This photograph shows a group of people sat on the beach wall. It also shows the children having fun, whilst the adults/ parents are either sat bored (like the woman in the centre) or looking after the younger children (the woman in red playing in the water and the woman in the grey, holding the toddler back).
The genre of the photograph is social repatuage. this is because the image does not show a big event, but the actual happenings at this british beach.
This photograph is made too show the drudgery adults face to take young children too the beach and ensure there well being. It also shows the sacrifice of happiness by the adult to ensure their children have fond memories of the beach.
The purpose of this photograph would be an exhibition piece. This is because he is a photographic artist.
Elements used in his work include; Rule of thirds and contrasting colours. This helps to make the photograph more interesting because their is no clear focus of the image in the middle/ centre of the image. This may make the viewer more interested in the image overall more interesting and may encourage them subliminally to think of a meaning to the photograph.
Another technique he uses in this his work is juxtaposition, this could have been done to show meaning in his words. This is because the seashore is often associated with happiness and relaxation, whereas the photograph shows the location to be stressful. This is especially true for the adults in this scene as they all look exasperated. This may cause the viewer to be able to relate to the photograph and may invoke a response within them.
A quote from the artist that inspired me was "As we travel around Britain, I am convinced most of us cannot really appreciate what we are seeing. We take too much for granted, because it is all so familiar."
This inspired me because of the truth that rings in this quote. This is because we (as in the majority) only see the beauty in a place that is unfamiliar because it is new whereas with the things we see everyday (a cup of tea for instance) we are desensitised too the beauty and craftsmanship in it.
One critic, Photo critic Colin Jacobson describes Parr as a "gratuitously cruel social critic who has made large amounts of money by sneering at the foibles and pretensions of other people."
This makes me think that the critic prefers more traditional seaside photography. This may be because of the utopian (perfect) image it projects of the british seaside. An alternative reason why Colin Jacobson may not like Martin Parr's work is that we are told that the best place to be in the summer is the beach and the fact that his photography is breaking this and showing it in a dystopian (as being dirty and squaller).
This relates to identity because it (the beach) is a key part of britishness and helps to create a profile of those who live in the United Kingdom. This is because stereotypically the British people are sad and stuck up people who have nothing too look forward to except the yearly trip too the seaside.
The use of Juxtaposition in this photo has inspired me too emulate this but in a more subtle way and with a different theme. This is because it will help to give my photos a depth and meaning that hopefully will be conveyed to the viewer.
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