Case study: On location with Martin Parr
Behind the scenes on assigment with one of the masters of photography
Martin Parr is a chronicler of our age. In the face of the constantly growing flood of images released by the media, his photographs offer us the opportunity to see the world from his unique perspective. Leisure, consumption and communication are the core areas Parr has been exploring, for several decades through his worldwide travels. His native Great Britain has been
another key focus. Throughout his 50-year career, Parr has worked to compile an extensive archive exploring contemporary British life, producing numerous bodies of work such as the seminal
TheLastResort along the way. For TheArtofStreet Photography course, Parr navigates two classically British affairs: an agricultural show located in North Somerset, and the Chelsea Flower Show in London. Parr is a regular attendee of events like this and says he’ll never tire of them because, for him, “where there are people, there are photographs”. Based on Parr’s considerable experience of attending such events, here is some practical advice for shooting and editing images.
Shooting tips “The failure rate is huge, so keep on taking the rubbish”
Parr explains that in order to produce a great picture, you might need to take a lot of rubbish ones. Even for someone like Parr, with years of experience and know-how, to end up with two or three pictures from any given shoot is a good result. “The basic theory is the more rubbish you take, the better the chances of a good photo emerging, so keep on taking the rubbish.” “You want every element to work”
The details in a picture are “everything” and it is only when all the different elements are working for you that a photograph is truly successful. When Parr examines his images, he excludes the ones that, despite having some strong components, do not quite make the grade. Every element of the photograph, from composition to technique, has to work together in order for the image to contribute to the same basic goal:
to create images that offer the viewer a moment of joy, interest or revelation.
Strategies for editing images Parr’s editing process is comprised of a number of key stages. He begins with a “generous” first edit of the work produced on any given shoot, on his computer screen. This initial selection is then printed, before a second, more ruthless, layer of editing to select a handful of photographs that convey the essence of the event.
“I like the idea of making the final selection of the images from prints rather than on the screen, because if there are two or three shots of the same subject, I can put them all together to determine which one works best. And also, I think it’s much more unforgiving to see [a photograph] as a print rather than on a screen, because you can really see how good or bad a picture is.
“It is important to be tough on yourself. You may have spent the day photographing at an event or on the street, and felt you captured it well, but in reality, the results may not be as strong as you had hoped. This happens to everyone, but be honest with yourself and don’t allow your memories or the work that went into making an image override your decision making.”
The sense of fulfilment of going out and photographing can never be underestimated Martin Parr