Jake Stangel traversed the American suburban landscape on his bike, armed only with his camera, eternal optimism and the desire to capture the oddities of hidden communities along the way…

Dazed Digital: What's your background as a photographer?
Jake Stangel: I began in the photo program of NYU’s school of art, called Tisch, but decided to leave the school after my first year to pursue more than just photography. I ended up dabbling in global trade/economics, marketing/advertising, and photography; it's a blend of concentrations I really love and feel like I utilize every day. After school, I moved out to beautiful Portland, OR, where I currently live and work now.

DD: What do you look for when setting up a shot?
JS: When I am setting up a shot, I'm trying to directly, purely relay my experience- what I see, what I hear, what I’m feeling on my skin- directly to the viewer. It’s cliché, but I try to bring you right to where I was standing the moment I hit the shutter.

DD: What gave you the idea for Biking Across the Country series you've recently done?
JS: I had already planned the trip before I had the idea for the photo project, but I'm kind of an adventurer, and feel like I take my best photos when out traveling, possibly because I love the experience of exploration, finding new things, meeting new people, taking notice of everything. I think "Transamerica" really came out of that desire, a curiosity about the backroads America.

DD: Can you recount any weird/odd things that happened on your biking journey?
JS: Hah, yeah, pretty much every day something odd happened, either to me, or I saw it happen to someone else, or I just came across the weirdest American landscapes. Some things off the top of my head: seeing this one random biker girl who we called "peter pan" (she had short hair and golden tights) about 3 times in various Western states, always riding the opposite direction, noticing the world's tackiest billboards for everything from teen pregnancy to 'lawyers who play hardball' with a flaming baseball and catcher's mitt, to 6 year olds drinking coors lights in the back of a pickup truck in Kansas, to riding past America's biggest ball of twine. Loved it all.

DD: You portray a really optimistic mood in this series - was that intentional?
JS: I like to think of myself as an optimist, and one who went into this trip embracing pretty much everything I happened upon. There's alot of "Americana" work done by photographers that is borderline or blatantly sarcastic of the the way of life in these backroads towns; I came into every situation or scene with respect and appreciation. There is humanity in every life and it deserves to be shown no matter what... in all the scenes and landscapes I shot, regardless of whether they include people or not: people pass through there, that's their environment, it's their home. It was always a priority of mine to not take subversive photographs in ways that undermined or cheated the ideologies/way of life of my subjects. I was just appreciative to experience all of these unadulterated realities, how things really are in the untouched parts of America.

DD: What equipment/film do you use? What do you like about the equipment/film you use?
JS: I have done this cross country trip twice- the first time from VA to OR, and I shot with a Hasselblad on Fuji Pro something-or-other film (they don't make it any more. The second time, I rode from RI to WA, and shot with a Toyo 45A on Fuji 160s and a Leica point and shoot on cheapo Kodak Gold 400. I love the hasselblad because the lenses kick ass and the camera is easy to carry around, and I love love love the 4x5 because the images have a lifelike quality that only 4x5 film can capture. I'm doing a third trip this summer, and will be using the Toyo/Fuji combo, as well as a Mamiya 645 most likely. There are some shots that are too fleeting to capture with the 4x5.

DD: Are you inspired by any particular films? Art? Literature?
JS: I'm actually not a film-watcher at all. Never really got into it, and I get ansty sitting on a couch for an hour and a half plus. I read the New York Times as much as I can, keep myself informed about all aspect of live all over the world. Art- all sorts, it can really be anything. I'm very open and receptive to anything really and I've been intrigued by everything from the design of manhole covers to subway music to paintings at the MoMa to the way street vendors cut up mangoes so you can eat it right off the stick.

DD: What about other photographers?
JS: In the ‘fine art’ world- Mitch Epstein for sure, Richard Renaldi, Joel Sternfeld, Sally Mann. Editorial- Jeff Riedel, Alex Tehrani, Nikolas Koenig, Peter van Agtmael, and Angie Smith. Snowboarding and Lifestyle- Danny Zapalac, Dean ‘Blotto’ Grey, and Kevin Zacher.

DD: Where would you most like to shoot next?
JS: Anywhere I can pack a bag, bring a camera, take off to explore and come back with a story to show and tell. Could be anywhere from the North Cascade Mountain Range to India to the Alps to the streets of Buenos Aires.