[The American Fraternity 3]Courtesy of Andrew Moisey/Daylight Publishing For seven years in the 2000s, photographer Andrew Moisey captured what life was like in an unnamed fraternity at an undergraduate university in the US. A decade later, these shots comprise the bulk of Moisey's new photobook, "The American Fraternity: An Illustrated Ritual Manual," published by Daylight Books. Shot in black and white, the images show candid moments shared between members of the anonymous Greek letter organization. Men drink, vomit, and wrestle; brothers carry pledges in a coffin during an initiation ceremony; women are pictured topless and inebriated, lying down on couches and beds with their eyes closed. We recently talked to Moisey, a professor of art history at Cornell University, to learn more about his provocative series. Below, take a closer look at 12 shots from "The American Fraternity." _EDITOR'S NOTE: Some of the images below show partial nudity and suggest an act of animal cruelty that may make readers uncomfortable._ BETWEEN 2000 AND 2008, ANDREW MOISEY PHOTOGRAPHED MEMBERS OF A GREEK LETTER ORGANIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. Courtesy of Andrew Moisey/Daylight Books Moisey, who attended the same college, began to visit the fraternity house after his younger brother became a member. At the time, the professor told us, he had just taken an introductory photography class and always had his camera with him. Sensing a rare opportunity to observe a fraternity from the inside, he slowly began to take pictures of the organization's members until "people got used to having [him] around." AT FIRST, MOISEY MAINLY CAPTURED PHOTOS OF BROTHERS PARTYING AND SPENDING TIME TOGETHER. Courtesy of Andrew Moisey/Daylight Books But after a while, he realized that his project had to "transcend" what people "already knew about fraternity life." "It took a long time to get pictures that were more than brothers hanging out, playing video games, and every once in a while, drinking too much," the photographer told INSIDER. Moisey believes this common depiction of fraternity life is one reason why people do not "take it seriously" as a culture. "They don't see how influential [fraternities] can actually be," he said. "So I stayed around to see what I would find," he added. OVER TIME, THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS ABLE TO GET A MORE INTIMATE LOOK INSIDE THE FRATERNITY. Courtesy of Andrew Moisey/Daylight Books Moisey said the members invited him to take increasingly candid photos after seeing his initial work. "They enjoyed seeing themselves in my pictures," the professor told us, "even when they were doing things other people might look at as scandalous." Four years after he started photographing the brothers, Moisey compiled his work for a show in 2004. "It seemed like a success," he said. "But I didn't think I was finished, so I continued shooting." SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER SEE ALSO: * 15 companies that will help pay your college tuition * Disappointing photos show what Disney resorts look like in real life, according to guests * 10 creepy photos of 'ghosts' that will make you question everything
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