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Chasing outlaws: How Danny Lyon changed photography

25 October 2016

In a photographic career that included riding with biker gangs and the casual brutalities of the American penal system, Danny Lyon documented ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. A new exhibition sheds light on a man who got under the skin of his country.

Crossing the Ohio, Louisville, 1966 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.

While studying for a degree in history and philosophy at the University of Chicago in the early 1960s, Danny Lyon picked up a camera to photograph the civil rights efforts of the (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) in the Southern states of America.

More than just an observer, Lyon developed a deep affinity with the SNCC and spent two years documenting their marches and protests as they spearheaded the fight for black civil rights.

Viewed by the general public as violent and criminal, the outlaw status of the bikers appealed to Lyon

From these origins, Lyon became a contributor to the movement that saw practitioners immersing themselves in the lives of their subjects. This new style of reportage sought to cover stories from the inside and, by doing so, get closer to the heart of them.

In 1963 Lyon started a project to . True to New Journalism principles, he integrated himself into the lifestyle and became a bona fide member of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

Viewed by the general public as violent and criminal, the outlaw status of the bikers appealed to Lyon. Drawn to their sense of freedom, Lyon states that his pictures were ‘an attempt to record and glorify the life of the American bike rider.’

From 'free' outlaws cruising the open roads of America's heartlands to real outlaws in the custody of state correctional facilities; in 1967 Lyon gained unlimited access to Texan prisons to document the everyday lives of the inmates.

Operating a system of racial segregation dating back to the time of slavery, are stark: ‘I tried with whatever power I had to make a picture of imprisonment as distressing as I know it to be in reality,’ he says.

With decades of distinguished work behind him, Danny Lyon has received numerous awards for the strength of his works and is an associate of the prestigious Magnum photographic cooperative.

It is Danny himself, however, who best sums up his career and contribution to photojournalism.

‘The use of the camera has always been for me a tool of investigation, a reason to travel, to not mind my own business, and often to get into trouble.’

Two Years, Burglary, 1968 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.
Clifford Vaughs, SNCC Photographer, arrested by the National Guard, Cambridge, Maryland, 1963.
Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, 1963 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.

An runs at the Beetles and Huxley gallery, London, from 25 October to 26 November 2016.

Memorial Day Run, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1966 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.
Route 12, Wisconsin, 1963 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.
Weight-lifters, Ramsey, 1968 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.
The Line, Texas, Ferguson Unit, TDC, 1967 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.
The Dominoes Players, Walls Unit, TDC, 1968 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.
SNCC Staff Sit-in, Atlanta, Georgia, 1963 漏 Danny Lyon courtesy of Beetles and Huxley.

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