LensWork Online 2023

Quite simply, the most amazing, content-rich membership website for photography and the creative process you've ever seen

Here's an overview of what is available to members of LensWork Online

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LensWork Digital Publications

The following two digital publications are available to all LensWork Online subscribers.

LensWork Tablet Edition Designed for either your iPad or Android tablet with larger images and easy-to-read text. A single PDF file including all the content of the Print Edition — portfolios and articles!

LensWork Extended Computer Edition Intended for Mac or PC computers using the Adobe Reader, this edition takes advantage of the additional capabilities available only on computers Wide-screen extended portfolios Distributed exclusively here via a single PDF file

Full Access Members can also access

The LensWork Online Resource Library

Content of this Resource Library is perpetually available to current full access members. Literally terabytes of great content on photography and the creative process!

2 Channels with New Content Every Day! 10 channels with New Content Weekly Here's a Thought . . . Daily — short commentaries with snippets, fragments, morsels, and tidbits from Brooks' fertile (and sometimes swiss-cheesy) brain. Usually just a couple of 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. Complete Podcast Library All 1,300+ of Brooks' podcasts (over 140 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. 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. Here is a short audio introduction to this new channel, excerpted from Podcast #1278. 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! Intro to Exploring the Back Issues (a short 3-minute audio from Brooks about this new channel). 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. Looking at Images audio commentaries Based on our best-selling book Looking at Images (2014) but with all new images not included in the book! Brooks Jensen’s in-depth commentaries about images previously published in LensWork are not critiques, but instead discuss aspects of photography through image content, context, and composition. Like the book, these online Looking at Images Commentaries are a study aid — an engaging look at images as a platform to think about photography and the creative process. 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. 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. And more content in the Resource Library… 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 We've conducted over 450 interviews with photographers about their creative process. These interviews accompany their portfolios published in LensWork and LensWork Extended. All of these interviews are now available here. There is always something to learn from others' experiences on their creative path — enjoy! 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!

 

You and Your Work

From the very first issue of LensWork in 1993, we've been dedicated to helping photographers find their own voice, produce their own work, and be active members of the photographic community. To quote one of our favorite lines from Lonesome Dove, "We don't cotton to no shirkers." We're serious about helping our readers, and here are some of the ways you can learn and grow as a photographer with an annual membership to LensWork Online.

	Feedback on Your Project Here is your opportunity to have comments on your work and learn from others, too! In short 5-15 minute commentaries, Brooks offers an "editor's look" at your project using screen capture video with audio commentary. Ideas about editing, sequencing, project development, style and presentation, technical suggestions, and more. These comments about your work and project can be for your eyes and ears only, or you can optionally grant us permission to share the comments (anonymously, of course) with our LensWork Online community so they might learn along with you. This is offered as a $50 fee-based review — only because Brooks couldn't possibly keep up with the demand if we offered this for free. Details and how to submit your work for review . . . Added Benefit for LensWork Online members And, as a Full Access LensWork Online member, you can view the comments about your fellow photographer's work and we can all learn together! Sort of like a workshop review without the travel and expense!
	View Feedback of other photographers' work Some of the photographers who have requested feedback on their project have graciously agreed to allow us to post our comments here so other LensWork Online members can benefit from their learning process. Like a workshop review session, listen in on comments about another photographer's work that you can learn from!
	Publication in LensWork We always enjoy the opportunity to look at new work. In fact, about half of what we've published in LensWork and LensWork Extended comes from submissions that were originally unsolicited, that is to say, from readers and subscribers like you. We love giving exposure to photographers who are doing good work but are not plugged-in to the publicity machines that galleries and traditional publishers provide! Full Submission Guidelines (Updated January 2016) Dropbox upload link For submissions to LensWork (print edition and extended digital editions) We no longer accept physical submissions (on disc, thumbdrive, or prints). Submissions are accepted only via Dropbox. Use the links above to send your images and documentation.