A lot of my favorite photographers have a sociological or psychological aspect to their work. This doesn't apply to Marten Lange, who's work is intriguing and bordering on the conceptual. But that doesn't stop his work from being fascinating. 

Anomalie #9, by Marten LangeA very boring subject, yet fascinating picture Lange's work revolves around high contrasts. High contrast anythings really. Woodlands, the sea, crows, machines, everyday objects, anything and everything seems to be good enough for Lange. And he doesn't necessarily give these subjects a highly refined treatment. Quite to the contrary, the treatment is harsh, bordering on crude, with (sometimes extremely) high contrasts and composition that seems to be barely thought of. Of course, looks can be deceiving, and one should not infer that there isn't a lot of work in Lange's work. But it has a very raw and harsh look, and the subjects don't seem that interesting in and of themselves. 

And yet, Lange's work is fascinating. The interplay between the very light and very dark make his pictures very interesting even if one can hardly care about the subjects themselves. The trivial and ordinary becomes fascinating, not on the level of what it means, but on the simple aesthetic level of what appears when the trivial is captured in stark black and white. Indeed, Lange demonstrates how photography can transform reality, or at least, reveal some underlying aspect of it. 

Anomalie #1, by Marten LangeA simple window becomes nearly indecipherable and utterly fascinating And yet this newly revealed aspect is purely aesthetic, perceptual in nature. There is voluntarily no narrative, in Lange's work as he wishes the viewer to be "just like the stare of the camera, seeing but not understanding". And that is in itself interesting as a different approach to photography. At the absolute opposite spectrum from photojournalism that seeks to tell a whole story within a picture, Lange creates a purely formal body of work that is nevertheless striking and fascinating, sometimes even emotional. Definitely worth exploring.