Most Readers Never See This Part of the Publication
The articles are only part of the story. Here’s everything else, and one small but important change for year two.
Before I show you around, there is one important update.
On July 7th, this publication turns one year old.
When I launched Through the Lens a year ago, it was a simple newsletter.
One occasional article. No daily Notes. No Chat. No podcast. No Red Pen Sessions.
Over the last twelve months, it has become something I did not entirely plan for.
Today, I publish 3 daily Notes. I write two long-form articles every week. I spend time answering questions in Chat or email. The Red Pen Sessions are returning. The podcast is coming back. And there are several other projects in development that I hope to share with you soon.
All of that takes real time, and real commitment.
For that reason, beginning July 1st, the subscription price will increase from €5 to €7 per month, and from €49 to €65 per year.
If you are already a paying subscriber, thank you. Your current subscription remains exactly as it is until renewal, and if Substack continues its current policy, existing subscribers will keep the rate they signed up with.
If you are currently reading on the free tier and have been considering upgrading, this is the perfect moment to do it.
Anyone who subscribes before July 1st can lock in today's rates right here.
I wanted to give everyone plenty of notice and avoid surprises.
Now, with that out of the way, let me show you everything that exists here beyond the emails that arrive in your inbox.
There are 5,500 of you here.
Some of you have been reading since the early days, following along through workshops, through Venice in winter light, through the long posts about making a living with a camera. Some of you arrived last week, maybe from a recommendation, maybe from a Note that landed in front of you somewhere.
Wherever you came from, I am glad you are here.
But here is what I suspect. Most of you open my emails, read the article, and close the tab. And that is completely fine -- that is exactly what the newsletter is for. But what many of you do not realise is that this place is much larger than your inbox. There are things published here every single day that most of you have never seen.
This post is my attempt to change that. Consider it a guided tour.
Grab a coffee.
The Newsletter -- The Heart of Everything
Twice a week, an article lands in your inbox. Long form. Considered. Written with care.
These are the deep dives -- into the craft of photography, the business behind it, location work, editorial strategy, the honest realities of building a career with a camera. Sometimes they are practical and tactical. Sometimes they are more personal. They are always written for people who take this seriously.
What you get depends on your subscription:
If you are a paying subscriber, every article is yours in full. Both per week, every week, no exceptions.
If you are on the free tier, you have access to roughly one third of the articles. The rest are behind the paywall -- not to be difficult, but because producing this content consistently is my work, and paid subscriptions are what make it sustainable.
You can read the articles directly in your email, on the Substack website, or inside the app. I will come back to the app at the end of this post, because I think it matters.
Notes -- Where I Show Up Every Single Day
This is the section I suspect most of you have never visited, and it is where I am most active.
Substack Notes is a feed -- think of it as a quieter, more focused version of social media. No algorithm is designed to make you angry. No noise. Just photographers and writers sharing ideas with people who actually want to read them.
I post there at least three times a day.
Short lessons from the field. Reflections on light and composition. Ideas I am working through in real time. Location details from Venice, Budapest, and Milan. Honest thoughts about the photography market. Small observations that do not need a thousand words but deserve to exist somewhere.
If the newsletter is where I go deep, Notes is where I think out loud. It is rawer, faster, more immediate.
Notes are fully visible to everyone -- free and paid alike. No paywall. All you need to do is find them.
The easiest way is through the Substack app -- which, again, I will come back to.
The Chat -- A Direct Line
Substack has a chat feature, and I want more of you to use it.
This is not a comment section. It is closer to a group conversation -- a place where you can ask me questions directly, share ideas, suggest topics for future articles or series, tell me what is working for you and what is not, or simply connect with other people here who are serious about photography.
I read everything that comes through the Chat. I try to respond to as much as I can.
The Chat is available to paying subscribers. It is one of the things I want to make genuinely worthwhile for the people who support this work financially.
And I will say this now, because I am thinking about it seriously: I am considering running dedicated Chat sessions -- structured conversations around a specific topic, where I am present and responsive for a set period of time. A real exchange, not just a message board. Nothing confirmed yet, but it is coming.
If that interests you and you are currently on the free tier, it is one more reason to consider upgrading.
The Podcast -- Watch This Space
The podcast is coming back.
I am not ready to share details yet, but I will say this: it will be free for everyone. Free subscribers, paid subscribers, no restrictions. Good things should be heard widely.
More very soon.
The Red Pen Sessions -- Back By Popular Demand
For those who have been here a while, you will remember these.
For those who are new: the Red Pen Sessions are exactly what they sound like. You send me your images. I look at them properly -- not a quick glance, but a real critique. I comment on what works, mark what does not, and explain why. The red pen comes out. It is direct, sometimes uncomfortable, and consistently one of the most useful things I offer.
They are coming back. Details will follow shortly. If you have images you want me to look at, start thinking about which ones.
One Thing I Am Asking You To Do
Download the app or bookmark my Magazine online!!
It is free. It takes two minutes. And it is the easiest way to experience everything that exists here in one place. The articles, the Notes, the Chat, the podcast when it returns, and whatever comes next.
Most readers only see the newsletter that arrives in their inbox. The app lets you see the whole publication.
And after reading this far, I think you should.
Whether you are a free subscriber, a paid subscriber, someone who joined last week, or someone who has been reading since the beginning, I appreciate the fact that you choose to spend some of your time here.
Photography can be a solitary pursuit.
Most of us spend our days looking through viewfinders, editing alone, travelling alone, or quietly working on projects that may never be seen by many people.
What we have built here is the opposite of that.
It is a place where photographers, travellers, and curious observers can learn from one another, challenge one another, and keep the conversation going.
That is worth a great deal to me.
Thank you for being part of it.
Marco
My official website is here
My Workshops are here
If you are on Flipboard, I am here too