Jenn Mangino
Where do you live: The Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin in the Midwest USA.
Your education: I am trained as a medical microbiologist. I have not been formally instructed in photography, but continue to learn from other amazing black and white photographers – late masters such as Blakemore and Cartier-Bresson, as well as contemporary artists such as Villa, Kenna and Penman.
Describe your art in three words: Perfectly Imperfect Moments, Captured (ok that was 4 words!).
Your discipline: Black and White Fine Art Photography.
Website | Instagram
Jenn Mangino | Resistance II | 2024
Your series explores the theme of “resistance” through nature. What inspired you to focus on this particular theme?
I find hope in scenes that evoke what master landscape photographer John Blakemore referred to as ‘Precarious Poise’. Subjects in impossible situations, thriving. Resisting and persisting against the odds.
Many of your photos depict nature reclaiming human-made structures. What message do you hope viewers take away from these scenes?
Hold on – the only thing certain in life is change, and the world is ever changing, restoring order from chaos.
Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park probably said it best: “Life finds a way”. My message is “You will find a way”.
Jenn Mangino | Resistance III | 2024
How does your background in microbiology influence your perspective or photographic practice?
Well, microbiology is about the study of small life forms, and the way we visualize those involve lenses and light. Through that lens another world is revealed.
While photography requires equipment and technical skills not unlike the microscope, it’s the way the camera reveals a different world that is so captivating.
What role does solitude or quiet observation play in your creative process?
I find the more I immerse myself in an environment before clicking the shutter, the more the moments I am looking for will find me.
This practice is harder than it sounds. For me, it’s only when forced to slow down, observe the scene for longer and shoot slow that the noise in my head dies down so the scene can reveal its stories.
Jenn Mangino | Resistance IV | 2024
Why do you choose to work exclusively in black and white? What does it allow you to express that color might not?
Why shoot black and white in a world of color? Color is reality.
I’m not necessarily interested in documenting reality, I’m interested in enhancing the serenity, emotion and mystery of a scene to tell the story. Monochrome allows me more latitude in drawing out that story.
Could you tell us more about your recent move to the Midwest and how the Kettle Moraine landscape has shaped your work?
A change of environment can be so creatively stimulating, and that’s what I found when we recently moved to the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin. The Moraine is a geographical area characterized by ancient glacier activity, and the resulting hills, valleys, lakes and forests of the area are endlessly fascinating subjects.
Jenn Mangino | Resistance V | 2024
Some of your images evoke a sense of stillness, while others suggest quiet persistence. How do you find balance in composition and mood?
There’s a reason why minimalism is so popular in art and design.
The simplest scenes have the most emotional impact.
Reducing a scene down to the essential elements to convey the moment is the constant challenge.
I love to use a square crop to achieve that reduction and balance. Contrasting not just light and shadow, but the texture of a scene is a critical element as well.
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