Martin Parr on the power of persistence
#3 – Martin Parr
Martin Parr is most people I know’s favourite photographer. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but it’s just true.
With documentary projects he’s been making since the mid-’70s – like The Last Resort, about holidaymakers in New Brighton (Merseyside), The Cost of Living, about people at supermarkets in Salford (Manchester), and Small World, about tourists around the world – Parr has developed a hilarious and insightful style of social commentary that appeals to those in love with cultures of the street.
Constantly searching out new communities and capturing them in satirical tones, Parr has become an inspiration for a generation of photographers trying to make sense of modern society, and, despite being a master of the genre, he’s more than aware that failure is a part of success.
“Most of the stuff on the internet is absolute crap. Don’t worry, most of the pictures I’ve taken are crap too. You have to take a lot of bad pictures to get something good.”
This is just a short excerpt from Huck’s Fiftieth Special, a collection of fifty personal stories from fifty inspiring lives.
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