Daily
7 days
a week!

Here's a Thought . . .

Daily — short commentaries with snippets, fragments, morsels, and tidbits from Brooks' fertile (and sometimes swiss-cheesy) brain. Each just a few minutes or so. Always about photography and the art life.

All previous episodes are available for streaming or downloading only to Full Access members of LensWork Online.

New podcast every Monday!

Complete Podcast Library

All 1,350+ of Brooks' podcasts (over 160 hours on photography and the creative process — and growing!) are available at LensWork Online for free download.

Brooks started his "audio blog" in February of 2004. Six months later, Apple introduced the iPod and "podcasting" was born. So ... Brooks has been podcasting before podcasting was podcasting!

Don't forget, our most recent podcasts are also available via RSS feed.

New every Tuesday!

Looking at Images

In this channel, we take a deeper look at images previously published in LensWork and LensWork Extended — and lessons we can learn from a closer examination.

Inspired by that classic book by John Szarkowski, Looking at Photographs, in this series Brooks discusses images and projects from various LensWork publications. Previous episodes are audio only, but starting in June 2023 at the request of so many of you, this channel will now be readable, work-friendly text.

New every Wednesday!

Seeing in SIXES
Commentaries

There is so much to learn about projects and multiple image presentations by looking carefully at those published in our Seeing in SIXES series of books. In this new channel for 2024, we present the entire 6-image spread along with audio commentary by Brooks Jensen.

New every Thursday!

Trilogies 2022 Project Commentaries

Every three-image project in Trilogies 2022 offers clues to how to make small project succeed. In this channel, Brooks will work his way through the book, discussing each of the 125 "trilogies" for what they can offer when thinking about groups of images.

New every
Friday!

Finding the Picture

Brooks is often asked, "How do you find things to photograph? What should I photograph next?" In essence — How do you find the picture in the chaos of life?

He says, "I'm not at all sure I can explain it, but I can demonstrate it — with representative pictures I can share here in this new series of posts for LensWork Online members."

Backstories — Evolution of an Image from RAW Capture to Publication

A journey from the chaos of life, through the camera, post-processing, project suitability, sequencing, image and text. Image/project examples from Kokoro.

Exploring the Back Issues

A closer look at portfolios from previous issues of LensWork. A short video of our thoughts about why we chose this project to publish, images we think are particularly wonderful, and including a downloadable PDF of this project just in case you don't own the back issue!

Editor's Comments - text

Brooks' Editor's Comments are one of the most popular elements of LensWork. At LensWork Online, you can read every one of them, going all the way back to LensWork #1.

Editor's Comments - audio (read by the author)

Each week Brooks records another Editor's Comments from the previous issues of LensWork. We'll post a new audio every Tuesday.

Those Who Inspire Me (and Why)

Brooks started writing this book about 7 years ago, but after considerable thought, instead of publishing this content as traditional book, Those Who Inspire Me (and Why)will be published here, as a series of downloadable audios. He says, "Consider it a small token of my immense gratitude to all those who have pioneered this way of life that I love, and a passing-on of the invaluable contributions they've made to our creative lives."

Voice of the Masters Audio Archive

In this LensWork Online audio archive, we present recordings and excerpts from interviews and workshops gathered over half a century. Original cassette (and in a few cases reel-to-reel) recordings have been converted to downloadable MP3 files. This is a unique opportunity to hear some of photography's great masters speak about their craft with the passion and clarity that is only available by hearing them "live" via these archive recordings.

LensWork Monographs
Now in downloadable PDF digital format!
Exclusively to LensWork Online Full-Access Members!

We are thrilled to now offer digital PDF versions of these books to LensWork Online Full-Access members as a FREE DOWNLOAD. These downloadable PDF versions will ensure that you have access to all these terrific projects and images long after we no longer have inventory of the printed version — especially exciting news for new members of the LensWork community!

Photography, Not Cameras
Informal "Fireside Chat" Videos with Brooks Jensen

In these more extensive videos, Brooks presents an informal and extemporaneous discussion of a wide variety of topics. Books, images, media, creative ideas, strategies, developing projects, selling your work — it's a cornucopia of photography and the creative life. Casual, fun, and intended to stimulate thought and creativity. Different than our podcasts or Creative Labs, PNC videos are like attending a live workshop without the travel or the expense!

Creative Labs

Some topics are vitally important, but simply do not require a full workshop. These programs are typically shorter than full workshops, explore a wide variety of topics, and are presented in their entirety (at no additional cost) as a LensWork Online membership benefit. Creative Labs are mostly technical in nature and center on software like Lightroom, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, and others. (Be sure to check out our free Photoshop, Lightroom, and InDesign templates link below.)

Workshops, Seminars, and Recorded Talks

We are big fans of the training available at lynda.com. Following their example, we're making available the full content of each of our Visual Workshops within the LensWork Online website — the entire content. If purchased on disc without LensWork Online membership, these Visual Workshops on disc would cost $298. Now, with a membership to LensWork Online, you can view all of them as many times as you'd like at no additional charge beyond your annual membership.

Seeing in SIXES Commentaries

The enthusiasm for our LensWork community book projects is amazing! Each year, we have room for only fifty 6-image projects and quite a challenge selecting them from the thousands of entries!

In this series of audio commentaries, Brooks discusses the aspects of each project that propelled it to the elite group to be published. A great resource supplement for those who have the book and want to use it as a further learning tool for their own 6-image projects!

Interviews with Photographers

After the Interview

At the end of every interview, there are always some "off the cuff" comments that are recorded after the conversation is officially over. These "behind the scenes" segments are always edited out of the official interviews, but often contain some wonderful insight, personality, or stories. A selection of some of these unedited excerpts in LensWork Online is included as an exclusive member benefit.

Special Interviews

From time to time, we interview people like the Mary Virginia Swanson, Stephen Perloff, or Bill Jay — talented individuals who offer more to photography than their photographic skills. Writers, thinkers, movers-and-shakers, these special interviews are available for download from LensWork Online.

Darkroom Tours

We've toured a number of darkrooms and digital workspaces over the years — and there are more in the works! You'll find all of them here for viewing via LensWork Online.

Alumni Newsletter

You may already be aware of our free, monthly Alumni Newsletter. If not, check it out as a part of LensWork Online! PDFs featuring news, publication and exhibition announcements, etc, from LensWork alumni.

eBooks

For Kindle and other eReaders

Do you have a Kindle or other eReader? From the LensWork Online site you can download free eBooks from LensWork Publishing, including all our Single Exposures series of transcribed podcasts. (Each Kindle book available to non-members for $5.95.)

Audiobooks

Letting Go of the Camera is now available and in December 2016 we are adding The Creative Life in Photography! Download the MP3 audio files and listen on the go!

Free InDesign and Photoshop templates

Why design from scratch, when you can download free templates from LensWork Online?

Archived LensWork Online content

Some areas of LensWork Online have been semi-retired and we are no longer developing new content for them. You'll find all the archived materials here — well worth exploring and lots of hidden treasures to be found!

Feedback Reviews

Screen-capture video comments by Brooks Jensen
(with the photographer's permission, of course)

Sometimes the image out of the camera is just perfect. More often, an image or group of images needs help from us — decisions about processing, editing, sequencing, concept development — in short, our creativity to turn a simple image capture into artwork. Workshop critique sessions can help develop these skills, even if it's just listening to the comments made about another photographer's work. But workshops can be expensive. Our informal Feedback Review videos (typically 20 minutes or so) can bridge the gap.