Watch Martin Parr at work in Australia

We’re always interested in what Magnum photographer Martin Parr is up to so when we heard he’d been asked by FotoFreo Festival Director Bob Hewitt to photograph three Western Australian port cities, Fremantle, Broome and Port Hedland we wanted to have a closer look. The video above is a fascinating insight into his working practices. Each town brought a highlight, as Parr explains. 

“In Broome (it was) just the whole experience of going to the beach and seeing these Australian clichés played out as the people come down with their tinnies at sunset onto Cable Beach. You have this range of Australia in front of you of all social classes of all types all on the beach, all very friendly.”

It’s not the first time Parr has worked on a beach project. One image we particularly liked at his recent exhibition at M-Shed, Bristol (until November 27) was that of the Clevedon Swim Club.

Martin Parr, Swimming in the Severn Estuary (2009), Clevedon, England

Compare this photograph with the image of a woman roasting on a beach in Uraguay and you have a brief encapsulation of the photographer’s signature style.

Martin Parr, Punta del Este (2006) Uruguay

"If you do a portrait it should be a serious thing,” Parr says. “It should be a serious confrontation if you like. I don't want all my pictures to look like all the other Facebook pictures which the world is contaminated with, where everyone is smiling and laughing - they have a role to play within that social networking, but as a serious photographer, a crisp pose is absolutely crucial"

The short film, No Worries, shows Parr on assignment in Broome, Port Hedland, Fremantle and Albany, towns around Perth in Western Australia for FotoFreo Festival which takes place between March 17 and April 15 2012.

Follow the link to see more of Martin Parr's seaside photographs