Martin Parr

“I do read many of the photography magazines from the U.K. and abroad.”

“For those aspiring to make a living from travel photography, it's a sad fact that the boring shots are the shots that are going to make you money.”

“We live in a homogenized world, where it's hard to get excited when everything is slick and professional. The interesting things are the dull things.”

“Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.”

“Of course, New Brighton is very shabby, very rundown, but people still go there because it's the place where you take kids out on a Sunday.”

“I think the ordinary is a very under-exploited aspect of our lives because it is so familiar.”

“When I visited Vietnam for Oxfam, the thing that really struck me was how the local farmers had to prepare to evacuate or climb to their mezzanines with their valuable family possessions.”

“Photography is, by its nature, exploitative. It's whether you use this process with a sense of responsibility or not. I feel that I do so. My conscience is clear.”

“Personally, I don't take holidays; I go on trips. My idea of relaxing is taking a trip that isn't commissioned. I'll work just as hard, but without that nagging pressure of fulfilling a commission. Now that's what I call a holiday.”

“We live in a difficult but inspiring world, and there is so much out there that I want to record.”

“I would drown in objects if I didn't have the ability to photograph them.”

“The idea of England in decline is very attractive.”

“The knack is to find your own inspiration and take it on a journey to create work that is personal and revealing.”

“Criticism is hypocrisy; society is hypocrisy. I'm a tourist. I'm a consumer. I do the things that I photograph and can be criticized of.”

“Filming is always a challenge because I'm not used to it. But I approach it head-on. I'm not technically brilliant, but it's the spirit that counts.”

“I get up early and open my emails, write cheques, and answer the phone; whatever needs to be done.”

“Dictators are interesting, no?”

“By default, I am a travel photographer. I work on a combination of commissions and personal projects that take me around the world.”

“Wealthy people have not disappeared, they are just not so willing to show off their wealth.”

“Places change all the time, and the type of people who live there change.”