martin's sublime street photography has been a significant inspiration to me in my own work.
Think of England, 2000.
I've had a passion for street photography for a while but seem to run into the same moral debate in my mind. Here's Martin's take on the subject of whether SP is exploitative, which is rather enlightening: I think that all photography involving people has an element of exploitation, and therefore I am no exception. However it would be a very sad world if photographers were not allowed to photograph in public places. I often think of what I photograph as a soap opera where I am waiting for the right cast to fall into place. In more recent years I have photographed much closer where bits of people and food become part of the big picture, and one advantage of this is that it means people are less recognisable.
Luxury, 2009. lol
Whenever I have my own office, a print of this will take centre stage. It's my absolute favourite.
These following shots are from Martin's speculator 1997 Benidorm series Common Sense:
The man himself:
I can't wait for winter so I can get my own monogrammed House of Holland football scarf.
If you also like to dabble in street photography, read 10 things Martin Parr can teach you about street photography. Then read it again!
