Jens Vange

Year of birth: 1961.
Where do you live: Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Your education: Master of Architecture.
Describe your art in three words: Abstract, Architectural, Expressionism.
Your discipline: Photographer.
Website | Instagram

You mentioned being fascinated with light since childhood when you used your Instamatic camera. Can you tell us about a specific memory that sparked your lifelong love for capturing light?

I remember a summer day when I was probably in sixth grade, sitting on our front porch, mesmerized by  a unique cloud show above. They were puffy summer clouds with blue sky above. The sun was hiding behind one of the larger clouds but something in the clouds made the sun’s light fan out from behind several  clouds with the rays shouting out from behind several clouds, looking like a group of spaceships. I grabbed my pocket camera and took photos to show my friends at school the next day and prove this really happened. Since then I have always kept an eye open for other unique and artful  ways that light might present itself.

How has your experience as an architect shaped your photographic work, especially in terms of observing reflections and distortions?

As I found more and more unique reflections in urban areas, I became curious why these did not always occur when I drove past some buildings. I knew that there were different pressures inside the buildings and outside depending on the temperature differentials. But how would that affect a stiff sheet of glass? I spoke with a few glass manufacturers I worked with and learned that the newer methods of tempering safety glass, the layers of materials  behaved differently depending on temperature along with air pressure. Unfortunately for me, this also means that the best times to take my photographs are on extremely hot and cold days, which I discovered early on in my images from Doha and Minneapolis.

Jens Vange | Denver CO 003

Magritte, Escher, Monet, and Dali have been influential in your creative journey. Can you share how their work directly or indirectly impacts your photography?

 I’ve always admired how these artists took ordinary objects and familiar contexts and elements and created other worldly settings and compositions.  I love finding reflections, especially large-scale, multi-story ones, that make viewers think the photo must be a collage rather than a single exposure. To note a similarly out of the ordinary dimension of my work, I take photos of what’s behind me!

What is your process for identifying and capturing the “unintended architecture” in urban environments?

When I travel to a larger city, even ones that  I’m familiar with, I first explore Google Earth and the web to evaluate locations of large-scale glass-clad  towers, arenas, etc. Then I consider the sun angles and narrow down potential locations and timing. Recently, I have been scouting out multistory parking garages. There are amazing reflections (free of streetlights, people, etc.) a several stories above street level that most people don’t even notice.

Once on location, I walk. And walk. looking up and down, sideways, and behind me, pausing every few  steps. Reflections are fleeting and easily missed within  a foot or two. When I find a promising view, I do the photographer’s  waltz: side-to-side shuffle, then  forward and back, up and down  to find the perfect view. I capture a rough composition  on site, then  work through the fine-tuning of crops, lighting, and color at home to recreate what I saw. There are too many distractions with people, cars, etc. moving around me to not pay attention to my surroundings for too long.

Jens Vange | Minneapolis MN 026

You use a Sony A7iii and sometimes an iPhone for its immediacy. How does your choice of camera influence the outcome of your work?

My first reflection photos were taken with my iPhone. They were decent quality, but feedback I received was that the  long-distance shots were “soft.” So, I soon invested in the Sony with a long telephoto lens. This has given me the flexibility to take shots within a few yards or across a harbor. I do miss the stealth of the iPhone. Walking around a crowded city sidewalk with a fully extended telephoto zoom lens always looks suspicious and makes me self-conscious. But if it’s a great shot, I power through the angst. I have often been approached by security guards asking, “whatcha doing?” But I’m friendly and open, and once I point out the reflection I’m shooting, they get quite interested and talkative. I still use my cell phone if I come across an unexpected view while out and about and hope for the best!

Your work involves vantage points in major cities worldwide. Are there particular cities or buildings that you feel lend themselves best to your style of photography?

Yes, large cities like  San Francisco, Atlanta, Minneapolis, etc. are ideal because they typically have numerous glass towers, which are usually the canvas for the reflections of nearby buildings. They also tend to have numerous early 19th century buildings whose elaborate detailing can make for quite  unique reflections. The city that really kickstarted this body of work was Doha, in Qatar. I was on a work trip and had six hours to kill one afternoon. It was crazy hot, and  the streets downtown were deserted. This was also a relief, because you can’t take pictures of people. I was relieved I had my iPhone there because it was very discreet. Every street was a fantasyland with otherworldly  skyscrapers that inspired me every time I turned a corner. I could have spent a week there!

Jens Vange | Minneapolis MN 059