"Yo, that's the hood beach," photographer Wayne Lawrence was warned when he found out about Orchard Beach, a waterside strip in the Bronx in New York City. Like much of the South Bronx, it has a notoriously bad reputation.  Lawrence was undeterred; he relegated such warnings to the propagation of preconceived discrimination. Over six summers, he took the subway to Pelham Bay Park, the end of the line, to catalogue this diverse community. "And from the first day I visited Orchard, I knew the stigma attached to it was unjustified," he says in the introduction to his new photobook Orchard Beach: The Bronx Riviera. He reminisces: "I'd spend hours, almost daily, walking along that waveless tide."  The Bronx's only public beach was called "The Riviera of New York" when it was created in the 1930s – though as Lawrence notes, the 1.1 mile-long stretch is now considered "one of the worst beaches in New York" (by those who even know it exists – the carnival appeal of the Coney Island boardwalk drastically overshadows it).  The Bronx Riviera book lists each subject's first name and the year under their portrait, as a yearbook might. Its pages reveal a staggering array of triangle-top bikinis, outlandish tattoos, Christian iconography, six-packs, cellulite, fake nails, protruding belly buttons, beads, gold bangles and studded belts. The tats especially show off Bronxian mantras: "Do what you love to do" runs along Monique's upper thigh, "Loyalty" cuts across Stephanie's abdomen, "The Real Shit" parades across Michael's belly, and a thorn-crowned Jesus is a diptych above each of Sonny's nipples.  Lawrence is "attracted to individuals who are really sure of themselves, alpha types" – personalities he detects from "gut instinct" who need little coaxing to feel comfortable in front of the camera. He introduces himself, explains what he's working on, and asks if the subject would be interested "in being a part of the story". He shoots on average 3-5 frames per subject. Of those he approached, 80% were willing to participate.  He was often surprised by interactions on the beach. He remembers one subject, a Mexican man visiting from California – "a gang member with an incredibly hard exterior" – who was there with his three-year-old daughter. "He's a father, and as a father myself it was important to represent them, not just to have the image of absent fathers in this community," he says. "And he was so open, and genuine, and easy to talk to."  Lawrence's work reinforces the fact that striking, honest images can change people's expectations. Framed in a spare, frontal manner, there's rare raw emotional cadence here, and each portrait is a wilful look at vulnerability. "My aim is always to create dignified portraits of the people I meet", says Lawrence, "and an honest portrayal of the community as a whole."  In that, the body of work is faintly reminiscent of iconic photographers from August Sander to Diane Arbus, showing riveting individuals as part of a greater communal portrait. There's a sense of almost sociological declension – of Bronx life in all its tough glory.  Lawrence aims to disperse any prejudices that arise solely from appearances: his pictures make the significance of social trappings fade. He lost a brother early on – he was murdered while still in his 20s. "I know about wasted potential, but people never got to see what I saw in him. I want to give people a chance to see what they wouldn't see otherwise."  Born in St Kitts in 1974, Lawrence regards himself as "an immigrant artist". When he first moved to the US, he worked as a carpenter in southern California. Discovering American photographer Gordon Parks's autobiography, A Choice of Weapons, reoriented him towards the field of photography. Parks, who was a staff photographer for Life magazine, is legendary for addressing racial discrimination in mid-20th century America. "Searching for my place in American society, I immediately identified with Parks's life story," he said. "For the first time I was faced with imagery that dealt with the human condition, and I committed myself to using photography as a tool to confront long-standing ideas about race and class." He enrolled in community college in California, then later moved to New York with his family.  "I'm most interested in documenting communities of the African diaspora," he says of the work he plans to pursue in the future. But for now, he's in New York, showing off the Bronx Riviera at the Flag Art Foundation in Manhattan and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and making the locals proud.
Sarah Moroz: Wayne Lawrence's images of city dwellers on Orchard Beach, known as the Bronx Riviera, show a notorious neighbourhood in all its tough glory