We just got back from an exciting trip to the 2026 Indiana homeschool convention!

Not only was I was responsible for teaching a Photo Class, I was also supposed to be the official event photographer in charge of photographing the whole event.

Thankfully, I had two student photographers to help me out. They had photographed this same event in the past, so I could rely on them to share the burden of everything photography related.

And we got some great photos!

Below are some of my favorites. As you look through them, ask yourself, “From looking at the photos, what adjectives would I use to describe the event?”

There’s a related insight I wanted to share at the end. 🙂

Now that you’ve seen the photos from IAHE 2026, what adjectives would you use to describe the event?

Family oriented? Educational? Interactive? Pleasant? Busy? Informative?

The insight I wanted to share was: photographers hold incredible power. As the viewer, you were (most likely) not at the event. All you know about the event is what you saw in the pictures that the photographers showed you. If I wanted to portray the event in a positive or negative light, I could do it.

I could have shown you a room full of empty chairs. I could have chosen to show speakers with awkward expressions. Out of context, non-smiling people can look glum. I could have edited the photos in a dark, moody way.

But I didn’t want to do that.

As the photographer, I was responsible for at least two things.

First, to document accurately what was going on. Part of my job is documentary in nature. I photograph what’s there. Families. Children. Vendors. Registration. Keynote sessions. Teen activities. Etc.

At this event, I was not not photographing landscapes. That’s not what was there.

I was not photographing wildlife or ornate architecture. I’m sure there were sparrows hopping around on the ground outside the building, and the French Lick hotel was indeed an ornate masterpiece of architecture. But that’s not what the event was about.

The event was a homeschool convention. It was extremely wholesome and family-friendly oriented. That’s what was there. So that’s what I took pictures of!

But, I was there to do more than just document. Secondly, my job was to express the spirit of the event. I wanted to photograph whole families. Happy children. Interactive vendors. Helpful volunteers. Jam-packed keynote sessions. Exciting teen activities!

The spirit of the event was alive. Wholesome. Safe. We wanted to express that. That’s what we wanted to promote. So I did my best to capture it.

And I could put my whole heart into capturing it because those are things that are in line with my belief system! I love homeschooling and I want to wholeheartedly support it.

Going deeper than documenting by intentionally capturing the spirt of the event certainly makes my job more difficult. Families don’t naturally arrange themselves and smile at the camera. I have to patiently wait to capture the perfect moment. I have to wait . . . and wait . . . for an audience to laugh at a joke told by the presenter.

But when my heart is in it, I find ways to overcome the challenges! I want to do more than just document. I’m motivated to go out of my way, do what it takes, step outside of my comfort zone, put myself out there . . . to make photographs that truly capture the spirit of the event.

Photographers hold incredible power. Build a belief system around the truth of Scripture. Get behind the things that God loves. And then you can put your whole heart into taking pictures that glorify Him!