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    Arts

    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 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).

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    Copyright: © (c) Copyright LensWork Publishing

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    Latest Episodes:
    HT2777 - Everything Is Symbolic Oct 17, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2777 with Brooks Jensen

    Everything Is Symbolic

    One of the things that separates humans from animals is that we think in terms of symbols, culturally defined associations, and abstracts. There is a school of thought from mid-20th century photography that emphasizes photographing "the thing itself." I understand the intent, but it's never made sense to me because it fights the nature of human thinking and emotion. A better approach, I believe, is understanding the importance of symbolism and its role in image making. Maybe we should all read Joseph Campbell again.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2776 - Cluster Mode Photography Oct 16, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2776 with Brooks Jensen

    Cluster Mode Photography

    I interviewed David Hurn (MAGNUM) when we published him in LensWork and was fascinated by his description of Magnum photography. I'll abbreviate his technique: 95% of being out photographing is not photographing. The way he described it was that Magnum photographers spend almost all of their time just looking, observing, being there and being aware. Then, when something of interest happens, out comes the camera for a series of clustered images shot with rapidity before the camera is retired, awaiting the next opportunity. For years I've applied his approach even to landscapes and I believe he had it right

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2775 - A Timed Event Oct 15, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2775 with Brooks Jensen

    A Timed Event

    At the suggestion of a friend years ago, I experimented with photography as a timed event. I was driving through Eastern Oregon and the challenge was to stop every hour on the hour without fail. Wherever I was, I had to get out of the car and make a photograph within 15 minutes. Instead of picking and choosing my photographic locations based on aesthetics or having seen something interesting, I only photographed when the alarm went off telling me the time was now. It turned out to be a fascinating experiment because no matter where I stopped I found an interesting photograph.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2774 - Plein-air Photoshop Oct 14, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2774 with Brooks Jensen

    Plein-air Photoshop

    You're familiar with plein air painting, that open air approach to painting at the scene, in the environment, outside the four walls of the painters studio. Why can't we do that? How different would our pictures be if we were to process them at the scene, in Photoshop, with the subject still before us? Normal photo processing takes place elsewhere, from our memory, using the camera's capture which might be years or decades ago. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has actually done plein air Photoshop, but I've never heard of a photographer who did. The closest similarity I can think of might be shooting Polaroids in the field, but I'm wondering about Photoshop, on a laptop, where you can still see the scene before your eyes.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2773 - Twelve For Six Oct 13, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2773 with Brooks Jensen

    Twelve For Six

    I continue to have all kinds of fun doing Seeing In SIXES projects. I've been doing them long enough now that I'm starting to see certain patterns emerge that help the process. For example, when I try to produce a Seeing In SIXES project I'd better have more than six candidates to choose from. I don't need a hundred, but the editing/selection process is so integral to the format that there have to be extras that help me clarify and intensify the theme. I've come to recognize that the ideal minimum number of candidates for me is 12-16. Knowing this, when I'm in the field I keep shooting until I have at least a dozen that might fit the project.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2772 - That Special Travel Feeling Oct 12, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2772 with Brooks Jensen

    That Special Travel Feeling

    Why is it that travel seems to precipitate a heighten sense of excitement to photograph that is missing from our home or daily routines? Is it simply that we are trying "to take it all in" while traveling? If so, can we purposely develop that "take it all in" attitude at will? At home? After all, a visitor from some distant land might travel to your home town with that same "take it all in" mind and be fascinated with your everyday experiences.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2771 - Your Work and Ansel Adams Oct 11, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2771 with Brooks Jensen

    Your Work and Ansel Adams

    I've said for a long time now that the most influential attribute of a work of art is the signature of the artist. That is, a very bad Ansel Adams print will be more valuable than our best. Of course, the mental trap in that thought is the equating of fame/value and merit. I would unhesitatingly say that many of your photographs are every bit as good as an Ansel Adams photograph. Your work may never be as famous as an Adams print, but that does not mean it can't have the merit and power to move us profoundly. Perhaps merit is in the eye of the beholder.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2770 - Yes, Seagulls Oct 10, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2770 with Brooks Jensen

    Yes, Seagulls

    There are some subject clichés that are so cliché they become uber clichés. I would be willing to bet that every one of you have a photograph of a seagull in your archives that you've never shown to anyone because, well, it's a picture of a seagull. Does that mean seagulls are overtly non-photogenic? Or does it mean that they are inherently difficult to photograph without the picture becoming a cliché? I suppose the same could be said for sunsets, dewy spider webs, and kittens playing with yarn. That said, nothing is more cliché than a photograph of a seagull. Which is maybe the best reason to attempt a Seeing in SIXES project of seagulls.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2769 - My Favorite Dead Fish Picture Oct 09, 2026
    Show notes

    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2769 with Brooks Jensen

    My Favorite Dead Fish Picture

    One of my favorite pictures from 50 years of photography was photographed in a rural village in Japan. Outside the fish market was a little stand that included 60 or 70 herring splayed out to dry. There's shiny bodies were fantastic and led to one of my all-time favorite photographs. I have it hanging in the trailer. I'm about to take it down. Lynn pointed out an obvious fact that I'd never seen in 30 years. IT'S A PICTURE OF DEAD FISH. It will always be a picture of dead fish, regardless of how beautiful the print is, how sensual the tones are, it simply can't be anything other than a picture of dead fish.

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

    HT2768 - Clouds and No Clouds Oct 08, 2026
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    Here's a thought ...

    Here's a Thought… #2768 with Brooks Jensen

    Clouds and No Clouds

    Looking through our archives at all our previous work can uncover some of the most interesting things we might never see otherwise. A while back I had a revelation about clouds. It seems that for unknown and unconscious reasons, when there are beautiful puffy clouds in the sky casting intermittent shadows and sunbeams on the land, I tend to photograph with wide-angle lenses. My grand landscapes almost always include clouds. I wasn't aware of that. Conversely, days that are primarily overcast without shadows I naturally tend to photograph details, close focus work, even macro photography. Am I missing something? Is this a valid strategy or a bad habit?

    Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

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