Continuing in the tradition of Walker Evans and Robert Frank, Lyon forged a new style of documentary photography, described as “New Journalism,” where the photographer immerses himself in his subject’s world.
From images of the Civil Rights movement made during his early days as one of the first staff photographers for SNCC, to his classic series The Bikeriders documenting a Chicago biker gang, to his in-depth study of Texan prisons in 1966-67, Danny Lyon has documented the harsh realities of American life for the past 50 years.
Each of these projects was accompanied by books, which have become classics in the field.