Seen is an image photographer Mike Brodie snapped while train hopping across the U.S. (Mike Brodie)

At 17 years old it only took jumping on one train in the wrong direction to inspire Arizona native Mike Brodie to try and travel across the U.S. by hopping on trains, hitchhiking and other modes of free transportation.

It wasn't until he discovered a Polaroid camera in 2004 that he began taking pictures of his travels, giving others a snapshot into the lives of youth living in transit. His photos of his journey and the people he encountered along the way, earned him the nickname “The Polaroid Kidd.”

Once Polaroid film was discontinued, he began shooting on a Nikon from the ‘80s with 35 mm film.

Brodie has ridden trains over 50,000 miles and taken over 7,000 photos, bringing a breath of fresh air to American travel photography.

A collection of his photos have now been compiled in a book titled, “A Period of Juvenile Prosperity.”

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