What if your photography did not end with the click of the shutter?

In this episode of Lensbaby Presents, host Liz Willson welcomes fine-art photographer, educator, curator, and Lensbaby Ambassador Mara Magyarosi-Laytner for a thoughtful conversation about experimental photography, physical printmaking, visual poetry, creative courage, and building a meaningful artistic practice.

Mara shares her journey from high-school darkroom photography to earning degrees in photography, art education, arts administration, and an MFA in photography. She discusses how teaching and making art work together, why experimentation matters, and how her project-based approach allows her work to evolve over time.

A central theme of this conversation is simple but powerful: make your art real. Photography is not only a digital file or an image on a screen. Mara encourages artists to print their work, experiment with materials, create photo books, pursue exhibitions, apply to open calls, and place their art where it can connect with people.

You will also hear about Mara’s evolving body of work, The Subtle Body of Living Things, which explores memory, time, identity, health, anxiety, absence, and altered perception. Through video, photographic fragments, Polaroid lifts, hand-coated prints, projections, Lensbaby OMNI effects, Edge optics, and experimental processes, she creates work that reflects the disorientation and fragmented experience of lost time.

Whether you are a photographer, artist, creative entrepreneur, photography student, or someone who has been waiting for permission to share your work, this conversation will challenge you to try the hard thing, embrace the learning process, and keep moving forward even when self-doubt shows up.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

● Why your photography should not end with the shutter click

● How to turn digital images into tangible, physical artwork

● Ways to start exhibiting photography in galleries, libraries, hospitals, coffee shops, and local art spaces

● Why applying for creative opportunities matters, even when you expect rejection

● How artists can use experimentation, symbolism, and visual poetry to develop deeper work

● Why ongoing photography projects can evolve over months or years

● How to create a photography book or artist monograph

● How Mara uses the Lensbaby OMNI system, colored crystals, Edge optics, and Velvet lenses

● Why in-camera experimentation can reduce dependence on heavy editing

● How photography, video, alternative processes, and mixed media can work together

● How to work through imposter syndrome, rejection, and creative failure

● What it means to “shoot extraordinary”

Mara also shares the story behind Nova 24 Photo and Film Festival, an experimental photography and film festival she co-founded to create more opportunities for innovative artists and filmmakers. The festival features exhibitions, artist talks, projection galleries, film screenings, and work from artists across the United States and internationally.EP-04-Conversation-Behind-The-Scenes-with-Mara-Magyarosi-Laytner.txt

Creative reminder: Do not be the first person to tell yourself no. Apply for the exhibition. Submit to the open call. Print the work. Share the project. You never know who needs to encounter your art.

Connect with Mara Magyarosi-Laytner

Instagram: @maramagyarosi

Website: MaraMagyarosiLaytner.com

Mara shares her artwork, creative process, exhibitions, and artist opportunities through her website and Instagram.EP-04-Conversation-Behind-The-Scenes-with-Mara-Magyarosi-Laytner.txt

Explore Lensbaby creative lenses, OMNI filters, and photography tools, and use code PODCAST for 10% off as referenced in this episode.EP-04-Conversation-Behind-The-Scenes-with-Mara-Magyarosi-Laytner.txt

Question for you: What piece of art have you been holding back from printing, submitting, sharing, or putting out into the world?

Subscribe to Lensbaby Presents for more conversations with photographers, artists, Lensbaby Ambassadors, visual storytellers, and creatives who are learning to shoot extraordinary.

Chapters

00:00 Why Photography Should Become Physical Art

00:26 Make Your Art Tangible, Printed, and Real

01:20 Where to Share Your Photography Beyond Galleries

02:13 How Art Can Bring Hope and Healing to Others

03:11 Why You Need to Share Your Work

04:16 Welcome to Lensbaby Presents

04:45 How Mara Magyarosi-Laytner Started Photography

05:27 Discovering Photography in High School

05:56 Learning Through the Darkroom

06:24 From Photography Degrees to Fine Art

07:16 Teaching, Arts Administration, and an MFA

08:17 Building a Career as a Fine-Art Photographer

09:06 Why Artists Must Keep Making Their Own Work

09:57 Creating More Opportunities for Experimental Photography

10:32 The Story Behind Nova 24 Photo and Film Festival

11:26 Supporting Experimental Photo and Film Artists

13:30 Project-Based Photography, Symbolism, and Visual Poetry

14:06 Why Experimentation Creates Unexpected Results

15:07 Photography Does Not End With the Image

15:36 Alternative Printing and Experimental Photo Processes

16:09 Combining Photography, Video, and Mixed Media

17:14 How Mara Begins a Photography Project

18:28 Exploring Creative Methods Before Knowing the Outcome

19:30 Building Inspiration Boards for Art Projects

20:38 The Beginning of The Subtle Body of Living Things

20:51 Anxiety, Vasovagal Syncope, and Altered Perception

22:48 Searching for Peace Through Photography

23:44 Using Video, Crystals, and the OMNI System

24:33 When Video Began Reflecting a Personal Experience

25:32 Photography as a Medium for Exploring Time

26:01 Creating Images From Missing Pieces of Time

26:37 Polaroid Lifts, Film Fragments, and Experimental Books

27:27 The Aftermath: Art as a Conversation With Yourself

28:07 Music, Rhythm, and the Disruption of Time

28:40 Why an Art Project Can Remain in Progress

30:13 Knowing When a Photography Project Is Complete

30:40 The Untended Garden Photography Project

31:37 Turning a Long-Term Project Into a Photography Book

33:28 Experience Creative Freedom With Lensbaby

34:26 Why Mara Makes Physical Prints

35:20 Hand-Coated Paper and Visible Brushstrokes

36:13 What Comes After Creating the Digital File?

37:03 Art, Time, and the Value of Long-Term Creativity

38:50 Imposter Syndrome, Failure, and Trying Big Things

39:20 Why You Should Not Be the One to Tell Yourself No

39:48 When a Printing Experiment Does Not Work

41:04 The Reality of Rejection in the Art World

41:47 Applying for a Guggenheim Fellowship

42:56 Why Rejection Does Not Mean You Do Not Belong

44:00 Keep Trying, Learning, and Moving Forward

45:24 Living for the Hope of It All

45:44 How Creative Risk Builds Confidence

47:24 What Mara Is Creating Now

48:17 The Intersection of Photography and Film

48:46 Creating Effects In Camera Instead of Editing

49:06 How Mara Uses Lensbaby Tools

49:48 Why the OMNI System Changed Her Work

50:41 Using Colored OMNI Crystals for Artistic Expression

50:59 Creating Self-Portraits With the Velvet 56

51:17 Why Mara Loves the Edge Lens and Tilt-Shift Effects

52:23 Lensbaby as the Beginning of the Creative Process

53:32 Speed Round: Photography Inspiration and Creative Rules

53:56 The Photography Gear Mara Loves Most

54:02 The Most Overrated Photography Rule

54:24 What Makes a Photograph Instantly Interesting

54:42 A Subject Mara Always Photographs

55:00 Photography Is Better When You Are With Friends

55:06 What It Means to Shoot Extraordinary

56:43 Curiosity, Growth, and Pushing Photography Forward

58:04 Where to Find Mara Magyarosi-Laytner

59:19 Artist Open Calls and Creative Opportunities

01:00:07 Final Challenge: Make Your Art Real

What does extraordinary creative freedom mean to you as a photographer? Our mission is to give photographers the tools to move through their fear of shame, judgement, guilt, and being a part of the status quo. Photography isn't about fitting in. Photography is about discovery, risk, getting out of the box, saying no to what everyone else is doing and being EXTRAORDINARY as defined by you.

We believe that creativity isn't about what THEY do. Photography is about what YOU want to do!

What does being a photographer mean to you?

How do you #ShootExtraordinary

Learn more about Lensbaby Https://www.Lensbaby.com

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/Lensbabyusa

Elizabeth (Liz) Willson

Website: elizabethwillsonphotography.com

Instagram: @Elizabethwillsonphotography

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethwillsonphotography

#Lensbaby #LensbabyPresents #ExperimentalPhotography #FineArtPhotography #PhotographyPodcast #PhotographyEducation #CreativePhotography #AlternativeProcessPhotography #MixedMediaArt #PhotographyInspiration #ArtistInterview #OMNISystem #LensbabyOMNI #PhotographyExhibition #PhotographyPrints #VisualStorytelling #CreativeProcess #ShootExtraordinary

What happens when you stop chasing the perfect image and allow the creative process to evolve?

In this episode of Lensbaby Presents, host Liz Willson welcomes photographer, veteran, and Lensbaby Ambassador Tony Hogrefe for a powerful behind-the-scenes conversation about photography, creativity, storytelling, and healing through art.

Tony shares how a black-and-white film photography class after returning from Iraq changed the direction of his life. What began as an elective became a lifelong creative practice, a way to communicate what could not always be spoken, and a path toward making meaningful portraiture.

Together, Liz and Tony explore why photographers often get stuck trying to force an image to match the vision in their head, and why letting go can create more freedom, better work, and more meaningful results.

Tony also discusses his ongoing Vestiges of Service project, a portrait series focused on the lives combat veterans lead after war. Through intentional conversations and handcrafted editorial portraits, he explores memory, grief, brotherhood, reconciliation, post-traumatic stress, and the human stories that continue long after military service ends.

You will also hear how Tony uses Lensbaby lenses, including the Velvet 85, Sweet 35, Sweet 50, Sweet 80, Double Glass, Edge 80, and Twist 60, to create soft, emotional, memory-like images that help viewers focus on what matters most in the frame.

Whether you are a portrait photographer, creative professional, veteran, storyteller, or someone seeking more creative freedom behind the camera, this conversation is an invitation to get out of your own way, trust the process, and make work that feels true to you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

● How to let go of rigid expectations in photography

● Why the creative process matters as much as the final image

● How intentional camera movement can expand creative expression

● How photography can become a tool for personal expression and reflection

● How to create portraits that reveal a person, not just a physical appearance

● Why client connection is essential for meaningful senior portraits

● How Lensbaby lenses can add softness, selective focus, emotion, and visual storytelling

● The story and mission behind Tony Hogrefe’s Vestiges of Service portrait project

● Why creative risk and failure are necessary parts of growth

● What it means to “shoot extraordinary”

Connect with Tony Hogrefe

Follow Tony on Instagram: @tony.hogrefe.photography

Search for Brass and Glass Studio to find more of his work and connect with him online.EP-03Conversation-Behind-The-Scenes-with-Tony-Hograve.txt

Explore creative lenses, optics, and OMNI effects at Lensbaby, and use code PODCAST for 10% off as mentioned in the episode.EP-03Conversation-Behind-The-Scenes-with-Tony-Hograve.txt

If this conversation inspired you, leave a comment below: What helps you get out of your own way creatively?

Subscribe for more conversations with photographers, Lensbaby Ambassadors, visual storytellers, and artists who are redefining what it means to shoot extraordinary.

Chapters

00:00 Letting Go in the Creative Process

01:40 Intentional Camera Movement and Creative Frustration

03:13 Finding Freedom Beyond the Final Result

03:48 Why Lensbaby Encourages Creative Experimentation

05:33 Welcome to Lensbaby Presents

05:59 How Tony Hogrefe Started Photography

06:51 Falling in Love With Black-and-White Film Photography

07:36 From the Marine Corps to Photography

09:03 Teaching Photography and Sharing Knowledge

10:47 “I Want to Make Something Pretty”

11:13 How Photography Helped After Iraq

12:21 Landscape Photography, Quiet, and Meditation

12:58 Using Portraiture to Say What Words Cannot

14:04 Photography as a Creative Outlet

15:24 Process Creates the Product

16:58 Letting a Photograph Evolve

18:06 Leaving the Photography Studio Behind

18:59 Photograph the Adjective, Not the Noun

21:11 Choosing Work That Protects Your Creative Joy

21:46 Creating Personal Senior Portrait Sessions

22:20 A Book Lover’s Custom Senior Portrait Session

25:35 Experience Creative Freedom With Lensbaby

26:32 How Tony Uses Lensbaby for Portrait Storytelling

27:12 The Velvet 85 for Soft, Feminine Portraits

27:49 Tony’s Favorite Lensbaby Sweet Spot Lenses

28:29 Creating Emotional, Memory-Like Images

30:37 The Vestiges of Service Project

31:17 The Origins of Tony’s Veteran Portrait Project

33:24 Life After War and Post-Traumatic Stress

35:22 Memory, Grief, Brotherhood, and Reconciliation

35:43 The Portrait Process With Combat Veterans

37:25 Goal: A Veterans Day 2027 Exhibit

38:32 Creating a Traveling Photography Exhibition

40:43 Finding Veterans for the Project

41:47 The Story Behind a Veteran Portrait

43:22 New Creative Projects and Senior Portrait Ideas

43:44 Creating a Forensics-Inspired Senior Portrait Session

45:37 Experimenting With Light Painting

46:23 Why Creative Clients Make Better Work

47:06 Saying No to Work That Drains Your Passion

48:44 Learning Through Failure

50:15 One Lens, One Subject, and 24 Hours

51:18 Using Self-Imposed Creative Limitations

53:04 Speed Round: Photography Gear and Rules

53:17 The Gear Tony Loves Most

53:23 The Most Overrated Photography Rule

53:29 What Makes a Photo Instantly Interesting

53:59 A Subject Tony Always Photographs

54:07 Photography Is Better When You Let It Happen

55:09 What It Means to Shoot Extraordinary

56:38 Where to Find Tony Hogrefe

57:39 Final Thoughts: Get Out of Your Own Way

What does extraordinary creative freedom mean to you as a photographer? Our mission is to give photographers the tools to move through their fear of shame, judgement, guilt, and being a part of the status quo. Photography isn't about fitting in. Photography is about discovery, risk, getting out of the box, saying no to what everyone else is doing and being EXTRAORDINARY as defined by you.

We believe that creativity isn't about what THEY do. Photography is about what YOU want to do!

What does being a photographer mean to you?

How do you #ShootExtraordinary

Learn more about Lensbaby Https://www.Lensbaby.com

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/Lensbabyusa

Elizabeth (Liz) Willson

Website: elizabethwillsonphotography.com

Instagram: @Elizabethwillsonphotography

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethwillsonphotography

#Lensbaby #LensbabyPresents #PhotographyPodcast #PortraitPhotography #CreativePhotography #PhotographyTips #PhotographerInterview #PhotographyInspiration #VeteranPhotographer #VisualStorytelling #SeniorPortraits #FineArtPhotography #PhotographyCreativity #IntentionalCameraMovement #ShootExtraordinary

In this episode of Lensbaby Presents, host Liz Wilson sits down with Lensbaby Ambassador Carol Vipperman for an inspiring conversation about photography, creativity, photo walks, experimentation, and finding beauty in the everyday.

Carol shares how a simple point-and-shoot camera and a trip to Europe unexpectedly sparked her photography journey. What began as taking a camera along on daily walks soon became a completely new way of seeing—transforming ordinary neighborhood scenes into opportunities for creativity, curiosity, and joy.

Carol also shares her philosophy of Camera Walking—taking a daily walk with your camera for better health, fitness, and creativity.

Rather than rushing through familiar surroundings, she encourages photographers to slow down and look for the details we normally miss: flowers, reflections, light, lines, textures, objects left behind, and unexpected stories hiding in ordinary places.

Sometimes changing your photography doesn’t require traveling somewhere new.

Sometimes you simply need to look differently.

Carol also discusses her journey with Lensbaby lenses, including the Velvet 56, Velvet 85, Sweet 22, Double Glass II, Soul 45, and other creative optics, and explains how using a different lens can completely change the experience of photographing the exact same location.

The conversation also explores toy photography and miniature photography, where Carol discovered a playful new way to communicate emotion and tell meaningful stories through small subjects.

One of the biggest lessons from this episode?

Photography is better when you experiment.

Whether you’re a beginner photographer, creative photographer, Lensbaby user, flower photographer, toy photographer, or simply looking for photography inspiration, this conversation will encourage you to grab your camera—or even your phone—step outside, slow down, observe, and create.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Step outside and start observing

01:10 – Finding beauty right outside your front door

02:09 – Changing your perspective

03:08 – Photography, walking, and movement

04:28 – Meet Lensbaby Ambassador Carol Vipperman

05:27 – How Carol started photography

06:41 – Moving beyond the point-and-shoot camera

08:45 – How camera walks changed everything

09:54 – Camera Walking: health, fitness & creativity

11:08 – Finding beauty in familiar places

12:46 – Discovering creative photography with Lensbaby

13:50 – How the Velvet 56 started Carol’s Lensbaby journey

14:46 – Using different lenses on the same photo walk

18:03 – Carol’s favorite Lensbaby lenses

19:28 – Why Carol usually carries one lens

20:29 – Using creative constraints to improve photography

20:42 – Overcoming photography challenges

21:20 – Learning indoor photography and lighting

22:29 – Why continuous learning matters

24:31 – Discovering toy photography

26:02 – Creativity, play, and storytelling with toys

29:48 – Using photography to communicate emotion

31:03 – What Carol is excited about creatively

34:04 – Photography speed round

34:49 – The most overrated photography rule

36:12 – What makes a photograph interesting?

36:44 – Photography is better when you experiment

37:05 – Finding subjects beyond flowers

40:16 – Learning photography online vs. in person

42:54 – The freedom of photographing without a plan

45:53 – One lens, one subject, 24 hours

48:00 – What does it mean to shoot extraordinary?

Try this photography challenge yourself:

Grab one camera and one lens—or just your phone—and step outside.

Before taking a picture, spend a few minutes simply observing.

Look for light.

Look for texture.

Look for movement.

Look for reflections.

Change your perspective.

Get low. Look up. Slow down.

Then photograph whatever catches your attention.

You may be surprised by what was there all along.

If this conversation inspires you, subscribe to Lensbaby Presents for more conversations about creative photography, Lensbaby lenses, visual storytelling, artistic experimentation, photography education, and finding new ways to see the world.

What does extraordinary creative freedom mean to you as a photographer? Our mission is to give photographers the tools to move through their fear of shame, judgement, guilt, and being a part of the status quo. Photography isn't about fitting in. Photography is about discovery, risk, getting out of the box, saying no to what everyone else is doing and being EXTRAORDINARY as defined by you.

We believe that creativity isn't about what THEY do. Photography is about what YOU want to do!

What does being a photographer mean to you?

How do you #ShootExtraordinary

Learn more about Lensbaby Https://www.Lensbaby.com

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/Lensbabyusa

Elizabeth (Liz) Willson

Website: elizabethwillsonphotography.com

Instagram: @Elizabethwillsonphotography

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethwillsonphotography

Behind the Scenes with Michael Anthony | Lensbaby Presents

Welcome to the very first episode of Lensbaby Presents! In this episode, host Liz Willson sits down for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes conversation with Michael Anthony, Vice President and business partner at Lensbaby. Discover the inspiring journey of a creator who turned a childhood gift into a lifelong passion, ultimately leading one of the most unique brands in the photography industry.

In this episode, we dive into:

● The Origin Story: How a Canon AE-1, gifted by his grandmother when he was just ten years old, forever cemented Michael's core identity as a photographer.

● The Business of Art: Why Michael believes marketing is the single most important element of running a successful business, drawing inspiration from Dan Kennedy's Magnetic Marketing.

● Breaking the Rules: Why Michael embraces his contrarian nature, famously declaring that "all of them" are the most overrated photography rules.

● The Power of Connection: An inside look at the Lensbaby Unplugged community and how it fosters a supportive environment for visual storytellers to share their art without judgment.

● Embracing Discomfort: Michael’s personal philosophy on why self-imposed challenges—like tackling the grueling 29029 mountain climbing event—are essential for personal and creative growth.

● Shooting Extraordinary: The history behind Lensbaby's defining mantra and what it truly means to step outside the normal to create art that tells your authentic truth.

Connect with the Lensbaby Community:

● Check out the gear: lensbaby.com

● Join the conversation: Search for "Lensbaby Unplugged" on Facebook

● Follow on social media: Find them at @LensbabyUSA

If you found this conversation inspiring, make sure to hit the Like button and Subscribe to Lensbaby Presents for more interviews with incredible creators!

Elizabeth (Liz) Willson

Website: elizabethwillsonphotography.com

Instagram: @Elizabethwillsonphotography

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elizabethwillsonphotography

Question of the Day: What does it mean for you to shoot extraordinary? Let us know in the comments below!