Marc Vallée has made his name in documentary photography that captures ruptures in society – riots, protests, graffiti artists, and outsiders. His works are always distinctly monochrome, visions of dark and seedy realities. But Vallée wasn’t always this photographer, once — he was a student.

Following on from the release of his self-published 90s Archive: Volume One which gathered images of his friends at the Cass School of Art and London’s indie and alternative queer club scene, 90s Archive: Volume Two sees Vallée revisiting his time spent teaching at an arts camp in south New Jersey in the mid-90s. The newly-released publication sees him showcasing what would become his iconic monochromatic style, but focusing his camera on telling the stories of young men coming-of-age in New Jersey, documenting the thriving surf, skate and student culture of the time.

Below, Vallée takes us through some of the photos featured inside 90s Archive: Volume Two – recounting the stories behind the images.

Photo above: Avalon, New Jersey, 1996. © Marc Vallée.

“After my first year at art school in London in the mid 90s, I landed a summer job teaching photography at an arts camp in south New Jersey. This was my first time in America and I was visually blown away. In my spare time and days off, I made pictures away from the camp. Processing the film in the darkroom (which was a converted chicken coop) and printing contact sheets and prints to take back home to London.

This picture is from 1996 on the boardwalk at Avalon. The boy in the mid-ground with the white-rimmed sunglasses is my main focus. Three images of him make it into the book, including a portrait of him holding his surfboard plus two of him observing me from a distance. Maybe his curiosity flowed from the novelty of having been asked for a portrait. I was intrigued by the possible unspoken dialogue that was at play and focused on him once again.”

Photo above: Jeff, Ocean City, New Jersey, 1996. © Marc Vallée.

“This is Jeff on the beach at Ocean City in 1996. I saw a lot him that summer. He had a summer job working in the kitchen at the camp as a dishwasher. Not the greatest of jobs but it gave him some extra cash. Through a shortcut from the darkroom to the canteen via the kitchen we struck up a friendship. He had a Jeep and was up for introducing me to his world of beer keg parties and night drives to the beach. Plus, he was a huge Grateful Dead fan.

This is one of two images of him in the book. It’s both a traditional documentary image and autobiographical. By this time, I was consciously documenting American male youth, and that’s partly what the book is about. Saying that, a form of collaboration is also at play. You can see my shadow at the bottom of the frame, a gentle reminder that the image is a construct.”

Photo above: Luke, Ocean City, New Jersey, 1996. © Marc Vallée.

“This is Jeff’s friend Luke on the same day as the previous image at Ocean City. I included four images (plus the cover) of Luke in the book. I only met him a few times, but in many ways, for me he symbolised a certain kind of archetypal American youth. Messy blonde hair, sunglasses, baseball cap and a slender body.

Around this time (I had got into art school as a painter and switched to photography because of this work) I had been looking at the work of the American artist Eric Fischl, which included paintings on youth sexuality and voyeurism. Fishcl’s beach paintings were definitely in the back of my mind at this time. Of course, Fishcl’s work was wonderfully provocative, I took a more gentle and quiet approach.”

Photo above: A young man poses with his snake, New Jersey, 1996. © Marc Vallée.

“I don’t know this young man’s name, and we only met for a brief time one evening. The picture was made outside the small town of Elmer in Salem County in south New Jersey. A dry town that did not have a bar, but had a diner. A friend needed to pick something up and I went along for the ride.

I waited outside and chatted with the guys hanging out. I’m an atheist but I think the photo gods where shining down on me that evening when the young man asked if I would take a picture of him with his snake. I included two images of him in the book, this one and a closer framing of his chest with the snake and crucifix and they get their own chapter.”

Photo above: Chris, Avalon, New Jersey, 1995. © Marc Vallée.

“This is Chris on the boardwalk at Avalon. I included four images of him in the book and it’s the only set from the summer of 1995. These images are the first serious, and conscious work, I made in America and we are still friends today.

During that first summer, I was introduced to the work of Larry Clark by one of the American photo tutors I worked with at the camp. He gave me a copy of The New York Times with a review of a movie called Kids that was due to be released. It was a seminal moment for me. The following summer The Photographers’ Gallery in London held an exhibition of Clark’s images from the film. I was back at the camp working but I called the gallery and managed to buy a print from the show and it still hangs in my studio today.”

Purchase Marc Vallée 90s Archive: Volume two here.