Mike Brodie, an American photographer also known by the moniker of “Polaroid Kidd, is notable for his imagery following his own experiences of trainhopping across North America in a period of five years, dating from 2004 to 2009. Inspired by punk ideologies and the photographs of National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, Brodie set out to create images of those around him and they experiences they shared together, presenting them in a way that feels raw and intimate; something that comes as a side effect from a lack of formal education in photographic composition and technique.
Brodie’s photographs encapsulate a powerful sense of youth and freedom that represents his outlook on both life and the others around him at the time of shooting. Take this image, for example; a young man holding onto the railing on the back of a fast-moving train giving the middle finger to the camera, with a confident expression on his face. Compositionally, the man is the focal point of the photograph, filling up a small section of the bottom half in the image, directly in the centre. Aside from him, the only other section of the piece in focus is the railing he dangles from, whereas the rest of the image is blurred from the fast motion of the train. Despite this, the track can be made out behind him and acts as leading lines to bring the viewer’s eyes away from the man and toward the rest of the composition. The expressions and gestures provided by the man represent the rebellious behaviours of youth culture, and their mutual desire to be free of the constraints of societal expectations through one way or another, living off the grid and on their own terms. Additionally, the colour palette of the photograph primarily utilises yellow and grey tones, the mans pink details on his shirt being the only differentiation.
In my own work, I want to represent the rawness of wanting to stray from the norms enforced by modern society, and the idea of forging my own path as opposed to a more typical career and lifestyle. I feel similar values appear in both my own and Brodie’s photographs, and I’d like mine to capture these emotions even better through the influence of his style.
Sources:
https://www.nowness.com/story/mike-brodie-a-period-of-juvenile-prosperity