Youth homeless is an unfortunate issue in the United States. No child, teenager or young adult should have to start life in the harsh conditions of the streets. This image shows four friends, there age ranging from 19 to 24. They travel together playing music to earn money.
I had been photographing all day and was ready to call it a day. While getting ready to leave the area I caught a glimpse of Holly singing while Sam played the guitar. Holly had a calm demeanor and grace about her. We spoke for a bit and I felt compelled to photograph them. Time was running out since there was little daylight left so I rushed hoping the light would hold out.
Holly, now 19 years of age left home at 18. Leaving just a note for her parents she says, “my folks always new I was different, I just didn’t fit in at school.” She took a plane to another state and hit the road with a back pack and the clothes on her back. After about a week she was picked up by a van of gypsies, who gave some supplies and advice about the streets. After spending some time with the gypsies they dropped her off in San Francisco where she met Sam at a blue grass festival. “We blissed out for a few days,” she said, before getting together with a group of punk rockers who gave them a ride to Berkley. Sam, about 24 and no stranger to the streets played music for money and did what he needed to survive. Sam and Holly ended up joining with two other friends and started traveling together. Each of them meeting separately.
Four young adults living on the streets, experiencing life. From a distance it sounds exciting, but with shady characters, gangs, and drugs it can easily turn for the worst. I could tell they were doing what they could to get by. Too often I’ve seen new faces on the streets only to see how the streets can deplete a soul.
Although one’s first reaction in viewing the photographs might be “they are not dirty enough to be homeless, “closer look and seeing them in the environment of the streets you would be able to tell they are far from clean. I will never forget my time with them and on quiet moments I wonder of their safety.
