Windrush boat, St Pauls carnival, Bristol, 2018

This year’s Photo London Master of Photography is British photographer Martin Parr, who presents an exhibition of new images taken in the UK. Photo London’s co-founders Michael Benson and Fariba Farshad say: ‘Parr is rightly regarded as the godfather of British photography. Without his exemplary practice today’s British photography scene would be much impoverished. It would certainly be less fun.’ Martin Parr: Recent Works is a Photo London solo show at Somerset House, London, 11-14 May. All quotes and photographs by Martin Parr and Magnum Photos

Llandudno, 2013

Martin Parr: ‘For over 50 years now I have been photographing in Britain and Ireland and have built a comprehensive archive of my time here, which has been further broken down into different chapters. They range from early black and white images of a mental hospital to the Chinese community in Liverpool and Manchester’

St Ives, Cornwall, 2017

‘Presented here at Photo London are recent images that have not been shown before, mostly taken very recently and show highlights from my ongoing documentation of the British Isles’

Whitchurch country show, Dorset, 2022

‘Many familiar subjects are found here such as my long fascination with the British seaside and the ongoing documenting of agricultural shows and summer fetes’

Tenby, Wales, 2016

‘I have a long-established affection for the beach as a place to photograph; people can really be themselves as they sunbathe, play, swim and relax’

Great Dorset steam fair, 2022

‘New discoveries are always being made such as the wonderful steam fair in Dorset or the half marathon in Bristol’

Car boot sale, Bristol, 2016

‘When I changed to shooting in colour, I started by depicting a working class resort adjacent to Liverpool, and subjects such as shopping in Salford and the middle classes of Bath and Bristol’

Scarborough cricket ground, North Yorkshire, 2016

‘I think of these images as an interpretation of the many mixed emotions I feel towards my homeland. It is almost a love-hate relationship, and I find addressing this is almost a form of therapy for me’

Teignmouth, Devon, 2020

‘In my long career, the many cameras and techniques I have used have first been applied to beach photography, often in the early days of a particular phase of my work’

St Ives, Cornwall, 2017

‘With my ongoing fascination with the seaside this is a set of images taken with a telephoto lens, where I explore distant figures on the beach, usually with out of focus greenery in the foreground. Although each is an individual work, they become a fascinating grid when put together. This lens, with its ability to flatten and compress, has been somewhat shunned by the art world (with the honourable exception of Beat Streuli) so I was keen to explore what was possible’

Clacton, 2017

‘For me, the beach is a human laboratory where I can experiment with new ideas and approaches, using the location to explore what is possible with the camera’

Les Rencontres de la Photographie, 2015

‘There are half a dozen photo deckchairs, shot on the beach, to give people a chance to contemplate the work they have just seen.’