All types of photography are important. For me, vernacular photography is essential as it provides a record of a moment, of important events in peoples’ lives, whereas many documentary or artistic photos are produced for a specific purpose. There is an urgency in vernacular photography that you don’t necessarily feel in professional photography. Martin Parr
Martin Parr is perhaps a master of vernacular photography. He somehow manages to capture photos that provide a view in which we are voyeurs secretly being witness to the ironies of humanity.
Parr came under a fair amount of criticism for the series The Last Resort as many thought that he was judging the people that he photographed. I find the series more thought provoking than judgmental.
It is of course, always interesting to hear what a well established photographer has to say. To be certain, Parr has had a very successful professional career as a photographer.
Some descriptions of vernacular photography place it in opposition to art photography. But many photos that are considered vernacular are also considered to be art. So maybe we shouldn’t go overboard in defining it.