To possess something is to occupy it or control it. And this idea manifests itself throughout Jason Langer’s new monograph Possession. The moody black-and-white images have a spontaneity to them, as if Langer happened to capture these moments while strolling through a city, a park or a random apartment building. Yet the book as a whole is a very deliberate representation of how humans, objects and places can be possessed.

Langer’s use of shadows and focus when photographing people informs the reader what his subjects are – a carousel operator a dancer , a pedestrian, a cowboy- but never answers who the are. These figures are strangers in a familiar land. Capable of either entrancing others to the point of possession, as represented by the sensual studies of female figures, or being self-possessed by how they project themselves in society at large, as communicated through their clothing or body language.

Meanwhile objects are photographed with an almost supernatural clarity. Mannequins, an empty bed, carousel horses and a puppet all feel otherworldly, as it they contain some leftover impression of the humans that once interacted with them. Adding to the mystery are engrossing shots of places that seem recognizable, but, thanks to Langer’ unique perspective, are unknown. A building-lined city street feels all the more claustrophobic when a tiny, lone pedestrian is in the frame. A crow-like bird on a fence post adds eeriness to a photo of an old house. An empty alley decorated with wrought iron and wooden shutters radiates the history of the place; it is paired with a photo of an almost empty subway station that is likely just as old, but seems conversely modern.

These enthralling images have the poser to hypnotize the reader, and in the end make us consider how we all could be captivated by the everyday if we just pay attention.

Photo District News, 2013