French photographer Yan Morvan covered the lives of bikers and gang members across more than 40 years in a collection of powerfully gritty black and white photographs. The artist often risked his life by exposing himself to extreme situations and environments, and he dedicated much of his career to following the Hell’s Angels, Skinheads, and even Guy Georges, a serial killer who ended up kidnapping Morvan and torturing him for three weeks.
Morvan’s photographs capture intense, raw emotions that create a certain uneasiness in viewers. He documents the power, anger, and everyday living that occur in rough communities of outlaws. Black leather jackets and tough attitude are the norm and the individuals consistently maintain an aura of authority, where nobody ever really “smiles for the camera.”
According to the project, “[Morvan] didn’t just take a few short trips and snap a few pictures here and there. No, he went week after week, month after month, year after year, and he came back with stories. Not all of them are easy to hear.” To learn more about Morvan’s fascinating adventures through life, you can read this extensive interview on Vice.
Yan Morvan’s website
via [Juxtapoz]