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PODCAST

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

Random Observations on Art, Photography, and the Creative Process. These talks focus on the creative process in fine art photography. LensWork editor Brooks Jensen side-steps techno-talk and artspeak to offer a stimulating mix of ideas, experience, and observations from his 50 years as a fine art photographer, writer, and publisher. Topics include a wide range of subjects from finding subject matter to presenting your work, and building an audience. Included in this RSS Feed are the LensWork

arts visual arts

All Episodes

2:43

HT2746 - Right On, Write On, Right On

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/16

Here's a Thought… #2746 with Brooks Jensen Right On, Write On, Right On One of the great gifts we can receive from an artist is PERMISSION. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the late Duane Michals. By his example, he gave us all permission to write on our photographs. He understood — boy, did he understand!— that Art is about Ideas not just visuals. By marrying the photograph to the hand-written word he opened wide a door for all of us. The question remains, however, do we have the courage to

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2:43

HT2745 - Denied Access

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/15

Here's a Thought… #2745 with Brooks JensenDenied Access I'm convinced that the most valuable aspect in the creation of a good photograph is access. If we are denied access, we can't get to where we need to be to click the shutter. Since that's an undeniable reality, wouldn't it make sense that we need to develop the skill of securing permission? I learned this lesson in the 1980s when I was working on the Made of Steel project. I used one simple principle to gain access to the garages and machine

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2:43

HT2744 - Long-Forgotten Books

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/14

Here's a Thought… #2744 with Brooks Jensen Long-Forgotten Books Perhaps it's understandable that as a publisher I have a fond relationship with books. I weep over the fate of books (and the photographers who made them) when I see a great book subside into the obscurity of history. Newly minted books emerge from the bindery with such hopes and momentum. Then decades pass and that once-great book, like us I suppose, recedes into the dark corners of our book shelves or the dusty confines of the used

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LW1522 - Spray and Pray and AI

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/14

Episode #1522 from our long-running, weekly podcast On Photography and the Creative ProcessSpray and Pray and AI If you want to insult a photographer, accuse them of "spray and pray." It's a not so subtle way of saying they are relying on luck rather than talent. There are, however, two instances where I think spray and pray not only makes sense but is a pretty intelligent strategy: capturing a fleeting expression in a portrait, and using a long exposure time in a handheld composition. Besides,

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2:43

HT2743 - The Assumption of Effort

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/13

Here's a Thought… #2743 with Brooks JensenThe Assumption of Effort When we see any accomplished artistic expression — regardless of the medium — we naturally assume that such excellence is the result of substantial effort and talent. Just think of the effort required to compose a symphony, write a novel, or carve a statue. With photography however, we are advised "f/8 and be there." Press a button and make a masterpiece. Art is hard; photography is a snap. We photographers know this isn't true

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2:43

HT2742 - Dappled Light

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/12

Here's a Thought… #2742 with Brooks JensenDappled Light One of my favorite things to photograph is the dappled light that sneaks through the trees to create those soft shadows that dance so seductively. I've photographed those shadows my whole life. I've recently learned there is a Japanese aesthetic that celebrates that light and shadow. It's called Komorebi. Ko meaning tree or more specifically leaves of trees, more meaning leaking or leaking through, and bi meaning sun or light. More

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2:43

HT2741 - Looking for Photographs

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/11

Here's a Thought… #2741 with Brooks JensenLooking for Photographs One of the great mistakes of my youth was the assumption that going out with my camera was, at its essence, looking for photographs. That almost never works. Well, at least it almost never results in a photograph that's worth a damn. I can only speak for myself, but I've learned over the decades that the truly artistic life is the pursuit of experiences and responses that can then be interpreted through an art-making medium. Said

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2:43

ftp-361 Finding the Sensually Tactile

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/10

Here's a Thought… #2740 with Brooks JensenPhotographic Stupidity I suppose we've all made stupendously ridiculous mistakes in our creative lives. Please tell me I'm not the only one. Please. We are told that confession is good for the soul. In the hopes you can learn from my mistakes, here are a few of my greatest hits bonehead mistakes. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

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2:43

HT2739 - Your Basic Lens

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/09

Here's a Thought… #2739 with Brooks JensenYour Basic Lens My first camera was a 35mm SLR. I was advised to use a 50mm lens because that would most closely match normal human vision. It took me 10 years to unlearn that bad advice. Or, maybe I should say that it took me 10 years to find my natural vision. Once we discover our natural vision, choosing our basic lens becomes so much easier. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

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HT2738 - Your Minimal Kit

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/08

Here's a Thought… #2738 with Brooks JensenYour Minimal Kit What is the least amount of gear you can get by with? This is an important question if you are traveling, have limited space, are concerned about weight, or want to simplify your choices in the field. What can you get by with? Two cameras plus three lenses? One camera plus one lens? Your iPhone? How do you make such decisions? Affordability? Complexity? The subject and locations? Looking back at past successes? Become a member of LensWork

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2:43

HT2737 - The Crack of Dawn

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/07

Here's a Thought… #2737 with Brooks Jensen The Crack of Dawn All my photographic life I've heard landscape photographers preach the virtues of the early risers. Supposedly, the best photographs are made as the sun rises at the crack of dawn. Some even go so far as to insist that only bad photographs can be made in the noonday light. Hogwash! I'm of the school of thought that there is no such thing as "good light" or "bad light." Good or bad is not a characteristic of the light, but rather what you

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LW1521 - Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/07

LW1521 - Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained I'm proud of the fact that so many photographers tell me that appearing in LensWork is on their bucket list. I'm equally disheartened when so many photographers tell me they are intimidated to submit work because they are afraid of being rejected. I want to tell them quite frankly, "Toughen up, bucko. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Here are eight reasonswhy you should submit work to us and

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2:43

HT2736 - Score and Performance, Again

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/06

Here's a Thought… #2736 with Brooks Jensen Score and Performance, Again Ansel Adams famously suggested that the negative was the score and the print the performance. Is this still true for the RAW file and the Instagram image? What is the relationship between the RAW capture and the print? And where does the finished digital file fit in this simile? I think this is all tied to the idea of an original print. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought…

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HT2735 - Losing Faith in Photographic Truth

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/05

Here's a Thought… #2735 with Brooks JensenLosing Faith in Photographic Truth With increasing frequency, I find myself looking at a photograph and immediately questioning its veracity. For example, every morning when I start up my computer I'm greeted with a lovely landscape thanks to the programmers at Microsoft. Almost without exception, they look fake, with punched up colors, unrealistic sky and water reflections, and a kind of computer generated pristineness that I find difficult to believe

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HT2734 - Actions of the Creative Process

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/04

Here's a Thought… #2734 with Brooks JensenActions of the Creative Process There is a lot of buzz about "Creativity" in artistic pursuits. Books are prevalent; YouTube videos are offered by the terabyte; even here in LensWorkland find you'll find a lot of references to Creativity. Well and good, but what is Creativity? If we were to observe a person in the actions of Creativity, what would that look like? There is the part of Creativity that happens in our brain that is invisible, but there is also

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2:43

HT2733 - A Box With One of Ones

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/03

Here's a Thought… #2733 with Brooks JensenA Box With One of Ones I recently ran across a box of prints from 1989 I'd almost forgotten about. That is to say, I remembered the project but had forgotten the images. Looking through the images, I fell in love with them all over again. What do I do with these 1/1 Polaroids? I've kept these secured and protected now for 37 years — and perfectly invisible to all but a handful of close friends. Have they fulfilled their purpose? Become a member of LensWork

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2:43

HT2732 - Time to Get Off the Stage

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/02

Here's a Thought… #2732 with Brooks JensenTime to Get Off the Stage I'm a baby boomer. My generation invented rock and roll music. I'm vicariously proud of that. I must admit, however, that it is time that some of my favorites need to get of the stage and enjoy their retirement. The fires of creativity still burn, but the remaining embers are a dim glow, and an off-key one at that. I wonder if we photographers need to take an honest look at ourselves, too? There is a time to retire our cameras,

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2:43

HT2731 - Universal Stories

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/09/01

Here's a Thought… #2731 with Brooks JensenUniversal Stories Photographs, by their very nature, are specific. They capture a view of a specific place at a specific time. Stories, good stories anyway, have a sense of the universal about them. This is why vacation snapshots of landscapes often don't have much appeal; they are too specific, too personal. What brings a story (or a landscape) to life is when we can identify with the characters and can imagine ourself in their shoes, when we see ourself

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HT2730 - Bombs and Bosoms

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/08/31

Here's a Thought… #2730 with Brooks Jensen Bombs and Bosoms There exists a trend in current photography that I struggle with. That trend is the exaggeration of reality to create an image that could never happen as depicted. Life is amazing enough. Why do we feel compelled to make our photographs more real than reality? I think of this as the "Hollywood Effect," aka Bombs and Bosoms. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

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LW1520 - The Big, Big Problem of Repetition

LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process ·

2026/08/31

LW1520 - The Big, Big Problem of Repetition I've been doing multiple image projects now for 45 years and reviewing submissions to LensWork for 34 years. One of the things I've learned is that nothing kills a multi-image project as fast as repetition. The instant a viewer thinks, "I've seen this one before," their interest starts to wane. Even if they haven't seen it before, but think they have, the damage is done. All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork

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