Appreciation of Martin Parr

ic-racer · Aug 15, 2025

I appreciate.

Rayt · Aug 15, 2025

I just got The Last Resort. Good stuff.

nikos79 · Aug 15, 2025

Not my cup of tea.
Too "smart" no "essence" in my opinion.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 15, 2025

nikos79 said:
Not my cup of tea.
Too "smart" no "essence" in my opinion.

Well, maybe should have stopped at "Not my cup of tea."

"Too stupid" happens quite often. Nothing, on the other hand, is ever "too smart." Intelligence is a virtue.

As for "no essence," how you don't get that Martin Parr, the man and his photos, is quitessentially British—i.e., that he managed, over and over again, to translate into images the very essence of a certain Englishness, its life, its humour, its absurdities, its idiosyncrasies, of the working and the middle class—is beyond me.

The man looked at the world around him, through the filter of his eyes, mind and character understood the world around him, and managed to photograph all that. If that's not "essence," then there is no such thing as "essence."

Just to be clear: Marin Parr's photography is not my cup of tea. In the sense that it's not how I photograph, or what I photograph. But I have boundless admiration for what he has achieved as a photographer, and I know there is a small part of the world I understand a bit better because of his photography.

And we won't even go into what the Martin Parr Foundation does for photography.

https://www.martinparrfoundation.org/about/

Alex Benjamin · Aug 15, 2025

I mean...

nikos79 · Aug 15, 2025

Alex Benjamin said:
I mean...

I understand all that. I don't undermine his value as a photographer or what he has offered or how he managed to show the "Englishness".
But as a photographer I have to say that he is repeating himself, he is not particularly "deep", and he resorts more than often to "clever" tricks."

That has nothing to do with his reputation or skills or legacy. This is just a personal reading and the last thing I want is to start a new flame because of that. Btw I appreciate you took the time to reply thoroughly

Edit:
Personally, I don't want a photographer to show me the world or England or whatever, if I want that I can buy a National Geographic. I want them to show me a different world the world of their own.

MattKing · Aug 15, 2025

It occurs to me that Martin Parr's work makes a significant amount of use of some of the elements of what some might refer to as English humour.
If that doesn't resonate with you, you are unlikely to appreciate the work.

nikos79 · Aug 15, 2025

MattKing said:
It occurs to me that Martin Parr's work makes a significant amount of use of some of the elements of what some might refer to as English humour.
If that doesn't resonate with you, you are unlikely to appreciate the work.

Photography is not about humour

MattKing · Aug 15, 2025

nikos79 said:
Photography is not about humour

Humour is a fundamental element of human life. Human life is a fundamental element of Photography. Therefore Humour is a fundamental element of Photography.
Untitled, 1971, Garry Winogrand:

Q.E.D.

MattKing · Aug 15, 2025

By the way, that Winogrand photo is more American, while Martin Parr's work is clearly more English. To whit:
Martin Parr - 2019 - Crufts:

nikos79 · Aug 16, 2025

I find some of his early work ones much more interesting for example this one which is a very good photo

koraks · Aug 16, 2025

Moderator note: as a result of several complaints about the participation of @nikos79 so far in this thread, resulting in an acrimonious exchange of messages that had little to do with Parr's work, @nikos79 has been removed from this discussion as well as several posts of said exchange. Please keep it constructive and congenial, gents. Thanks.

pentaxuser · Aug 16, 2025

MattKing said:
By the way, that Winogrand photo is more American, while Martin Parr's work is clearly more English. To whit:
Martin Parr - 2019 - Crufts:
View attachment 405389

Interestingly enough, Matt, had I been asked to say what nationalities these two were I'd have said American where brighter suits and bow ties are more of the norm than in the U.K or Europe

pentaxuser

logan2z · Aug 16, 2025

Alex Benjamin said:
I mean...

My very favorite photo from The Last Resort. An absolutely brilliant book.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 16, 2025

logan2z said:
My very favorite photo from The Last Resort. An absolutely brilliant book.

Indeed it is.

One of the things I find interesting in Parr's work is that he takes us out of our photographic comfort zone, so to speak. He's also on the very edge of what's ethical and what isn't in documentary photography — he's been criticized for it —, and by doing so makes us question what these limits are or should be.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 16, 2025

I have to say that my "Martin Parr appreciation" goes beyond his photography. The Martin Parr Foundation YouTube channel is worth looking at for it's "Sofa Sessions," i.e., conversations between Martin Parr and other photographers. Immensely interesting.

Here Parr with Chris Killip, just a couple of years before Killip passed away.

albireo · Aug 16, 2025

logan2z said:
My very favorite photo from The Last Resort. An absolutely brilliant book.

One of the highlights of my collection.

There is (or used to be) a pretty interesting video on youtube about an "on the road" US photo trip featuring Parr and John Gossage.

Really interesting to see and compare the two at work.

Arthurwg · Aug 16, 2025

Too cleaver by half.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 16, 2025

albireo said:
There is (or used to be) a pretty interesting video on youtube about an "on the road" US photo trip featuring Parr and John Gossage.

Really interesting to see and compare the two at work.

The book was made while they were on a road trip to Memphis to visit William Eggleston. It was published anonymously under the title Obvious and Ordinary: America 2006.

I didn't know there was a video about this. I'll look for it.

Nitroplait · Aug 16, 2025

I participated in a masterclass with Mr. Parr in May this year. He strongly insisted that The Last Resort is his best and most important work.
I understand that the general photographic world likely thinks that too, but I was a little surprised that he hasn't done projects since the early 80's that he at least personally believes are better or more significant on some level. He doesn't seem regretful though - quite the contrary - he owns it proudly.

I brought a copy of The Non-Conformists for him to sign. This black & white project pre-dates The Last Resort but wasn't published until 2013 by Aperture - and is still selling in its first printing - so absolutely not a popular book.
For reference: Martin Parr has published more than 100 books, and most has sold out and a significant number has been reprinted more than once.

I personally think The Non-Conformists it is a brilliant work in its own right and a shame he didn't get the work out to the wider public and recognised before the fame and glory of The Last Resort.

The Non-Conformists and The Last Resort are the only Parr books I own and they transition perfectly from one to the other.
If you imagine The Non-Conformists taken with color and flash - you'll easily see the connection.

I also have the photo from the 2015 Magnum Square Print sale. According to Parr, this is the first color photo he was happy about, from the second roll of his newly acquired Plaubel Makina 67 medium format camera he bought in 1982.
He describes it as a transitional photo that took him from the more quiet black and white style of The Non-Conformists to the "in your face" style of The Last Resort.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 16, 2025

albireo said:
There is (or used to be) a pretty interesting video on youtube about an "on the road" US photo trip featuring Parr and John Gossage.

And looking into this, I just discovered that Gossage's Looking Up Ben James was made while visiting Parr in Bristol in 2008, with both photographers taking a road trip together throughout England.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 16, 2025

Nitroplait said:
I participated in a masterclass with Mr. Parr in May this year. He strongly insisted that The Last Resort is his best and most important work.
I understand that the general photographic world likely thinks that too, but I was a little surprised that he hasn't done projects since the early 80's that he at least personally believes are better or more significant on some level. He doesn't seem regretful though - quite the contrary - he owns it proudly.

I brought a copy of The Non-Conformists for him to sign. This black & white project pre-dates The Last Resort but wasn't published until 2013 by Aperture - and is still selling in its first printing - so absolutely not a popular book.
For reference: Martin Parr has published more than 100 books, and most has sold out and a significant number has been reprinted more than once.

I personally think The Non-Conformists it is a brilliant work in its own right and a shame he didn't get the work out to the wider public and recognised before the fame and glory of The Last Resort.

The Non-Conformists and The Last Resort are the only Parr books I own and they transition perfectly from one to the other.
If you imagine The Non-Conformists taken with color and flash - you'll easily see the connection.

I also have the photo from the 2015 Magnum Square Print sale. According to Parr, this is the first color photo he was happy about, from the second roll of his newly acquired Plaubel Makina 67 medium format camera he bought in 1982.
He describes it as a transitional photo that took him from the more quiet black and white style of The Non-Conformists to the "in your face" style of The Last Resort.
View attachment 405429

Very interesting ! Thanks for all this info, Nitroplait.

I've just put The Non-Conformist on my "Need to get" book list.

Nitroplait · Aug 16, 2025

Alex Benjamin said:
I didn't know there was a video about this. I'll look for it.

Let us know if you find it. I couldn't.

Alex Benjamin · Aug 16, 2025

Nitroplait said:
Let us know if you find it. I couldn't.

Haven't yet, but did find the trailer for a short documentary called Hot Spots: Martin Parr in the American South, in which Gossage, amongst others, is interviewed.

Appreciation of Martin Parr

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