The Non-Conformist is one of the earliest works by the late Martin Parr. After he left college he moved with Susie to Hebden in Bridge in 1975. The book covers images and their background from his home of Hebden Bridge and Calderdale district.
Parr concentrates on communities’ that were at risk then and now part of bygone era. It is clearly show in his images that this study in life’s history are both poignant and thought provoking. He achieves this, the great majority of the time, in the context of his images, and not necessarily have to rely on long realms of supportive text, Parrs images are as bold in monochrome as they are bright in his now, well known, bright, saturated colour images.
The image below is Jubilee Street Party, Ellend, Yorkshire
The picture, taken in available light gives the viewer such an image of disappointment, we can see that, not only is the event rained off, but it, and all the food is completely ruined. There is certainly no let-up in sight. If one looks into the mid-ground, we see that the rainfall is immense, and in the background, clouds, whilst showing some small promise of stopping, that it will not, for some time to come. I found that he has successfully captured the effect of the rain storm and its ferocity, he has also shown the emotion of an image, with its cast aside cups and saucers, All this combines with the mood and sombreness of the black and white image, it has the feeling of sorrow that such an event had to be left in such a hurry, and that it is ruined beyond compare.
I have nothing but empathy with this image as it brought back all my memories of queuing as a 16/17 year old to watch this very movie. It also proves that we are a nation who not only que for everything but that we do it without any unruliness or hindrance.
Martin Parr has managed to capture an event, as Jaws was such a successful film of it time. He has also managed to anchor this as a moment of time. It captures a broad spectrum of members of the public equally showing and comparing the old and young, and if that’s not enough one can compare the fashion and styles of the time. I like this image for all those reasons, it brings back a lot of memories of my long lost youth, it is also a window to times past, that has an ‘unofficial’ time stamp of a famous film release. What were you doing when ‘Jaws’ was showing on your local cinema? We can also see that the cinemas of the day existed with only one screen, if there was no room, one had to simply que for the next days showing. I do wonder if it is the flat lighting of the overcast day that compliments this picture. It could however be one of his earliest uses of additional flash as there are no apparent shadows in the faces of the members of public, within the images foreground, that I could see.
The image above that shows an area of snow cleared, exactly within the property area. I looked at it with a smirk over my face. I make this comment, as it is yet another, clearly crafted image by Parr that shows an era of time gone by. There was a time that every householder was expected to clear the snow from the front of their property, to ensure that the postman, milkman and any other deliveryman would not slip. This, not because it was (as is the present) a world where I will sue you if you do not ensure my safe passage, but because it would prevent the deliveryman or Woman from slipping and hurting themselves. The image says so much to me, however, does the fact that my age gives me that reason, and that is why I fully understand the context of the image and its storytelling? The answer may well be yes, as I can also understand someone else forming the opinion that they might be selfish, that they could have also offered to do their neighbours. This is the beauty and craftsmanship of Parr’s images, as each one give room to the thinking process.
This book was borrowed from my local library, and I must admit to renewing it on several occasions, sadly, it was up the limit where I could renew it no longer, due to high demand. This shows its popularity, since his passing. I found that I could not walk past the coffee table without finding another reason to go through it (again) from cover to cover.
I understand why Martin Parr was a member of ‘Magnum’ he had the influence to tell a story with images alone, I am aware of other photographers’ comments that he might be mocking the subjects he photography, however, I think he was telling a story as it is, without a detailed commentary, without the use of Photoshop. Today Martin Parr’s legacy remains to be seen the world over.
I fully intend to read further works of Martin Parr, where he is not afraid to share his knowledge gained. He was a master of street photography, I wish I could arm myself with his confidence, when I attempt this genre and style of photography.
Bibliography:
aperature.org/martin_parr. The Non-Conformists – Martin Parr, Book Cover. Available from:http://aperture.org/shop/the-non-conformists-martin-parr-books[accessed 06 February 2017]
Martin Parr. Crimsworth Dean,Methodist Chapel. Available from:http://www.oai13.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/martin-parr_07.jpg[accessed 16th October 2026]
1977, Martin. Halifax Picture House, Halifax, W Yorks. Available from:http://i1.wp.com/lomokev.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/jaws-queue-copyright-martin-parr-magnum-photos.jpg?resize=640%2C426[accessed 16th October 2026]
Parr, Martin. Hebden Bridge, February 1978 by Martin Parr. Available from:https://gerryco23.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/martin-parr-hebden-bridge-february-1978.jpg[accessed 16th October 2026]
http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/articles/2015/february/19/martin-parrs-bad-weather-goes-to-switzerland/[accessed 16th October 2026]
