At the weekend I went to see the exhibition of Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr's photographs at the Media Space in the Science Museum. I have long been a fan of both photographers. For me, their work epitomises a working class England I remember from my youth.
Both were so much more than 'happy snappers'. They photographed the ordinary and made it interesting. Their images are full of patience, quirky humour and incisive observation and are deeply affectionate.
Full of old and young, the images show a time when people did not live in age silos, when community meant that you knew the local people of all ages (even if you didn't like all of them). Shot on 35mm film, the prints are beautifully printed.
The show is quite wonderful – it's quite big and full of highly perceptive, poignant, intimate, moving and laugh-out-loud funny black and white photographs of people's lives at work, rest and play from the late 60s and 70s. I urge anyone interested in people and how life was 40 years ago, to go and see it.
Here are a couple of my favourites from the show. the first by Tony Ray-Jones.
Blackpool '68
Mankinoles Methodist Chapel, Todmorden by Martin Parr '75