Episode #11 Shoot What You Love: A Conversation with Photographer Henry Horenstein

I Love Your Stories- Conversations with Artists and Creatives with Hava Gurevich

Hava Gurevich sits down with her longtime friend, photographer, author, and educator Henry Horenstein, who has taught generations of photographers and published over 40 books. In this conversation, Henry reflects on his early days studying under Minor White, Harry Callahan, and Aaron Siskind, and how the 1970s marked a turning point for photography as an art form. He shares stories from his life — from working at Polaroid and teaching at RISD to creating his newest self-published book, Miles and Miles of Texas. With humour and honesty, Henry discusses the importance of following your passion, defining success on your own terms, and doing what you love for as long as you can.

Topics Covered:

• 
  Henry’s upbringing in New Bedford, Massachusetts

  
  

• Studying at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) after being expelled from college in Chicago

• Mentorship under Minor White, Harry Callahan, and Aaron Siskind

  
  

• Early days of photography education and the limited career paths in the 1970s

• Working at Polaroid in PR and communications and meeting Ansel Adams

  
  

• Transition to teaching photography at RISD

  
  

• The rise of photography as an accepted art form

• Reflections on his memoir Shoot What You Love

  
  

• Creating and self-publishing Miles and Miles of Texas

  
  

• Why he prefers self-publishing for creative control

• Advice to artists on publishing: “Do it yourself.”

• His philosophy on success: “Doing what you love for as long as you can.”

• Upcoming events and book tour details, including Rizzoli Bookstore, NYC and Texas Book Festival

  
  

Find Henry online:
📸 Website: henryhorenstein.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
📕 Book: Miles and Miles of Texas — available on his website and (soon) on Amazon

✨ Memorable Quotes (verbatim from transcript)

• 
  “The best advice is shoot what you love.”

• “I see myself as a historian with a camera.”

• “You’ve got to be you. It’s the most obvious lesson in the world, but it’s one a lot of students have trouble with.”

• “For me, success is just getting to do it.”

• “You don’t make money on what you do, you make heart.”

• “Doing what you love for as long as you can — that’s success.”

• “If it comes, great. If it doesn’t come, great. It’s not following your own — that’s the only failure.”