A police officer from an explosive disposal unit takes part in a security drill ahead of next year's general election in Sidoarjo, East Java, on August 23, 2023. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)

Police officers intervene as a man attempts to hang himself during a protest to oppose the sharing of river water with a neighboring state, in Bengaluru, India on September 26, 2023. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A protester clashes with riot police officers during a protest against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2022, near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand on November 18, 2022. (Photo by Tanat Chayaphattharitthee/Reuters)

People shout slogans next to Turkish police officers during the LGBTQ Pride March in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 26, 2022. (Photo by Emrah Gurel/AP Photo)

A police officer offers a prayer to his weapon as part of a ritual at their headquarters on the occasion of Dussehra, or Vijaya Dashami, festival in Ahmedabad, India, October 15, 2021. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

Sasha, a police dog, wears a cap and gown, on the day of the 374th Commencement exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)

An attendee dressed as Winnie the Pooh talks with a member of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department during the annual pre-Halloween High Heel Race in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 28, 2025. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Reuters)

The underbelly of fetish parties has been exposed in photographs captured by Belgian photographer MagLau. The photographer dedicated three years to capturing the obsession with leather and chains, visiting fetish parties through Europe and Japan. The photographer told: “I just took pictures, always finding some beauty in the dark side”. He said that most people were happy to be photographed for the project, with the images included in a new book Fetish Ballad. Aiming to capture the candid moments, he said he never judged but instead wanted to simply observe and understand. Here: Picture from Fetish Ballad book. (Photo by MagLau/Laurent Muschel)