Photographer Research; Martin Parr

Martin Parr: Tourists


When looking at my previous work from my Minor project and trying to pick up what worked well in that work, I noticed how the images which created interest where the ones in which I chose to photograph the actual people involved and the less obvious aspects of the day. I discussed this in my previous posts, where I have chosen to look at work other photographers where I have felt they do a similar thing in their work and it works well. 

When looking further into the work of Martin Parr, I found work which he has produced that really focus' upon this concept of facing the camera on whats going on in the foreground of an event or occasion as appose to whats happening as the main attraction. To explain this a little better I will present some images here by Martin Parr, in which he shows a different take on the documentation of tourism.

In January 2016 I am travelling to Amsterdam, London and Berlin, so I am therefore thinking of ways I can take these trips as opportunities to create work which will relate to what I am aiming to produce in Major Project. Following the work I have created so far, I have tried to focus on capturing images of people. A lot of my work tends to be documentary and street style photography but almost all my images seem to create a focus upon the people in these places. Following my Minor project where I chose to turn my camera round and capture images of people rather than the actual event that is occurring, I have been inspired to carry on trying to do so but try and find some work of photographers whom could maybe inspire me or show similarities to my work in their own.

When looking through varies documentary books in the library, looking at famous photographers I know of, I came across the work of Martin Parr once again. Already in this project I have studied the work of Martin Parr, but here I have found yet another completely different project of his which I felt i could relate to when it comes to thinking of ideas or concepts about photographing people in different countries.

I came across the book and project my Martin Parr; 'Home and abroad.' in this project Parr, as the title suggests, captures images of situations at home and situations abroad. Obviously with looking for the inspiration for photography abroad these were the images I focused upon.

It appears that Parr has traveled abroad quite a lot over his career. Ive found many images taken abroad by Parr which are recent and older. As Parr always seems to do, and why I really take to his work myself is because of the way he takes a different approach to things. For example, most whom would go to photograph in forigen countries one would imagine would photograph the typical sights, views and people. Parr goes to these situations with a fresh and different approach in mind. 

Here I have chosen some of his older and recent work, from different projects, some from a book I have come across and some from his website. All of these images focus upon the concept of 'Tourism'. What Parr does is rather than photographing typical tourist sights like everyone seems to do, he turns the focus around on the people who go to these sights, the obsession with photographing these places, the obsession with posing next to these places for a photograph. His focus upon these people really makes you step back and think of what tourism really is. These projects show exactly what I tend to do and really want do carry on developing in my own work. 



The images below appear on Martin Parr's website under the title 'Too Much Photography'. These are his more recent images of tourism. He uses the travel to another country to focus his photography on this desperate obsession we as a global society seem to have with visiting famous landmarks in countries just in order to snap an image either of it or with it. A lot of Martin Parr's work across all of his projects address modern day society, the societies we live in and often the large consumer society we now live in. His images of tourism make me feel disappointment, that this is what peoples main focus is when visiting a country. Its like a sad reality. But as Parr shows, this typical tourist culture is booming.

http://www.martinparr.com/2012/too-much-photography/


Parr's images really make me stop, think and actually come to terms with modern day life. Phones with cameras are such a prominent part of our society now, enabling this modern concept of tourism and obsession with capturing images to show off where we have been to carry on flourishing. 

http://www.martinparr.com/2012/too-much-photography/

http://www.martinparr.com/2012/too-much-photography/

These images are from the book 'Martin Parr Home and Abroad' Introduction by Ian Mcewan. I feel not only from Parr's abroad images or the concept within his image are something I can take from his photography, as the way in which he photographs is something I feel I can really take note of for my own skills and work. For example, 

I really like this idea of photographing people who are photographing. The use of a camera is so very essential in almost all tourists essentials. The heavy focus Parr creates on this concept of people photographing really makes myself as a viewer stop and think about tourism. It can seem that tourists value more taking an image of a land mark as a keeps sake as appose to actually being there and experience it through their own two eyes. 

Another point which Parr leads me to start thinking about in his work is the obsession tourists have with going to landmarks. Capturing images of landmarks, getting photographs next to landmarks to prove they've been? It seems to really be a sad reality as why would people not just enjoy the experience of being in that country, and experiencing the culture rather than being desperate to just capture photographs of landmarks almost in order to prove they've been? 

This particular image above, captures what one would guess is one foot of the Eiffel tower. Personally my eye is straight away drawn to where i think the image is taken due to the leg of the Eiffel tower, then to the male on the right frantically taking an image of the land marker. As the viewer takes time to look at the image longer however, one may notice the couple stood cuddling and what looks like kissing? Paris is known as the city of love, and especially round this particular land mark one would be led to think of romance? Parr manages to very cleverly capture this contrast and point out the obliviousness tourists have to the real culture of a place as they frantically capture images of landmarks. 

I now intend to use this concept as some inspiration for my own travels. I feel I am still trying to work out what will work and what won't in terms of documentary photography and my own individual style. The images I capture in the countries I visit in 2016 may not be an images I use for my major project however I deffinately will see them all as a help along the process of my major project.