Martin Parr Quotes

All photography is propaganda.

Photography is the simplest thing in the world, but it is incredibly complicated to make it really work.

With photography, I like to create a fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society's natural prejudice and giving this a twist.

I think the ordinary is a very under-exploited aspect of our lives because it is so familiar.

You have to take a lot of bad pictures. Dont' be afraid to take bad pictures... You have to take a lot of bad pictures in order to know when you've got a good one.

You can read a lot about a country by looking at its beaches: across cultures, the beach is that rare public space in which all absurdities and quirky national behaviors can be found.

You can't learn passion, either you've got it or you haven't.

The easy bit is picking up a camera and pointing and shooting. But then you have to decide what it is you’re trying to say and express.

We are drowning in images. Photography is used as a propaganda tool, which serves to sell products and ideas. I use the same approach to show aspects of reality.

I am what I photograph.

Part of the role of photography is to exaggerate, and that is an aspect that I have to puncture. I do that by showing the world as I really find it.

Most of the pictures we consume are propaganda.

For those aspiring to make a living from travel photography, it's a sad fact that the boring shots are the shots that are going to make you money.

I accept that all photography is voyeuristic and exploitative, and obviously I live with my own guilt and conscience. It's part of the test and I don't have a problem with it.

The thing about tourism is that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it.

I try to photograph my own and society's hypocrisy.

Work harder, get closer and be passionate about what you photograph.

When a mother takes pictures of her children on the beach, she doesn't take herself for an artist; she does it for love, which is an excellent reason, from my point of view.

There are two parts to the process: taking the picture and finding ways of using it.

Unless it hurts, unless there’s some vulnerability there, I don’t think you’re going to get good photographs.

Choosing sepia is all to do with trying to make the image look romantic and idealistic. It's sort of a soft version of propaganda.

Criticism is hypocrisy; society is hypocrisy. I'm a tourist. I'm a consumer. I do the things that I photograph and can be criticized of.

Everyone is a photographer now, remember. That's the great thing about photography.

Magnum photographers were meant to go out as a crusade ... to places like famine and war and ... I went out and went round the corner to the local supermarket because this to me is the front line.

I avoid Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and if I need to communicate with someone, I email direct.

The danger is, you have a formula and you just repeat it.

Taking photos is a form of collecting.

Photography's central role is to be the absolute medium of the day. It is fantastic that there is no longer any technical intimidation.

Wealthy people have not disappeared, they are just not so willing to show off their wealth.

When I first started learning how to take photographs, you had to spend the first six months figuring out what an f-stop was. Now you just go and take pictures.

I never think of photographs as being individual. Always as a group.

The knack is to find your own inspiration, and take it on a journey to create work that is personal and revealing.

I get up early and open my emails, write cheques and answer the phone; whatever needs to be done.

Tourism is the biggest industry in the world.

I do read many of the photography magazines from the UK and abroad.

Filming is always a challenge because I'm not used to it. But I approach it head-on. I'm not technically brilliant, but it's the spirit that counts.

I toyed with the notion of being an actor, and am so glad that this whim did not go any further.

I am a big fan of Jim Jarmusch and I do love big screen documentaries.

I am away so much, so I rarely see live TV, but I use iPlayer to catch programmes.

I have been photographing people dancing for 20 or 30 years now, and I think I will eventually do a book of dancing photos.

Dictators are interesting, no?

I am not a huge follower of music and tend to like one CD and play it to death, usually when I am washing up.

I always take photographs when I attend a funeral. Most people there know who I am and expect me to be there with my camera.

Color was the palette of commercial photography and snapshot photography.

I am not as cross about Thatcher now as I was in the 80s. Begrudgingly, I can see that some of her policies helped modernise Britain.

Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.

As artists get wealthier and more famous, often their work gets worse... I'm fascinated by the decline of artists. I suspect I'll be in decline myself. It's a fact of life.

I am kept awake by the list of possibilities for shooting more photos and deciding what I must prioritise next.

Photography is Art and Art is Photography.

My black-and-white work is more of a celebration and the color work became more of a critique of society.