Alessandro Michele, creative director, Valentino
I consider myself fortunate, because I had the privilege of knowing someone with extraordinary eyes – eyes able to perceive what so often escapes the rest of us. A person who cherished life and all of humanity; who could uncover beauty and harmony even when they defied conventional rules. By watching him work, he taught me, with remarkable clarity, just how much poetry and harmony lie hidden everywhere.
Chioma Nnadi, head of editorial content, British Vogue
I remember discovering Martin’s pictures as a teenager – his images of Blackpool – that captured a slice of British life that is just so recognisable: the humour, the resilience, odd and curious at once. There’s something familiar about his pictures that I have always found really comforting. When I came back to the UK he was one of the photographers I really wanted to work with, and it’s been great to see designers find and use him in his later years; it always feels really fresh and modern. He captured life back in the ’80s and today, and his work is as fresh now as it was back then. There’s that same sense of delight, wonder, curiosity. The way he saw the world was one of one, a rare point of view. Martin always brought a sense of enthusiasm, and there was always joy in what he did. We were so fortunate to work with him.
Tabitha Simmons, fashion editor
I had the pleasure of spending a day with Martin at a car boot sale and market stalls shooting of-the-moment accessories for this magazine. He had an injured knee and was on a wheely crutch, but that didn’t stop him going from stall to stall finding the perfect place to shoot. He had the ability to take something very ordinary – what people might think of as junk – and give it a star moment. I will always remember eating a burger and chips from a food truck at lunch and him ordering an extra one to shoot, which he did, with a rather large Swarovski ring placed carefully on top of the bun.
Karen Elson, model
The great Martin Parr was a national treasure: his eye was our collective eye. Where others saw tacky, gaudy, unpolished, he saw beauty. Be it a grandma dressed to the nines for no one but herself sunbathing in a deck chair, a punk on a street corner, a baby crying, a couple sharing some fish and chips surrounded by rubbish – his images were real and surreal at the same time. Martin saw the magic in the ordinary moments in British life, bringing them alive with brilliant colour and unique perspective. He was an artist for the eras, and he will be dearly missed.
Jeanie Annan-Lewin, stylist
There’s a picture of Karen Elson eating a hot dog that marks the moment everything shifted for me. It was my first shoot with Martin, and my nerves sat right under my skin. His photographs shaped my eye for years, so sharing a frame with him felt unreal. He reads people with sharp ease. He captures how you show yourself when you stop performing. That truth shaped my love for imagery and fashion in general.
I walked in overwhelmed by credits and shot counts. He broke the tension with light jokes, quick stories, and a pace that turned Soho into a playground. It was a chaotic Saturday before the London marathon, and he moved through it with steady calm. He told me this is all silly Jeanie, focus on the silly of it all. That line stayed with me. That day felt personal and rare, and I hold it with deep affection.
Nadia Lee Cohen, multi-media artist
Martin was, and still is, the reason I look at the world the way I do. He completely changed the way I see. I love other photographers, but none as much as him. My other favourite photographers take incredible photos – charged with narrative, social or political commentary – but Martin was the only one that could do all of that and be funny. That, to me, was just everything and what set him apart.
You don’t often get to meet your heroes and, if you do, you of course run the risk of disappointment. The fact that Martin and I met, worked together and became firm friends meant more to me than anything. I’ll miss him dearly and treasure the experiences, laughs, and the Mr. Kipling we had together.
Olivia Arthur, photographer
I first met Martin when I had just joined Magnum back in 2008. I was the timid newbie in the London office and I remember how he used the break the atmosphere of what were often quite tense photographer meetings with his sense of humour and and his cracking laugh. Of course, his sense of humour is one of the things he is most known for, but he was also a serious documentarian and just always found a way to make his observations with wit.
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One of my favourite bodies of work of his is Bad Weather, when he went out in miserable stormy, rainy weather and captured with his flash all the oddities of people shielding themselves and battling on. Its wonderfully British and must have been a pain to shoot. But Martin was such a hard worker that nothing could have put him off. Of course there is his own work and no fewer than 100 monographs that he published, but he also tirelessly supported the work of younger photographers and photographers from all corners of the world, backing books, curating exhibitions. In the photography world I think he will be remembered as much for his generosity and open spirit as for his own work, despite its enormity and fame. That’s a pretty rare thing for such a successful artist. He’s going to be hugely missed.
Jess Gerardi, stylist
Martin’s work embodies true Britishness: a little bit tongue in cheek and completely unafraid to show realness and grit. In a world filled with AI and heavily-edited imagery, his pictures have always been the antithesis of that, which I love. I’m so grateful I had the chance to work with him. He was amazing – no nonsense, no big team, just him, his camera and a focus on getting the image. He was a true artist who saw the world slightly differently from everyone else, finding beauty amid chaos. I’ll never forget when we photographed Mary Berry together in this funny little house filled with a million trinkets. You could almost see the cogs in his mind turning as he darted into every corner, flashing away with his camera, clearly inspired by the space and the moment. I think that’s what’s so beautiful about his work – the way he captures joyous spontaneity – which is why his images will always stand the test of time, and be referenced for many more years to come.
