#56 CAMERA Book Review: Martin Parr - Autoportrait

A quick look at this small hardcover. Introduction by Marvin Heiferman. A collection of mostly colour and some black and white images of Parr taken by other people or in photo booths all while he was traveling on assignment.

Martin Parr's Autoportrait was first published by Dewi Lewis in 2000 and presents a distinctive form of self portraiture created over many years of international travel. Rather than photographing himself directly, Parr invited local studio photographers, street photographers, amusement park operators and photo booth machines to make his portrait wherever he travelled on assignment. The resulting collection brings together fifty seven colour photographs made in countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, each reflecting local conventions of commercial portrait photography. Introduced by Marvin Heiferman, the book examines how photographic identity is constructed through the conventions, technologies and visual traditions of different cultures.

The photographs range from highly retouched studio portraits and elaborately painted backdrops to novelty souvenir photographs and automated photo booth images, revealing the diverse ways portrait photography is practised around the world. By relinquishing control of the camera, Parr transforms himself into the subject rather than the author, challenging conventional ideas of authorship while exploring the relationship between photographer, sitter and image maker. Autoportrait remains one of Parr's most original conceptual projects, combining humour with a sustained investigation into the conventions of popular portrait photography and the cultural rituals surrounding the photographic image.

Camera is on
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