Jason Langer, “Go Go Girl”, 1994

#somereallygoodones, #jasonlanger, #gogogirl, #newyorkcity, #twentyyears

A new friend emerged in the recent period of darkness, our collective Covid slough. We connected through social media. I’m not actually sure what happened. I noticed Jason responding to photographs I was posting in different spots and started paying attention because his name seemd familiar, “Jason Langer”. We started corresponding and found that almost immediately we liked confiding in each other. Finding someone to confess to, that’s what friends do.

Jason Langer is a terrific photographer, and I want to write about an image that I indicated to him was one of my favorites, “Go Go Girl”, 1994. I think he has better images but here’s why I like this one: it’s hot.

The titular figure — so to speak — appears like a bookmark directing your attention something in the very dark book of the very dark city of New York. Things are so hot there is a release of steam coming from the base of the vortex light up by the headlights of oncoming traffic. It’s a Bad Boy picture by a righteous Good Boy.

Jason seems to have absorbed the entirety of photo history, particularly the so-called “New York School”, identified by historian Jane Livingstone in her book of that title from the early 1990’s: Arbus; Avedon; Brodovitch; Croner; Davidson; Donaghy; Faurer; Frank; Grossman; Klein; Leiter; Levinstein; Levitt; Model; Vestal and Weegee. Jason loved shooting the city and printing it very darkly. He is a classicist.

It is a swinging response to Beaumont Newhall's striking "Chase National Bank, New York, 1928"

He is a contemporary guy who sees things though more modern eyes. “Go Go Girl” has a secular/sacred tension that is very effecting and affecting. New York was a nasty, tasty place thirty years ago. You did not go to Times Square because you liked Mickey Mouse.

Jason gets that in this photograph. He sent me a print for Christmas and that was very very classy of him. Thanks.

He has a dandy retrospective book “Twenty Years” from the always excellent publisher Radius Books. It’s worth tracking down.

Happy New Year from Times Square, boys and girls.

#somereallygoodones, #theunseeneye, #wmhunt, #collectiondancingbear, #collectionblindpirate, #greatphotographs, #howilookatphotographs, #photographsfromtheunconsicous, #collectingislikerunningaroundinathunderstormhopingyoullbehitbylightning, #aphotographsogooditmakesyoufartlightning, #photographychangedmylifeitgavemeone, #jasonlanger, #gogogirl, #newyorkcity, #twenty-years