LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

HT2403 - Sales Are Not a Measure of Success Unless, that is, your objective with photography is to provide an income. When someone tells me it's their best-selling image, what I hear is that this is the most expected, most cliché, most common photograph they've made. This does not mean that your worst selling photograph is your most personal, most unique, most treasured photograph that you've made. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1474 - Choosing Your Camera I've been a presenter at two different events in the last 10 days, and in both events I was asked about my camera. I'm not a gear-centric guy and this isn't a gear-centric podcast, but the truth is that we do need to use gear. The right gear makes the task easier and the wrong gear can easily become a barrier to what we want to accomplish. With this in mind, let's consider gear for just a few minutes. First, when you look at a famous image, so you need to know what camera was used? 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.

HT2402 - Has photography become too easy What are the implications when thousands of photographers are making tens of thousands of spectacular images? What happens to the value of accomplishment when the product ceases to be rare? The photographic priesthood has dissolved. In its place we have a perfectly democratic medium. This is a good thing for the simple reason that it will refocus our efforts toward meaning and content rather than impressive technological accomplishments. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2401 - Where the Mona Lisa Was Painted Photographers are compelled to include location information in their image captions. Why? Does the viewer need to know this? Maybe we should reveal the location where the image was printed. Or the date we signed it. Or who was with us when we framed the print. Or how old we were when we photographed it. Or who our travel agent was to the exotic locations we visited. Which information will do the most to connect our viewer with our artistic intent? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2400 - The Importance of Being Thick-skinned Photography at times can be so cruel. Our best plans can evaporate in technical failure. Our precious artwork can be rejected by a monstrous editor. Ahem. The work we love like children can leave others cold. No one said the life of an artmaker would be lollipops and rainbows every day. To quote one of my favorite lines from The Princess Bride, "Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something." Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2399 - My Theory on Locations I continue to believe that location is an overrated commodity in photography. Perhaps this doesn't prove my idea, but in the last month on the road I've captured images for 15 small projects from 13 different locations I never anticipated or never knew existed. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2398 - Food Clothing, and Shelter In my twenties I work for the 9th largest retailer in the United States, a company called Fred Meyer, located in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Meyer had a fascinating philosophy. He observed that everybody needs three things: food, clothing, and shelter. Everything else is a luxury. I suppose that includes photography. It's an uncomfortable reality for us photographers but no one needs what we produce. At the same time, making art is one of the most important activities we can pursue. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2397 - What You Can Do The Greek philosopher Heraclitus advised us that the only constant is change. This is so true in our creative and artistic lives. When I hit the road for my great travel adventure in 2021, I had to give up production of things like folios because I didn't have my studio. Rather than have that interruption to my creative life, I found it useful to adapt to what I could do rather than to bemoan the loss of what I could no longer do. The operative question is always, What can I do with that? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2396 - Quite Possibly the Last Time I remember during the last months of Maureen's life, she would often ask if this was the last time I she would do something or other. At the time I thought this was a bit morbid, but I've come to understand how connected she was to living every moment with sensitivity. Perhaps that attitude is a useful one in our artmaking, too. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1473 - The Core of Photography (Brooks is under the weather today, so here is an excerpt from a recent workshop presentation). 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.

HT2395 - The Eye of the Beholder Brooks is under the weather today, so here is an excerpt from his most recent workshop where he discusses the necessity for artists to have a bit of a thick skin. You can't please all the people all the time. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2394 - We Are Being Trained Against the Still Image Next time you are watching TV or a movie, take note of how many shots use a moving camera. Typically, the subject will be still, but the camera is moving left to right, or slowly zooming in. All this camera movement makes our still photographs seem static and even unexciting. This is not good. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2393 - Mourning the Loss of Prints I know, I know, I'm probably being a bit reactionary here, but it seems to me that the world is slowly letting go of prints as a medium for photography. I had a fascinating experience in a Zoom conference last night that became one data point of interest. But the more I thought about it, I realized how many times in recent years I've heard some photography influencer make the case that we all need to make more prints; of course they say that because so few people do. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2392 - Response Before Capture Yesterday, I was asked if I have any rituals I use when I'm out photographing. I assume her question was about routines, not religious actions. The more I thought about her question, the more I realized that I do have a precursor to clicking the shutter that I use with consistency. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2391 - The Only Way to Know with Certainty Some photographers advise us to turn off IBIS when we use a tripod. Others say it's okay to leave IBIS on all the time. Who's advice should you take? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2390 - Better Camera or Better Technique If you want to improve your photography, which will propel your work to the next level, a better camera or a better technique? This is a trick question. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2389 - How Long to Finish It's not uncommon that our artistic magnum opus requires a long gestation and is the results of possibly years of work. In addition to such substantial projects, there is tremendous benefit to completing small projects that require a few hours or a few days. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1472 - Treasuring Our Elders I started photography because of images. The aspect of photography that I didn't anticipate was its power to connect us to people, great people, wise people, sensitive people, artists with a camera. I treasure them all. 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.

HT2388 - The Importance of Scale Some images look better when they are big prints. Some look better as small prints. Knowing the best scale for a print is an art in itself. Knowing the distance someone will be at when viewing our prints is an impossibility. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2387 - Migrant Mother PPI Is it fair to say that one of the most important and world-changing images from all of photographic history is Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange? For our generation of photographers, it's good to remember that this amazing image first appeared as an 85 dpi image in newsprint. The same for W. Eugene Smith's Country Doctor, or Tomoko and Mother in the Bath. Same with Weston's My Camera on Point Lobos. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2386 - A Sense of Immediacy Regardless of the subject, when the objective is to connect with a viewer, immediacy and presence are important compositional goals. Curiously enough, these goals are obtained in entirely different ways depending on whether you use a wide angle or telephoto lens. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2385 - Gathering Backgrounds Surprisingly enough, digital processing has opened the door to texture-like backgrounds for our projects. Applying a textured background is easy and can contribute significantly to the aesthetic of a project. I'm referring to the background that might be in the image as a texture or alternatively a background for the white border of paper behind the image. Gathering backgrounds is another step in the creative process. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2384 - Your Way of Seeing the World An element of human nature that I find constantly amusing is the advice I receive from others about where to go to make a photograph. Isn't it interesting that no one ever says why I should make a photograph, what it's aesthetic might be, what my intent could be, what the content might reveal, how said location might blend gracefully with my other work, or how their suggestion might be insightful. Advice is always about location, location, location — good advice for real estate, but not necessarily for art making. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2383 - Shooting Skies for Sky Replacement I'm still slightly hesitant to use Sky Replacement because it seems to approach a line of demarcation that I'm not particularly comfortable crossing. That said, there are times when it's the only solution to salvage an image. With this in mind, I've started amassing my own collection of cloudy and colorful sky images. Somehow, probably with questionable justification, it seems less of a cheat if I'm using my own cloud images. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2382 - Amazingly Handheld The old rule of thumb I learned in my youth about shutter speeds advises that we should use a tripod unless the shutter speed is at least 1 over the focal length of the lens. For example, using 50 mm lens I should be able to hand hold at 1/50th of a second. The other day, I hand held a one second exposure with a 200 mm lens that is tack sharp. Seven to eight stops of stabilization. Amazing! Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1471 - A Case for Project Photography We all love creating that spectacular image that gets matted, framed, and hung on the wall. There is a real sense of accomplishment in a single image like this that we can be proud of. A case can be made, however, for project-oriented photography and the different challenges a project presents to us. A single image can be a lucky shot. A project always demands more of us as creators and as masters of the craft. 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.

HT2381 - PBWA Is Not Luck On several occasions, I've mentioned that my favorite way of exploring photography is PBWA — Photography By Wandering Around. At first this might look like a dependence on luck, but I think there is more to it than random happenstance. It has to do with subconscious sensitivities Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2380 - Sometimes Easy, Sometimes Not During my travels to the West Coast, I've had a number of small projects that I've engaged with the hopes of developing into a Seeing in SIXES presentation. A few days ago I mentioned a project about corn. As it turns out, that project has been a challenge and I'm having to really work hard at it. Several other projects have fallen into my lap with almost no effort. Why is this the case? What's the difference between easy and hard? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2379 - Introducing Photographers on Photography I love a good quote that makes me think about the creative process and the art life. I'm just beginning my third reading of a great book edited by Nathan Lyons published by Prentice Hall in 1966 titled, Photographers on Photography. I first read this book in the early 1970s. It makes me think so naturally I thought I might share selected quotes and my commentary on them here as a sub-list in our series Here's a Thought. Let me start with Berenice Abbott. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2378 - Young Brooks I'm often asked how I got started in photography. Forgive my self-indulgence, but here is the short story that explains my initiation into a life in photography. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2377 - Why Not Everywhere? There are so many places that have become photographic hot spots. It seems that everyone rushes off to these iconic landscapes. But what about the landscape where you live, or where photographers don't seem to appreciate? I maintain that everywhere has photographic potential. I mean that, EVERYWHERE. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2376 - No Fall Colors A podcast listener has written saying that it's too bad my travels will not allow me to photograph the fall colors of northern Minnesota. True, but the creative spirit knows that every day, every moment, every location is an opportunity to express our vision if we can only be sensitive to what we find whenever we are out with our cameras. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2375 - Focal Lengths That Fit Our Vision Our photographic vision is often limited to the focal length lenses we own and carry with us. I don't remember a time I had no restrictions — until now. With me on this trip I have focal lengths from 16mm to 800mm (35mm equivalent) and three cameras. Is this too much? Or, will I find that having all these lenses opens possibilities I wouldn't ordinarily have? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1470 - About Workshops The workshop scene has changed since I attended my first workshops in the early 1980s. I discussed this in one of my podcasts that was posted in 2017. I know not all of you have been following my podcast since its beginning in 2006, so this week I'm reposting that podcast to whet your whistle about this upcoming workshop in Durango, Colorado. 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.

HT2374 - You Can't See It All the First Time As we look for photographs, we can only look at one thing at a time. While doing so, what else are we missing? Knowing that's how vision and concentration work, doesn't it make sense that the first time we drive down a road, for example, we simply cannot see every potential photograph there is. I've found it productive to drive down a road, then turn around and retrace my steps to see things I might have missed the first pass. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2373 - Cameras and Lenses Which camera should you buy? In spite of all the technology changes over the decades, I still give same answer I did 54 years ago. Build your system from the lens up, not from the camera up. Lenses are far more important than cameras. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2372 - The One and Only Time Those of us who choose the art life are presented with a challenge to balance our life with friends and our opportunities to create art. Sometimes that requires some very strategic thinking to fit it all in. I find it useful to remember that for many of these occasions, we will have only one chance to photograph and area. These chances are precious. link to my BVJ Arts logo Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2371 - Curiosity I've often thought that the best tool we can cultivate for our creative life is curiosity. In fact, when I'm stuck in a creative rut, I find the best thing I can do is stop thinking about what I might photograph next and start thinking about the world. Let curiosity take over and photography always follows. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2370 - Our Global Audience Previous generations of photographers had a difficult time getting their work seen in the neighboring towns, let alone the neighboring states. Today, you and I live at a time where our audience is global. Photography's ability to be a language-less medium of communication would seem to be a tremendous advantage. But then, without a common language there arise difficulties that challenge us. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2369 - A Corny Idea Where do ideas come from? I suppose there are lots of different answers depending on who you ask. For me, ideas often come from something I see that might be a project. The question then becomes can I expand that idea to more images? Should I? Is it worthy of expanding to more images? How do I find out if it's worth expanding? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2368 - Photographic Realism Photography certainly has a reputation of being the most real medium for showing things. Every detail, every instance of light is so akin to human vision. Compare this to other visual media like watercolor, oil painting, dry point itching, linoleum cuts etc. All other media have an aesthetic that makes no pretension about realism. So is photographic realism its strength or is it the characteristic that separates it from the rest of the visual arts community? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2366 - We Are All Minimalists When I was out photographing the other day, it dawned on me that we are all minimalists, but perhaps to different degrees. The fundamental act of composition is the elimination of distractions. Even that is a form of minimalism. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2365 - Art, an Assertion or an Observation? When you make art, is it an assertion of your fundamental beliefs and philosophies about life? Or, are you a third party observer who simply shares what you've seen with others through your art? In other words, does your art say, "This is who I am" or does it say "This is what I've seen." link to my BVJ Arts logo Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2364 - The Myth of Accurate Color When it comes to photography, what does it mean to have accurate color? Doesn't the very concept of accurate color deny the fact that we humans see color differently, that color is a subjective sensation. Accurate color is not the same as emotional color. This way of thinking implies a new approach to color balance and color mixing. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2363 - Niagara Falls, Land of Selfies The waterfalls were impressive, but from what I could see, most of the people were even more impressed by, well, themselves. I saw very few people taking pictures of this nature's wonder, but almost everyone was taking selfies. Is this a cultural phenomenon? A psychological phenomenon? Or, a technological one? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2362 - Niagara Falls, Which Essence? I said on this trip I was going to attempt an experiment to see in sixes as often as I could. My first opportunity was at Niagara Falls. I started with a simple question: What is the essence of this experience? Surprisingly, it wasn't the rushing waters that plunge off the cliff. Instead, the overriding experience was the mist that rose from the chaos. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2361 - All Dressed Up and Ready to Dance Here on the first day of my 2-month travel adventure, I had a chance to stop at the Fenimore Museum in Cooperstown, New York for a second look at the Peter Federman show, The Power of Photography. I couldn't put my finger on what made some of these images so special, but they definitely are. The thought I kept circling back to was James Bond in a tuxedo. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1468 - There the Prints Set, Gathering Dust Because of my early training and the generation into which I was born, I'm still a print guy and think of my prints as the most desirable format for my work. That said, every time I look at my boxes of finished prints, sitting on the shelf, gathering dust, I come face to face with the reality of the advantages of the digital world in which we live. 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.

HT2360 - Seeing in SIXES, Road Edition Road trips always require a lot of planning. There are routes to be determined, gear to sort out, and reservations that need to be made. Notice anything missing? No, it's not a determination of subjects to be photographed, but rather a plan on how to photograph. Are we on the search for those fantastic shots? Simply gathering assets? Perhaps there's another experimental strategy that's worth considering. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2359 - Heading Out for a Couple of Months Tomorrow (Monday, August 25, 2025) I'm head out for two months on the road. I'll be traveling across the country from New York to my old stomping grounds in Oregon and back. Along the way I'll be giving a talk in Portland to the Photographic Society of America and then participating in the Horizons workshop in Durango Colorado. The trip will involve some 12,000 miles and lots of road time. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2358 - Branding and Your Own Art Logo My early experiences in business and marketing taught me the importance of branding and logos. I could easily assume that a personal logo for my artwork is a bit pretentious, but then again it can grow into something meaningful. Here's the history of my Brooks Jensen Arts logo. link to my BVJ Arts logo Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!