New Brighton. From ‘The Last Resort’. 1983-85 copyright Martin Parr / Magnum PhotosPhotography by Martin Parr

Thank you Martin Parr! This is a point that I too have made.

The Fine Art and Documentary photographers take great pride in thinking themselves superior to the other main genres of photography, such as the family snap shooter or the amateur photographer, as personified by camera club imagery. However, after 30/40 years of viewing our work, I have come to the conclusion that we too are fairly predictable in what we photograph.

Nowadays so many photographs are taken, in every conceivable genre that every subject has been ‘done to death’. Every subject is a cliché. My photographs are not terribly memorable because their subjects are clichés. They’re uninteresting because they’re not all that good. He goes on, with typical Parr humour, to provide a great list:

The above ground landscape with people; the bent lamppost; the personal diary; the nostalgic gaze; the quirky and visually strong setting; the street; the black and white grainy photo; the new rich; I am a poet; the modern typology; the staged photo; the formal portrait; the long landscape.

Source (for both quotes): Photographic Clichés | Martin Parr

The only thing I’d disagree with is his last paragraph:

But if we think of what is going on in our world, there seems to be many subjects which are avoided, because we all need that echo of familiarity to help us have the confidence to make a body of work. We want to emulate the impact that these images had on us, and this can be as restricting as it can be liberating.

Here he seems to imply that there are indeed subjects, which are not clichés and that you just have to look for them. I’m not convinced! To go back to his list – I don’t think there’s anything wrong with shooting black and white grainy photos, but if you do you have to be better than (or at least just as good as) Daido Moriyama. Again it’s not the subject, it’s the talent behind the picture. As in most fields very few photographers can be considered as truly great. The rest of us are just followers. Just don’t tell me that your pictures of people on the street are infinitely superior to that guys pictures of sunsets, just because his subjects are “clichés” and yours aren’t.

The Guardian has just done a piece on Parr to mark his winning:

…the outstanding contribution to photography prize at the 2017 Sony World Photography awards. Parr is being recognised for the impact he has had over more than 40 years both on photography as a medium, and on photographers. A special presentation of his work will be shown at Somerset House in London as part of the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition. See: Martin Parr’s outstanding contribution to photography – in pictures