Martin Parr Quotes

Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking beyond the surface. I've done that ever since I first picked up a camera.

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.

In New York, I live on a compost heap of all the stuff I accumulate.

To photograph is to confer importance.

I think a closet full of things would actually stress me out.

People surround themselves in their houses with things they don't really need, that they have to dust all the time.

With photography, you zero in; you put a lot of energy into short moments, and then you go on to the next thing.

All I need is a camera and I'll make things happen.

There's a lot of different things that make me want to take photos. A lot of it is, for a long time I've been obsessed with the thought of time travel with my camera.

I think I may just enjoy being behind the camera as much as I like being in front of it.

When a moment in front of me appears to be particularly special, whether it be by beauty or experience, I capture it. I usually find a reason to justify taking that photo - symmetry, or color, or contrast - and it's my hope that my photography sheds light onto what I see and do on a daily basis.

I travel, I read, I write, I have other lives. But when I have a camera, I know that's my country, my island.

Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.

I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today's existence.

The camera is my tool. Through it I give a reason to everything around me.

Photography gives you the opportunity to use your sensibility and everything you are to say something about and be part of the world around you. In this way, you might discover who you are, and with a little luck, you might discover something much larger than yourself.

There are plenty of people out there talking about how difficult it is for some of us to just deal with all the stuff we already have, from packed closets that need organizers to storage spaces to maintenance costs, etc. Lots of people are reevaluating whether or not they need giant garages full of stuff and finding that they don't.

When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.

I'm so drawn to photography because you can convey a complex story in a single frame.

Photography is a major force in explaining man to man.

My memory of those places is better than my pictures. That's why I get much more satisfaction out of shooting thematic work that has to do with an idea that I'm searching for, or searching to express.

Essentially what photography is is life lit up.

I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting.

I always thought of photography as a naughty thing to do - that was one of my favorite things about it, and when I first did it, I felt very perverse.

The more storage you have, the more stuff you accumulate.