There is something about a good newsletter that social media can never replicate.
No algorithm deciding whether your post gets seen. No endless scroll. Just a writer, a reader, and something worth saying. Delivered directly, on a schedule, without interruption.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. After years of building a content practice in Iran, navigating sanctions and internet shutdowns, then eventually relocating to Türkiye to start over in English, I’ve grown increasingly skeptical of platforms I don’t control. A newsletter is one of the few corners of the internet that still belongs to the person writing it.
These are the photography and art newsletters I’m currently reading. Not a comprehensive directory, just the ones that have earned a permanent place in my inbox, and why.
1. ART DIRECTION by Zoë Akihary
artdirection.substack.com · 49,000+ subscribers
The largest newsletter on this list and one of the most distinctive voices on Substack. Zoë covers art direction, image-making, brand strategy, and visual culture. Written for photographers, art directors, and creative directors who want to think more rigorously about the images they make and commission.
What makes it worth reading: it treats photography as part of a broader visual language rather than an isolated craft. The frameworks she shares for thinking about composition, brand, and image context are the kind of thing you absorb slowly and find yourself applying weeks later. If you want to understand why certain images work beyond the technical explanation, this is the newsletter for it.
2. Process by Wesley Verhoeve
wesley.substack.com · 18,000+ subscribers
The most established photography newsletter on Substack and probably the best starting point if you’re new to the format. Wesley writes practical, honest pieces about creative blocks, building long-term projects, and showing up consistently with a camera. Not just the inspiring parts, but the difficult ones too.
What makes it worth reading: the honesty. Most photography content online is aspirational: here’s the beautiful image, here’s the exotic location. Process is about the work before and after the image. That’s rarer and more useful.
3. Love Lucy by Lucy Lumen
lucylumen.substack.com · 7,000+ subscribers
A newsletter about photography, creativity, and how we share creative work online and beyond. Lucy’s writing has a warmth and directness that’s immediately engaging. She writes like someone who is genuinely thinking through things in public rather than performing expertise.
What makes it worth reading: the range. One week it’s about the technical side of sharing photography online, the next it’s about the emotional side of making creative work while living a normal life. It doesn’t try to be comprehensive. It tries to be honest. And that’s more valuable.
4. Benjamin Williamson Photography
benjaminwilliamson.substack.com · 7,000+ subscribers
Landscape photography from Maine. Photos of the week, location guides, technique features, and what Benjamin calls “inspirational photo narratives.” It’s the most visually grounded newsletter on this list, and a good counterpoint to the more conceptual ones above.
What makes it worth reading: it reminds you that photography is fundamentally about being somewhere and paying attention. The location guides are practically useful, but the photo narratives are what I come back for. The way he writes about specific places and light makes you want to go outside with a camera.
5. Aminus3 Essence of Photography
photography.substack.com · 4,000+ subscribers
There is some philosophical advice in this newsletter; about exploring photography as a medium for personal growth, creativity, and self-awareness. But it mostly contains photo prompts you can participate in. Each week, there is a new prompt, and the results get published in the subsequent newsletter.
What makes it worth reading: It’s a community of photographers sharing their work. You can see others’ work and join in when you want. Reminds me of early days of Instagram.
One More: Hamed Media (mine)
mediabyhamed.substack.com
I’d be leaving something out if I didn’t mention my own newsletter. I write about photography, visual storytelling, and the creative freelance life. Practical pieces on technique and gear alongside more personal essays about building a creative practice across languages, countries, and contexts.
If any of the newsletters above resonated with you, mine sits somewhere between the technical and the personal. Subscribe and you’ll also get two free guides: the Ultimate Camera Buying Guide and the Ultimate Lens Buying Guide, delivered immediately.
How to Find More
The best way to discover photography newsletters on Substack is through the recommendations of writers you already follow. Many Substack profile have a recommendations section. Start with Benjamin Williamson’s or Lucy Lumen’s and follow the trail from there. I also have a recommendations section on my profile.
The community on Substack is more generous than most corners of the internet. Writers recommend each other, share each other’s work, and treat subscribers as readers rather than metrics. That’s worth something.
If you know of a photography or art newsletter worth reading that I’ve missed, tell me. I’m always looking.
