James Staddon, Author at Lenspiration

Behind the Shot: Forgotten

We arrived just in time. The last rays of direct sunlight were still shining strong on the western side of the church when we pulled up. I hopped out of the car and plunged into the thigh-deep drift of snow piled beside the road. With considerable effort, I made my way to the angle I thought would best showcase an... Read More »

On Assignment: Shooting for the Cover of a Book

Ever wondered how you’re supposed to conduct a photoshoot for the cover of a book? Well, I wish I could tell you! Even after shooting for this STS assignment, I still wonder how it’s supposed to be done! Despite my desperate lack of experience, I started with the knowledge I had and did the best I could.... Read More »

The Photo That Won the “New Life” Contest

The “New Life” Shoot to Serve photo assignment was a very popular one. As you can see below, there were quite a few photos submitted! Which one would you choose as your favorite? Ben, over at Sharpening Character was the judge for this contest, but it’s interesting that the winning photo he chose wasn’t necessarily... Read More »

Behind the Shot: Sky Rock Overlook

The Shoot to Serve assignment that expires tomorrow, Woman Worshiping God, has been on my radar for several weeks… Problem is, I don’t live near any epic overlooks or “perfect” locations that the assignment demands. Yes, I live in the “Mountain State”, but the mountains here not the kind of mountains Margret is... Read More »

Share Your Favorite Places to Take Pictures!

I just spent some time adding some new locations to the Scouting Guide! One of the new locations, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Texas, is just one of those perfect spots for a fun, family outing that could be enjoyed by the whole family, both photography enthusiasts and non-photography folks alike. Last summer,... Read More »

Re-Thinking “Dark” and “Light”

Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a photographer, I’m sure we’ve all taken pictures during special events of one sort or another! And whether it was a holiday celebration, a birthday party, a wedding reception (anything festivity-related), I’m guessing it was probably indoors. Celebrations are indoors most of... Read More »

Ever Heard of the “Glowy Effect”?

Ever heard of the “glowy effect”?If you haven’t, that’s ok because, well, I just sorta made it up the other day. For the current Shoot to Serve assignment, Glowing Sunlight, I simply didn’t know how to clearly explain the effect I was envisioning would be an awesome way to shoot this assignment.So I came up with... Read More »

Behind the Shot: Stormy Mountain Majesty

Stormy Mountain Majesty Denali National Park, Alaska Downloadable as a free desktop wallpaper for Lenspiration subscribers This is what sunset looked like at 9:30pm on that beautiful, Alaskan summer evening. “Pretty late, for a sunset,” I thought. And it really wasn’t actually dark till after 11. Sunsets are... Read More »

Crazy Photography Camping Trip!

Back in July, I took some relatively random video clips of my photography camping trip in California! Jonathan compiled them into this little video: Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch more videos from the life of a landscape photographer! Read More »

Interview With The Forefather of the FEW Conferences

Remember the Sharpening Character VersePic contest I mentioned in the recent blog post, A Request For Something A Little Different? Well, as it happened, the verse I submitted for their contest was chosen for their most recent VersePic…and since Andrew, the producer, just so happened to be attending the same... Read More »

How Do You Deal With Temptation?

I love Sunday evenings! Especially after the time change. It gets dark so early one can sit down and enjoy a good book for what feels like “late into the night” without it actually going late into the night! Last night I was reading William Gurnall’s “The Christian in Complete Armour”. I bet if camera’s had been... Read More »

A Request for Something a Little Different

Did you know Sharpening Character is celebrating their 100th episode? While it’s always fun to take pictures for their VersePics on STS, I thought it would be fun to participate in their special “100th Episode VersePic Contest”…instead of submitting a picture for the VersePics, they’re letting us submit our favorite... Read More »

Behind the Shot: Diamond Ring

Diamond Ring August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Downloadable as a free desktop wallpaper for Lenspiration subscribers The first time I heard about it was in early July. “Hey, you planning on taking any pictures of the solar eclipse next month?” a friend asked as I was packing up after the Sacramento... Read More »

Do I Ever Delete Photos?

In this digital age, the cost of snapping a photo is insanely cheap. But does that mean I keep every single photo I take? This is a question someone asked me the other day, and an important question for those who are just starting to think about how they will set up their own personal processing workflow. Deleting... Read More »

How Bulb Mode Works

Did you know that the longest shutter speed your camera offers is 30 seconds? Even in full Manual mode, you can’t set the shutter speed to be any longer than 30 seconds. So, what do you do if you want to open the shutter speed for longer than that? This snapshot of star trails had a shutter speed of 843 seconds! You... Read More »

This Week’s Opportunity to Shoot to Serve

Looking for a little purpose to put into your photography practice? Why not shoot for the latest Shoot to Serve assignment? Sharpening Character is looking for a concept photo to backdrop Romans 5:7-8 for their next VersePic: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some... Read More »

A Marvel Worth Musing On

It was surprisingly warm for a late-September evening as I lay there gazing up at the stars. My brother and I had dragged out our cots and sleeping bags onto the driveway, and oh! it was worth the effort just to be able to gaze up into that incredibly clear sky! There wasn’t a cloud to be seen, there was no mist in... Read More »

50 Epic Photos! Which 12 Are Your Favorite?

Would you like to have a say in which pictures go into the 2018 Lenspiration calendar? I’ve narrowed it down to 50. Now I’m looking for outside input to get it down to 12! Take a few minutes to like and comment on your favorite photos in the 2018 Calendar Possibilities album on the Lenspiration Facebook (input given... Read More »

Stacking My 3 Favorite Filters

Stumbling on the “perfect perspective” doesn’t happen by random chance very often. And finding a good angle to shoot Mt. Shasta reflected in Lake Siskiyou was no exception. I spent a lot of time trying to find a good spot, and it’s ironic how easily accessible the spot I finally settled on turned out to be! Want to... Read More »

Someone’s Looking For Your Photos

Have any random photos of storm clouds? If you’ll take the time to submit them, there’s someone willing to use them. Last week’s Shoot to Serve photo request came from the IBLP Family Conferences. They were looking for pictures of storm clouds to use as a background image for a powerpoint of the hymn “A Shelter In... Read More »