A RARE PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURE - that means these pictures weren’t taken by me but I wish they were
Every now and then you stumble across someone’s work that makes you a bit angry because you like it so much more than your own. Jake Stangel is my annoying person of the week. He has some really beautiful projects on his site. In my opinion his pictures are a quintessential representation of the joy of being a photographer. Travelling, shooting, being with good friends and meeting amazing people to take pictures of. For me, his work doesn’t blow me away with any staggering originality, but to be honest I’m sick of people doing something weird and different for the sake of it. Most people, I think, cultivate an interest in photography with a foundation of aesthetics. The meat comes later, but the love starts with light. Light on skin, light through trees, light in their eyes, light on your neighbours dog. I know people come at the practice from a different angle but I started with the surface of photographs.
Not to say that JS’s photos are shallow, or ‘samey’, they have a unique, raw, striking quality to them that evokes all sorts of lovely and not so lovely feelings about the world, but dam, they look so good and that’s what hooked me before I started thinking about them.

Every photographer, whether they live in the states or not, aspires to or actually makes a project involving tripping across America. Whether in a convertible muscle car, hitch hiking or sweating it out on a bike. I don’t know what this magical pull is that the US seems to have on photographers. I mean yeah it’s massive, and yeah there are a lot of crazy and interesting people to fill up your rolls, or your CF cards, but I think there’s definitely something not so obvious that ropes us all in. I’ve seen a hundred projects of the great American road trip, done in different ways, a lot done in the same. But I never tire of looking at them and I’m sure I’ll feel the need someday to do it myself, even if it’s just for me.
If you love photography or you fancy a fantasy romp around some interesting places then check out Jakes work in these places.
There’s also an interview on another awesome blog called MULL IT OVER run by a fellow called John Cherry
nice gent, sam bradley wrote...happens when i put...breath...