Mike Brodie: A Period of Juvenile Prosperity
“In my heart I do not feel like a photographer. I don’t know if I ever have…but what I’ve always felt like is a railroader.” – Mike Brodie 1
Mike Brodie first hopped a train when he was 17 and in doing so sparked a wanderlust that found him walking, hitching rides and hopping trains all over the U.S. For the next 4 years he traveled all around the country, compulsively photographing his surroundings as well as his fellow wayfarers, eventually gaining the moniker “The Polaroid Kid.”
A collection of these photos has been published as A Period of Juvenile Prosperity (Twin Palms, 2013). The book stands as a gritty and spirited addition to the annals of American travel photography. A few choice selections below:
Brodie’s photography has received a lot of acclaim in recent years and yet he appears to have moved on from taking pictures, cheerfully content—for the time being at least—to ply his trade as an auto mechanic. We wish him all the best.
You can get A Period of Juvenile Prosperity here.
1 Source: NPR
