Compelling Portraits of People Who Abandoned Civilization for Life in the Wilderness

Photographer Antoine Bruy not only traveled and lived with off-grid families for three years, but captured captivating photos of their Walden-esque existence.

Image Credit: Antoine Bruy

Art The System

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, most people can only dream about escaping to the quiet isolation of the rural countryside. French photographer Antoine Bruy, however, turned that dream into a reality when he hitchhiked across Europe from 2010 to 2013, wandering through remote mountain regions without any fixed destination or route in mind. Along the way, he met several individuals who had willingly abandoned life in the city and retreated deep into the wilderness, sacrificing modern comforts for greater autonomy and freedom. 

In his series Scrublands, Bruy documents the homes and faces of the people he encountered, by chance, who live far away from civilization. Staying with these individuals for days or even weeks at a time, the photographer helped them farm land and raise livestock while learning more about their self-sufficient lifestyles. Once teachers, students, and engineers, these people now rely on makeshift buildings, recovered materials, and agriculture in order to survive. 

The Run for our Highest Office 2012!

Colleen McCool 

You'd think from most corporate media reports: the only choice this year is either Obama or Romney. They just don't get it. Issues not politics as usual are actually going to play an important part in this presidential election. Gary Johnson, Judge Jim Gray and Ron Paul agree on nearly every single issue that matters to true patriots: liberty-minded Americans. 

Big corporations and governments are often lacking in conscience and empathy. These are psychopathic tendencies by definition! 

A more accurate label for our "government" would be, "criminal gang," though many will find that shocking due to the Stockholm Syndrome. The entire world suffers from Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to politicians and The State. If you or I kill, rape, assault, steal, or defraud, we are criminals and the same moral standards must apply to government. They can NOT magically turn wrong into right. No matter how hard they try with the Euphemism Disease, allowing the speaker to make criminal and immoral acts sound virtuous. For example: using threats of violence to take money from people against their will, don't call it theft or looting or legalized extortion or larceny - call it forfeiture, taxation, insurance or investment.