Martin Parr
Millions of people will know the photographs of Martin Parr, even if they don’t know the name. I was one of those people for many years. I grew up seeing his work and remember being blown away by the ‘Return to Manchester’ exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery in 2018, before I ever picked up a camera.
When I started Manchester Photography Collective (MPC) last year, I knew we were going to put on talks, and one wild long shot I took in January 2024 was emailing the Martin Parr Foundation (MPF) asking if Martin would do a talk for us. I shared the ethos of what we were trying to create, along with this line: “I ask you because I’ve found you very inspiring on my own photography journey, and I know a lot of the others in the group have done too.”
I received a response a couple of days later saying:
“Thanks for getting in touch. We’ll pass your email on to Martin, who will be in touch if this is something he is interested in.”
It’s a line that is usually a polite refusal, so imagine my surprise when Martin himself emailed me a couple of hours later, saying he already had a request from Manchester Met for a talk and would see if he could get MPC involved in that event.
I told Martin I was a huge fan of his work and how much it had influenced me. I told him I was in Bristol for a gig on 5th February and would attend the artist talk by John Harrison and John Sturrock at the Foundation that evening.
Travelling to the Foundation for the first time, I was on a bit of a high. I was getting paid £450 to photograph an event plus travel and accommodation, and I was going to meet Martin Parr! I was 10 months into being freelance and thought maybe this photography thing might work out.
I arrived to a full house and plucked up the courage to approach Martin. I told him I’m the photographer from Manchester who had been emailing him about doing a talk, and he said:
“Right.”
And then he stared at me. An awkward silence developed as I stared back, and then he walked away. I enjoyed the talk and before I left, I told Martin I would be in touch about the MPC talk, and he said:
“Yep. Okay.”
And that was it. I got the bus back to my hotel that night thinking, ‘Damn, Martin Parr’s a bit of a dick!’ But what I didn’t know then was that there were two Martin Parrs. There was the Martin known and adored by millions of people, who was walled off because he had people saying random stuff to him everywhere he went. And there was the generous and kind Martin Parr, short and direct in style, who I would come to know in time.
A few months passed after this night and I didn’t hear anything, so in August 2024 I emailed Martin again, saying:
“I just wanted to reconnect and see if there is still a possibility of you doing a talk for the Manchester Photography Collective? We are going from strength to strength, and I know you are a huge inspiration for many members, including myself. I’ve attached a picture so you can see what we are about. It would be fantastic if we could make this happen.”
I got a reply the next day from Martin saying he was looking for an excuse to come to Manchester and he was sure one would pass by sooner or later. We exchanged a few emails, and by the end of October 2024 we had agreed a fee, date, and venue. It wasn’t a small fee, so it was a risky do-or-die move for MPC!
It was around this time that the first personal connection with Martin began to form. In the aftermath of the University of Glasgow moving the Victorious Voices exhibition and making the national press in Scotland, I asked him if any of his work had caused controversy and how he handled it. Martin told me he’d had his moments and would talk about it with me when he came up.
In January 2025 we got the logistics ironed out and the go-ahead to go live with the tickets. We sold 120 in two weeks and it was full steam ahead. As fate would have it, I got the opportunity to exhibit Victorious Voices on Deansgate the same week Martin was in town for the talk. We had put him in the Hilton, so I suggested I show him my work and then head to Impossible for his talk.
That’s how on 8th Feb 2025 I had one of the most pinch me moments of my life when I gave Martin a 45-minute tour of my exhibition and chatted about my work. He took a keen interest in my journey and told me the work was remarkable and he could see the power in it. For me, this was totally unbelievable. I had started photography as a complete novice in 2020, I had spent most of my life not being given a chance and now I was giving Martin Parr a private viewing of a deeply personal project that I created through sheer will and determination. Wow.
Walking down Deansgate to the talk, Martin asked me what I had done before photography and I laughed and said, “What hadn’t I done?” I shared with him that, once upon a time, I had worked at a law firm further down the street and he smiled and said: “What a coincidence, my first exhibition was down the street in Kendals, down in the basement in the tunnel.”
It was the first of many similarities I would pick up on, another one being we were both nerds for trains. We got to the venue and the event ran like clockwork because MPC is the dream team. There was a moment behind the podium on stage where Emily and I were like children with excitement and disbelief that this was happening. Martin gave the talk, took pictures with us, asked for a glass of wine, and signed the books we had arranged for him.
When all the books were signed, me, Martin, and Emily went to dinner at Medlock Canteen. What a privilege it was to have this opportunity. Martin was like an open book and told us we could ask him anything we liked, so for two hours we did. I asked him what was his equivalent of this moment, where he couldn’t believe he was having dinner with them. He told us he’d eaten with lots of people over the years, but William Eggleston was who sprang to mind.
Like any great conversationalist, Martin asked us questions too. He asked Emily about her job as an Art Director, and me about my other photography. He told me if I get 10 more shots like the one in the gallery, I’ll be just fine. It was such a surreal and wonderful experience picking the brains of one of the world’s greatest photographers whilst we picked apart the roast chicken we were all sharing. We walked Martin back to the hotel in the rain and thanked him for a wonderful evening. He told us it was his pleasure and that he was glad to be back in time for Match of the Day.
The following day Martin told me he enjoyed his trip to Manchester and that it was great to see such a keen audience. I was barely down from cloud nine when I watched “I Am Martin Parr” with Emily at HOME a few weeks later. I loved the movie and hearing Martin talk about his life and career, so when I got home, I sent an email sharing some thoughts. I told Martin I had work taking me to Bristol again that week and invited him for a coffee (the gall!)
I was on the train to Bristol the next day when he replied to me. He thanked me for the feedback and invited me to the Foundation to hear a talk from Sian Davey the following evening. He said it started at 7, but to come at 6 for dinner!
I arrived at the Foundation after my job full of nerves, which soon evaporated when I got a warm welcome and introduction from Martin. I got to see the full archives at the Foundation (which is every photobook you could ever imagine.) I spoke with the studio manager, Charlotte about life and the mutual good friend we have because the world is small!
I will never forget this evening; how it felt like a great big family, how Susie offered me more risotto, and I told her how surreal it was that I had watched her in a movie and was now enjoying her cooking and kindness. I got to observe Martin up close, to watch him watch the scene and feel the silent power he carried. Martin and Sian took an interest in my work and asked me lots of questions. I felt like the scene in The Matrix when Morpheus says “he’s beginning to believe.”
The talk from Sian was fantastic and I left at 9pm to catch my train with a full belly and a full heart. I thanked Martin for the invitation, and from this point on we kind of became pen pals. He told me it looked like Victorious Voices was gaining momentum and encouraged me to keep going. There is something indescribable when a person like Martin tells you he finds your work both creative and important.
In the summer Martin did a Q&A for a future MPC magazine, and when the first issue was printed, I took a copy down to the Foundation for him to look at. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to deliver it personally and spend 15 minutes talking through the work of everyone in the magazine. Martin told me I seemed in much better spirits than the last time he saw me, and I told him it was because the court case against my perpetrator had settled down for the time being and I could feel like myself again. He was impressed with the magazine and said it would go into the archive at the Foundation.
In October just gone, I was in Bristol at the Books of Photography Festival to speak to a publisher about a potential Victorious Voices book. Martin was amongst the crowd, enjoying himself and in his element. A week later, he was back in Manchester for a talk at HOME, which is where I saw him for the final time.
I went with Emily, and in the queue for the book signing a man who had bought a photograph from my first solo at Gallery Oldham recognised me and said hello. I joked to Emily that I’d have to tell Martin I’m catching up to him. He signed my book and we had a nice chat for a few moments.
A couple of weeks ago, I received my last email from Martin, in which he gave precious feedback on the mock-up Victorious Voices photo book I made.
In my last email back to Martin, I closed off with this passage:
“I don’t want to risk over-familiarity or annoyance with constant messages, but I felt compelled to share these thoughts, and in a very roundabout way, just say thank you for all your help and guidance from afar this year. It’s helped me sustain my drive through an extremely challenging time and is greatly appreciated.”
With his passing, I think I understand now why I felt so compelled to give thanks. What an incredible experience it has been to not only meet my idol, but to have him get to know me and become my friend. How lucky to be one of the grateful recipients of his endless generosity.
Thanks again for everything, Martin. You were a titan and a gentleman. You will be missed by so many people. 📸
