Advertise on podcast: LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

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4.6

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440 reviews

Description

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 Podcasts — posted weekly, typically 10-20 minutes exploring a topic a bit more deeply — and our almost daily Here's a thought… audios (extracted from the videos.) Here's a thought… are snippets, fragments, morsels, and tidbits from Brooks' fertile (and sometimes swiss-cheesy) brain. Usually just a minute or two. Always about photography and the art life. Brooks Jensen is the publisher of LensWork, one of the world's most respected and award-winning photography publications, known for its museum-book quality printing and luxurious design. LensWork has subscribers in over 73 countries. He is the author of 13 books on photography and the creative life -- the latest books are The Best of the LensWork Interviews (2016), Photography, Art, and Media (2016), and the four annual volumes of Seeing in SIXES (2016-2019).

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process podcast

HT2528 - Made for the Purpose

2026/02/09

HT2528 - Made for the Purpose I know of only two effective strategies that photographers use with consistency. They search for something to photograph or they manufacture something for the purpose of being photographed. I've never done the latter, but we've published quite a number of these portfolios in LensWork and they're always impressive. Find or make. Are there other options I should know about? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1492 - Media Agnostic Content

2026/02/09

LW1492 - Media Agnostic Content We do live in fascinating times in the history of photography. There are so many changes happening simultaneously. One of the biggest changes that is rarely discussed is the increasing separation between content and its medium. In my youth, if there wasn't a print, there wasn't a photograph. The two were inexorably intertwined. Doesn't that seem quaint? All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.

HT2527 - Master or Accomplished Hobbyist

2026/02/08

HT2527 - Master or Accomplished Hobbyist It's been my experience that most photographers desire success in one form or another. Yes, they want to make good pictures, but for most it goes further than that. For some that means being praised by one's peers. For others, there are loftier goals. Has it ever occurred to you that most of the photographers we now think of as "masters" were accomplished hobbyists in their own time? What makes them MASTERS? This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2500 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2526 - Different Signatures

2026/02/07

HT2526 - Different Signatures An astute observer has noticed that I have two different signatures. I have one signature that I use for business, check writing, my non-art life. It is an attestation of identity. I have a different signature that I use to sign my artwork. It is a testament that I'm happy with the artwork as completed. I developed this strategy 40 years ago and still think it's a pretty good idea for a couple of reasons. This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2500 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process.

HT2525 - The Thread That Binds

2026/02/06

HT2525 - The Thread That Binds The Achilles heel of multiple-image projects is the risk that viewing the work devolves into a popularity contest. Instead of looking for threads and connections between the images, viewers search for the one image they think is the best or at least touches them deeply. Overcoming this subconscious winnowing project becomes one of the great challenges of presenting a body of work rather than a single "greatest hits" image. The best technique I know is to sort of force-feed the connecting idea. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2524 - The Connection

2026/02/05

HT2524 - The Connection It's often said that the greatest challenge in photography is learning how to see. It's been my experience that seeing — deep seeing — is a function of connection. The great challenge of photography is not learning how to see but fostering, encouraging, developing, surrendering to, recognizing a deeper connection that engulfs us in the moment. Making a record by clicking the shutter is less important than having the connection to begin with. I think this is precisely what Wynn Bullock was getting at when he titled his monograph A Way Of Life. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2523 - The True Selfie

2026/02/04

HT2523 - The True Selfie Here is a great quote from one of my favorite anthologists: "To see ourselves we have to use a reflecting mirror — for example, art." Take a moment to think about the questions that pop up in the art life. What do I want to produce? Why do I want to produce it? Why is it important that I produce it? Why is this meaningful to me? What difficulties am I willing to endure to produce it? And these are just a few introspective questions off the top of my head! It seems that art can be as much about our inner-directed questions as it is about our outward-directed expressive statements. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2522 - When the Image Takes Charge

2026/02/03

HT2522 - When the Image Takes Charge Over the years I've noticed a curiosity that pops up from time to time. I'll have in my mind's eye an idea of what I want an image to look like, but when I start processing it imposes an alternative I'd never thought about. Novelists will talk about their fictional character taking on a momentum of its own. I think the same thing can happen with photographs. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

Read LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process podcast reviews

4.6 out of 5

440 reviews

paintthrower 2025/09/27

not just for photographers

a professional photographer for a long time i am now an artist painter maker creator whatever you want to call it. ive been a follower of Brooks Jense...

ProTrumpet 2025/01/02

This is simply awesome!

I wish I discovered this podcast months ago! Short, simple, clear, useful.

buranis 2024/09/04

Every day I learn something new

This is by far the most instructive photography forecast I follow. For a small time investment, every day there is something new and enriching to lear...

Hasan200 2023/10/24

Awesome Podcast

This is the best podcast on photography. Brooke has such clear, soothing and pleasant voice. He speaks to commonsense and reason. Even my wife, who ...

sdweller 2023/08/13

Simply the best podcast on photography

This is simply the best photography podcast. It is the one that makes me think, inspires me to be a better photographer.

Jarhead0369 2022/10/28

Well worth your time.

Many photography podcasts go for too long, this is well-done and concise.

VJWild 2022/01/06

Quick powerful bits of wisdom

I’ve had this podcast on my feed for a few months now and only recently did I start listening. Big mistake!! I should’ve been listening WAY sooner. Th...

Christen Humphries 2021/11/06

Thoughtful analysis of creativity

Daily musings on the creative process, and my new favorite podcast for artists.

Joseph Haz 2021/08/10

Great Podcasts

Excellent content, great subjects that are touched and most of all a great balance of opinions!

cas5photo 2021/07/14

So glad I discovered this gem!

I’m so glad that I discovered this gem! These short episodes are filled with the advice and musings of a mature photographer and artist. It is often ...

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