"The White Man', by Paul Reas, 1983

Final Analysis

- Maria Falconer

Have you ever heard the expression 'a good photograph asks more questions than provides answers?' Recently I was reading an article about river fishing; it was accompanied by a photograph of a man standing by a river with a wide grin on his face, holding an enormous fish. The photograph did a reasonable job of illustrating the story, but no more than that.

The first time that I saw 'The White Man' by Paul Reas there was a kind of disconnect between my brain and my eyes. You know that feeling you get when you wake up a little bleary-eyed in an unfamiliar place. Momentarily, you think you are at home but none of the furniture is yours and someone has moved the windows.

The first time that Martin Parr saw this picture, he said it was 'like a piece of magic'.