Martin Parr is one of the most recognised documentary photographers of all time, whether that be because of his distinct style or the political messages he appears to speak through his images. With his main legacies being books ranging from ‘bored couples’ to ‘the cost of living’, his photographs tell his point of view on all things to do with us as humans; although some would say his work is extremely cruel and unforgiving. As a result of this, he has become quite a controversial figure as a magnum photographer, and therefore I wanted to write my essay on the main themes he uses in his work to explore whether or not he deserves this title.

Firstly, you could argue that Parr’s use of irony and satirical themes in his work are used against our culture as a direct insult. Some photographers would state that in books such as ‘The Last Resort’, he captures the working classes of people desperately trying to enjoy a holiday surrounded by pollution- and then makes a joke out of it. This may seem quite harsh as the themes directed at the working class are far from flattering, and when the work was first exhibited in 1986 critics condemned it as voyeuristic- that he was getting enjoyment and making satire at the expense of the working class and their lives. For example, in the photos below he captures the mass litter that people vacation with and children play in due to a consumerist culture. 

He takes his images in full, almost blinding colour that keeps up the idea of fake joy and happiness as the working class struggle to have a holiday in such poor conditions, while poking fun at people and situations for example in the first image. This image specially would explain why critics view his work as borderline voyeurism, as raw and … images taken like this are quite intrusive and share things with the viewer that the subject and people in general may not want shared with the camera. Despite this, other photographers would appreciate Parr’s work for how real and unfiltered it is: Parr has even stated himself “ I realised pretty early on that controversy didn’t do you any harm”. His documentary style approach draws attention to the ironies of the seaside resort, as instead of golden sands and deck chairs the harsh reality is concrete slabs with towels places on them (as seen in the second image) in this dystopian take on Brighton. Instead of being dark and intrusive (a juxtaposition to the colour he uses) his work, using the satirical themes, has the uncanny ability to make us laugh at ourselves: our own culture and the way we live. This is a very clever thing to be able to do with photography, so as a result of this you could counter argue the fact that he is not a controversial figure by saying he is just simply photographing the raw and ironic truth of our ethnography.

He also notes on social issues with his photographs: a bold thing to do. In fact, he dedicates a whole book (‘Common Sense’) to consumerism.  This includes a series of images taken with the aim of documenting modern consumerist culture: taking a forensic look at every day items such as everything from tacky clothes and jewellery to all kinds of junk food. Again, he takes quite an intrusive approach in this book, as shown in the images below the majority is shot from close range, taking an intimate view of his subject matter. 

Some photographers would argue that the view he takes to represent our culture is grotesque; almost making us out to be mindless pigs/animals for example the sunburnt man and the butchers meat on the hook, you could question whether he is stating they are one in the same entity, while also documenting on endless amounts of fast food and litter such as the cigarettes above. It puts a negative spin on our culture and speaks some quite profound opinions in regards to consumerism. This series of photographs could be argued to be calling us silly and making ironic and dark jokes about how much and what we consume as a society. However, Martin Parr has also commented on his work: “I very much believe that photography has lots of ambiguity built into it. While I don’t want to ram a message down people’s throat, I do want to give people lots of options. So, I pick up on things like prejudice, I pick up on clichés, I pick up on images that seem very familiar but are also very unfamiliar. If you put these pictures together, you get an idea about the world.” This to me is saying that despite the grotesque things he photographs, he is picking up on these clichés as his images all resonates with his viewers in some way, because we have all had these kinds of experiences as this is what our modern culture has turned in to. Therefore, by using these political messages he creates a feeling of understanding with his viewers while also showing them a bit about this issue that takes place in society today.

Therefore, Martin Parr’s use of themes such as irony and commercialism make his work interesting and bold, even without the extensive use of bright and saturated colour. Some may suggest his work is dark and harsh against our culture, however his work is ambiguous and cleverly done. As a result of this, I use him as a main inspiration for my own work because of the way he draws attention to the ironies of the world, using such themes and has the ability to make us laugh at our own culture in some areas of his work. it does have an element of darkness to it, however I think that is important as that is what comes with documenting the harsh reality of our lives today. This is the basis of my project, although I focus on using the street as my platform to document such social issues.