Topanga Beach
The Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Topanga Beach. County Line. Surfers know it well. There are worse places you could be. It’s opulent and it’s where the beautiful people are. Right? They say it’s a great place to live. But “they” aren’t homeless. “They” aren’t wondering where the next meal is coming from. Sloan took this photo from the car. A “drive-by” as she calls them. “I saw this woman with her feet up. No one was hassling her and she obviously needed a break. It was July of 2019 and she said to herself, “Homeless in Malibu? Where do you go? Being in Malibu is great but being homeless in Malibu sucks! Being homeless anywhere sucks!”
I was talking about this photo with Sloan and she said that she took it outside of the Malibu Feed Bin, a sort of “upscale” hardware store. The patio furniture outside would look attractive to a woman with nowhere to sit. “I dreamed of being her when I was young”, Sloan said. “Not homeless exactly but Venice Beach. No plans. Just be alive!” Sometimes we don’t notice our perspective shifting. Perspective is a funny thing…especially to a photographer.
