Danny Lyon

Danny Lyon is a self-made American filmmaker and photographer. He's also known for his writing skills, which he uses to compliment his images. Danny received a BA in history from the University of Chicago in 1963. He also published his first photographs for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, where he served as a staff photographer in the same year. His photos were featured in The Movement, a documentary book about the Southern Civil Rights Movement. 

Later, Lyon moved on to writing books. His first publication was TheBikeriders (1967), which is a study of outlaw motorcyclists. In addition to photographing motorcyclists exploring the American Midwest from 1963 to 1967, he traveled with them and shared their lifestyles. He was a member of the Chicago Outlaw Motorcycle club. The series, which he describes as “an attempt to record and glorify the life of the American bike rider" was immensely influential and popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The success of The Bikeriders led Danny Lyon to join the Magnum Agency, where he worked primarily as a filmmaker and a photographer.