Jim Morrison - Most Wanted - by Louis Sidoli

Dec 1967. "Disturbing the peace, resisting arrest and immoral exhibition" during concert at the New Haven Arena, Connecticut.

I created the series of portraits using vintage mug-shots of the ‘Most Wanted’ iconic figures from contemporary culture, including gangsters, rock legends and Hollywood film stars. I prefer the vintage images to more recent ones, because today the shots are taken with digital cameras and linked to a database record, so the accused no longer has to hold a card whilst the photo is taken.

The original snaps were usually taken with instamatic or Polaroid cameras by unknown cops or clerks who handled the booking photograph at the time of arrest. Many of the original photos are very poor quality, but this gives the portraits a raw and authentic feel. Unlike some mug-shots where the subjects look dishevelled, the subjects of these images look cool, despite the fact they were taken quickly, without a team of lighting, make-up artists and photographers behind them.

The subjects I have chosen are either my personal favourites or simply because they are great images. Each image has a story behind it. But the real appeal of these images is that ‘Everybody loves a bad boy’