Mike Brodie "Trainhoppers".... by Shaun Dangerfield

It's not very often we re-blog about something we find ourselves but these photos had me in a trance.
I saw this on the back of the Coggles blog in a post by Liv Siddall so I searched online for the photo's including the one's missing in the original post.

In 2004 photographer Mike Brodie documented himself train hopping across America with a group of youngsters on freight train's, living life on the banks of the railroads and with it has released this photo book.
Now I've heard of train hopping but in all fairness I've never wanted to look further into it in terms of interest levels.
I'm sure we all have our own view or take on sub-cultures but I had to laugh at the press labelled "Train hopping and squatting sub-culture" it's hardly any kind of culture more travelling and living but not actually getting anywhere.  But that's my opinion which lead me onto this and I couldn't help but look at those in the photo's and try and make them out.
Are they orphans ? thrill seekers ? rich kids with nothing better to do ? or just youngsters wanting to see the world a bit with not much money.

Now I've always loved "real" photo's that represent true life (in whatever form that is) and I think he does more than capture that with these photo's, one things for sure it certainly keeps you guessing and thinking.
The only reason why I say this is because you look around and no matter what you can always kind of tell someones background, not that it matters because I try not to judge anyone on who they are or what they do but with this I couldn't help but think what are you gaining from it ? personal experience ? because if there is more to these young people background wise and there is somewhere they could be I find it hard to figure out why they would be doing this.

But that's what impressed me most about these photo's, the fact of how much I did think about what was/is going on but from the expressions on their faces and the clothes they are wearing I couldn't help but think that they didn't have to be there, certainly no displeasure anyway and maybe I've read it wrong but that's what I take from this photo book.