Photojournalist Kitra Cahana Defends A Different Kind of Freedom at TED

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In her recent TED talk, photojournalist Kitra Cahana shares the stories of the nomadic, homeless youth she roamed the United States with for months. Tracing her attraction to vagabonds to a bag she packed to run away as a child, Cahana draws parallels between the alternative lifestyle of nomads and the need we all have to escape the confines of everyday life.

“Many of you might be wondering why anyone would choose a life like this,” she says. “Under the thumb of discriminatory laws, eating out of trash cans, sleeping under bridges, picking up seasonal jobs here and there. The answer to such a question is as varied as the people that take to the road, but travelers often respond with a single word: freedom.”

Her five minute talk shares images and arguments for the validity of taking the open road less traveled. Learn more about Kitra’s intimate approach to photography that blurs the line between subjects and friends in our film for ICP’s 29th Annual Infinity Awards.