Joshua Jensen-Nagle | On Location

Joshua Jensen-Nagle's dreamy photographs transport us to stunning places around the world. To capture the images for his ongoing Never Ending Summer II collection, he traveled to beachy coasts in the Mediteranean and the Middle East to capture compelling compositions and portraits of bliss.

Jensen-Nagle's immersive, cinematic, large-scale photos invite viewers to lose themselves in the crowd and the striking landscape. Viewing photography as a “means to evoke emotion rather than document a reality,” he has spent a decade traveling the globe in search of beachscapes dotted with bathers to turn into compelling images, often hanging out of helicopters to capture his birds-eye views.

 
PORTUGAL ALGARVE
Portugal with its colors, smells, tastes and friendly people, captures the heart instantly.  Wooded hills give way to a coastline of coves, dunes and secret beaches making this an exciting landscape to photograph. 

Jensen-Nagle refers to the Algarve as home to his favorite beaches in the world, a place where everyone is friendly and there is a constant flow of good wine and white sangria. Each beach has its own sandy shoreline framed by golden cliffs, some with small coves sheltered by the rocks. The sea is a palette of blues, perfect for endless days of swimming to escape the summer heat.

 
ISRAEL
Israel, with its rolling hills and electric turquoise waters, has inspired many of Jensen-Nagle's photographs including the Dead Sea Salt series. The Dead Sea emanates stillness and serenity with its glimmering waves and gray sand. 

"Tel Aviv is both modern and full of history with architecture reflecting war, hope and revitalization simultaneously.  A long walking path runs along the Mediterranean coast and into the Jaffa port, where we feasted on a spread of 23 local appetizers and fresh fish one night.  We traveled to the Dead Sea by helicopter, through the desert following the Jordan River.  The water level has receded greatly in recent years resulting in the drying of salt pools. What remains of them is still remarkable in colour and clarity.  It’s like flying over large sheets of turquoise and blue sea glass reflecting the sun.  By foot, we were able to experience floating in the buoyant water of the Dead Sea."

 

 
ITALY: AMALFI, CAPRI and CINQUE TERRE
Every August, Joshua Jensen-Nagle plans a trip to Italy when locals have holiday and the coasts are packed with boaters and beach goers alike. "The Tyrrhenian Sea, is the best and bluest we’ve seen in the world.  Italy always feels like home.  Afternoons are spent basking in the sun and traveling the coast by foot, boat or helicopter.  In the evenings we indulge in the local pizza, pasta, wine and gelato."

The rocky shorelines are a stark contrast to sandy beaches, although there are plenty of those as well.  Swimmers line the rocky shore, and jump from the cliffs into the crisp water from early morning to sunset.  The deep blue hue of the ocean contrasted with the vibrant boats and swimsuits make for unique colour palettes in photographs of the Italian coast.

Joshua Jensen-Nagle's summer exhibition will be on view at Bau-Xi Vancouver from July 4-16.
View more work by Joshua Jensen-Nagle