Book dossier

Martin Parr

by Martin Parr, Fintan O'Toole

In the United Kingdom, one is never more than 75 miles away from the coast. With this much shoreline, it's not surprising that there should be a thriving British tradition of seaside photography. American photographers may have invented street photography, but according to photographer Martin Parr, "in the U.K., we have the beach!" Here, he asserts, people can relax, be themselves and indulge in mildly eccentric British behavior. Parr has been photographing this subject for many decades, in close-ups of sun bathers, rambunctious swimmers caught mid-plunge and the eternal sandy picnic. His career, in fact, could be traced back to the 1986 publication of 'The Last Resort', which depicted the seaside resort of New Brighton, near Liverpool.