Master of the Mundane

I was very sad to learn of the passing of Magnum photographer Martin Parr this week. His unique images showing off the quirky nature of British culture have remained with me since the first time I was made aware of his work some years ago. Often being at the forefront of the action with short focal length lenses and a camera-mounted speedlight/flash, his brave and brazen approach resulted in incredibly eye-catching imagery, making the everyday habits of people come alive with satirical humour.

Revellers at Redcar beach. 19th July 2016

Sadly I never got to meet the great man but I was fortunate enough to have one of my images judged by him back in 2017. The competition came as a result of an exhibition of his work and that of fellow social documentary photographer, Tony Ray Jones, at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle. The competition asked for entries that captured the contemporary, distinct character of the North.

A few months earlier I had been in Redcar attending a job at a firm of solicitors. It was a particularly warm day and after finishing my job, I decided to head down to the seafront in the hope of capturing a nice image to illustrate this. The stars aligned as I shot several frames of people enjoying the sunny weather.

Through an agency, I tried to sell said picture to the national newspapers to use the next day, but none were interested. Convinced it was worthy of publication, I entered the competition, entitled Only In The North. Several judges were involved in picking a winner, but Martin had the final decision and - to my delight - picked my entry. He didn't attend the presentation event but from that moment I've always felt grateful to him. It's a shame that I'll never get to tell him in person but I've no doubt his legacy will continue to inspire me - and others - to carry on looking for those authentic, candid moments.

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