French photographer documents 1960s American social revolutions

French photographer Jean-Pierre Laffont captured the social transformations of New York City and the United States during the 1960s in his new book, Rebels with a Cause.

Laffont arrived in New York in April 1964 to document ordinary lives from an outsider's perspective. He observed a city facing bankruptcy and high crime while witnessing the rise of movements protesting established norms. Laffont documented various protests, including those against the Vietnam War.

He noted that many young people joined these protests not necessarily because they understood the war, but to protest the injustice of the military draft. He also observed how the draft began to disproportionately send young Black Americans into combat units around 1971 or 1972. The photographer also recorded the first Gay Pride in Central Park in June 1970 and later visited San Francisco to document the gay movement. He described these events as joyful rebellions against the existing system.

Laffont reflected on how modern technology and artificial intelligence have changed photography, contrasting his era of manual negatives with today's automatic cameras. He emphasized the ongoing need for witnesses to capture authentic moments.