The 22nd edition of the La Gacilly Photo Festival in Brittany (France) is dedicated to British photography, without denying its commitment to environmental protection. The event, which is usually accompanied by conferences during its opening on the first weekend of June, offered on Saturday, June 7, the screening of Lee Shulman’s film about the famous photographer Martin Parr, simply titled I am Martin Parr, released in October 2024 and also available on Apple TV.
On this occasion, the audience was able to attend a conversation between Cyril Drouhet, director of photography at the newspaper Le Figaro and curator of the festival’s exhibitions, and the English photographers Martin Parr and Don McCullin.
Cyril Drouhet: Martin Parr, there’s something that comes up a lot in the film: we learn that you have an obsessive practice.
Martin Parr: To be successful, I believe every artist must be obsessed.
Cyril Drouhet: There is also a sentence that François Hébel says in the film which, in my opinion, sums up your work: you free yourself from all conventions.
Martin Parr: That’s very kind of him. I think that on the one hand, I’m following the tradition of photography, this historical framework of great photographers, and at the same time, I’m trying to add my two cents when I look at the world in my own way.
Cyril Drouhet: Are you still working on projects that focus on British society?
Martin Parr: Not right away, but I’m about to publish a biography in September called Utterly Lazy and Inattentive, which is a comment my French teacher made on my report card when I was still at school. It contains 140 photos and a text I wrote, and someone may sense it all. It will be released in the UK, and even in France. So it will be available in bookstores in France in September.
Cyril Drouhet: Lee Shulman’s film shows that there are people who don’t necessarily understand your photography. Some don’t like what you do, and others, on the contrary, love it.
Martin Parr: Ask the audience to put their hand up if they hate me!
Cyril Drouhet: You actually caused a controversy when you joined the Magnum agency.
Martin Parr: When I was in the running to join Magnum, half the photographers threatened to leave the agency because, according to them, I didn’t represent the humanism of the photographers who had historically made it up. Starting with Cartier-Bresson. That taught me one thing: if people hated me so much, it meant that I was on the right track.
Cyril Drouhet: In England, you blend into the crowd, you can take photographs up close to people. I don’t think it would work as easily in France.
Martin Parr: No, indeed. I think that, generally speaking, the French are much more reluctant to be photographed in the street. And then, we know the French law stipulates that, without the permission of a person photographed up close, you expose yourself to legal prosecution. This is not the case in Great Britain. That’s why my photos taken in France are generally photos of tourists.
Cyril Drouhet: This year at La Gacilly, we have two great British photographers in our exhibitions: you, Martin Parr, and Don McCullin. It’s a bit improvised, but perhaps the two of you could have a conversation.
Don McCullin : I’m very happy that we’re celebrating your work here, Martin. And I’m going to defend you, because you had a difficult time at Magnum, because of two or three snobbish photographers who didn’t understand that you had to keep up with the times. Photography couldn’t stagnate, just reproduce the same shots in black and white. And besides, Martin, you’re an excellent black and white photographer. You had an exceptional eye, and you transposed that eye to the world of color. It’s true, we’re not allowed to photograph strangers in the street. We’re all guilty of that. But if you do it like Martin, you’re not stealing anything, you have their blessing. So, Martin, you’re a sum total of wonderful things: the way you work, the way you revolutionized color photography, you are a very beautiful person.
Martin Parr: Don is truly one of the great figures of British photography, and I’m delighted to have the chance to know him. We’ve gotten to know each other a little better over the past five years. He doesn’t live far away. I often go down to see him in Somerset, and he also comes to sign books at our studio. It’s really a wonderful collaboration; I really enjoy his company. I also admire what he still manages to do at the age of 89: to continue going out on missions in the field. I take my hat off to him.
Martin Parr and Don McCullin are exhibited at the 22nd annual La Gacilly Photography Festival, entitled “So British,” and on view until October 5, 2025. More information here.
