About Jenny Lens, MFA (there’s much more, only focusing a little bit on Punk)

“Please investigate PUNK PIONEERS by photographer Jenny Lens, who captured the scene so perfectly.” — Henry Rollins, LA Weekly.

I love kitties. My FAB cat, Amanda, shared my college and punk years. IF she could talk. The stories she could tell.

I love long walks on the beach.

I love the color teal blue-green. 

Wait, this is NOT your usual ABOUT page. WTF …

Jenny Lens In Action

I’ve always been camera shy, but so glad there’s a few images of myself! I painted my face as if I were Fauve (“Wild Beast”) Matisse on acid.

I made most of my jewelry and some of my clothes. Hollywood punks were a rough crowd. Amazing I got out alive! Gotta be made of strong stuff to survive. But it takes money and time and energy to do all I did then and continue to do.

100% DIY.

Center image: Robbie “Posh Boy” Fields, founder of Posh Boy Records and I were making out at a Screamers party, January 20, 1978. Melanie Nissen took this photo. We were making out in the closet! Oh that was a wild party.

KK Barrett (drummer for Screamers and later nominated for an Oscar) and others were throwing spaghetti in the kitchen. And Moshe Brakha models were there … that was the night I met his manager. Then we had an affair.

One of 10 Influential Rock Photographers, Adorama Camera

“Jenny Lens was not just one of the few photographers chronicling the early punk scene in both North America and London, she was also one of the few women working in a very male-dominated field.

Her life is pretty fascinating and made up of the three acts usually associated with characters in movies and novels.” Read more @ Adorama Camera.

I shot Divine at Fiorucci’s, Beverly Hills, June 1978. I fried my dark, naturally curly hair while bleaching it to turn it magenta, using Crazy Color hair dye from England. LOL! I never bleached my hair and was clueless. But that never stopped me!

The more I think about these times, the more I remember … images come to life in front of my eyes, many in my mind. So vivid. As if it were last night.

Punk-Dress-06-JennyLens

  • I turn to Art to deal with today’s stress, pressures, aloneness and alienation.
  • Plus creating art, using the latest digital tools, brings joy to others, and connects us to people who appreciate us.
  • Plus many ops to make money or contribute to worthy causes with creative, tech skills.
  • How often do you get a chance to hear and see how and why Art is made?
  • Be inspired and have fun too at DreamingBig.Academy (aka Dreaming Big Rocks!)

Jenny Lens, BA (CSUN), MFA (CalArts), Dean’s List, exhibited art prior to photography. Most published early west coast punk photographer, first gen, 1976-80. “Punk Pioneers,” from Rizzoli/Universe, solo photo book. Passionate about animal rights, environment, Bernie, art, old movies, reading. Prefers swimming and walking to punk shows. Prefers Broadway and Classical to Punk. Documented purely cos this vital cultural revolution was exciting. Slash mag and the people involved were so much FUN!

Misses the freedom and fun, camaraderie and joy of live shows, before commercialism and high cost of living took hold. Misses Claude Kick Boy and Joe Strummer. What would they say now? Loved the fashions, makeup and creativity, which now are commonplace everywhere. We were the radicals. WE changed the world’s visuals and sounds.

Taught computer apps and design at UCLA, SMC and computer training centers. Creating online classes for solopreneurs and creatives: photography for bloggers and fun, ecommerce, web design, legal issues, licensing, merch, content, healing, personal empowerment and more. Benefits of tech and lifelong learning emphasized. For fun and profit. And a fun community. Yes, FUN is a large component of creativity and life. Teaching and making art. My life.

I always called myself “an earth mother hippie punk” … now “bad ass alpha bitch, legendary punk photographer” … all terms others have given me, as terms of endearment and empowerment!

Please refer to a cool interview by Alice Bag. I also posted MANY interviews and blog posts about my wild punk past.