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Born in Surrey in 1952, Martin Parr is one of the UK’s best-known documentary photographers. He studied (and taught) photography at Manchester Poly in the 1970s. Career highlights include an Arts Council Award in 1975, full membership of Magnum Photos and a retrospective at the Barbican in 2002. See Martin Parr's photos

1. Make sure people aren’t smiling. Otherwise you end up with a snapshot.

2. Move in closer when you’re taking people shots.

4. Then make sure people aren’t smiling again. This is the biggest error in portraits taken by amateurs.

5. For candid shots, just keep persevering. Your luck will come in the end.

Be engaged with your subject, but at the same time be considerate – you are the guest.

Think about combining the composition of the shot with the context of where you’re taking it. The two shouldn’t be separated.

For my kind of work, I try to use natural light wherever possible. It’s more natural!

Ask permission to get in close.