From 1925-26 Herbert Hensky completed an apprenticeship as a decorative painter and then attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Berlin. From 1926-1938 he worked as a decorative painter's assistant. In 1932-1933 he became a member of the Arbeiterphotographengruppe, Prenzlauer Berg (Workers' Photographers' Group). He began photographing for the Arbeiter Illustrierte Zeitung. Between 1938-1945 he worked as a photographer in Berlin, mainly for the Aviation Ministry. As of 1945 he worked as a photojournalist for newspapers such as Signum and Freie Welt.
