KING OF CANDID CAMERA
Meet Martin Parr, a judge in our photography competition
WHETHER it’s a snap of a fresh bake on Instagram, a beloved pet as a screensaver or a rainbow NHS sign paraded in front of grandparents via an iPad, so many of us have been documenting pandemic life through photography. And as a judge for our Evening Standard Life in Lockdown photography competition, the celebrated British photographer Martin Parr will be spotlighting the best of the bunch. What he really wants to see, he says, is “the personality of the photographer in the image”.
While he’s looking forward to scouring through your pictures, a lack of subjects has forced Parr to slow his own pursuit of candid portraiture somewhat. “It has been tricky because my main subject has been more difficult to get at. I can’t wait to get back to some sort of normality when events start happening, when people are out and about more. I feel slightly [like I have] cabin fever.”
Which comes as no surprise, considering Parr has been travelling the world making observations on people, places and objects for decades. He fell in love with photography “over 50 years ago when my grandfather — a keen amateur photographer — took me out, gave me film, lent me a camera, processed the film and helped me make prints. I was about the age of 13 or 14 when I decided to be a photographer, and that was it, that is what I’ve done ever since.”
Famed for his voyeuristic images of people from all backgrounds, it’s evident that Parr’s success lies in both his persistence and his faith in the human race. “You’re never going to get tired of photographing people, they are always interesting, unpredictable, different. It’s the most fascinating subject.”
For now, he’s making the best of it. “Queuing, which is a great British occupation, has certainly increased hugely,” says Parr, who has also turned his lens on those at his dental surgery, “with their masks on and everything”, and slightly less expressive trees. And though he might not be taking as many pictures as he’d like, Parr is by no means twiddling his thumbs. In fact, there may soon be a selection of old-but-new work for our viewing pleasure. “I have been doing a lot of things to keep myself occupied. Going through contact prints, selecting new pictures that I may have overlooked. I’ve got a huge archive of 35 — nearly 40 — years of shooting on film and many of these have not been looked at since they’ve been taken, so it has been a great opportunity,” he says.
Plus, there is the Martin Parr Foundation to look after. Founded by Parr to house his own archive, a growing collection of photography focusing on the British Isles and a library of photobooks, the handsome, architect-designed space in Bristol is normally busy with exhibitions and visitors. Now, of course, it’s closed, but not completely in stasis. “We’ve lost some income because we do talks where people come, but the bookshop has thrived and we’ve been doing zoom talks like everyone else, so it has not been as bad as it could have been.”
While many of us have found solace in getting creative during lockdown, Parr is quick to note that not everyone has had the opportunity to feel so liberated. “It’s a mixture, some people have been terribly frustrated, and some people have thrived in lockdown and found new hobbies and interests. For everyone it’s different.”
Parr is unsure what life in Britain will look like post-pandemic. “The whole way we do everything will change, we just don’t know quite how the change will manifest itself yet. We don’t know how long we’re going to be wearing masks for, we don’t know how long we’re going to be queuing outside shops. It’s extraordinary really.” Though he does expect a hint of the roaring Twenties. “I think there will be an economic boost. People will be desperate to go out for meals, drinks,” which is a celebration he and the foundation will be a part of.
“We’re throwing a party here on the June 21, the day that everything is free again. It will be great to have people coming through and looking at the gallery and the exhibitions we present.”
Parr isn’t keen to get involved in the air flight frenzy when we’re “unleashed”, as he describes it, and instead looks forward to milling around Bristol, where he is settled with his wife, or popping to Blackpool to observe those at the beach. “There is always a huge amount of festivals on. We haven’t heard confirmation yet whether Pride will run or whether Saint Paul’s carnival will run, but as soon as they are [confirmed] I will be photographing them with renewed vigour.”
⬤ martinparrfoundation.org.
The Life in Lockdown competition is open for submissions until March 31 at standard.co.uk/photocomp