Lenspiration Blog
Welcome! Wherever you are on your photography journey, learn to take better photos through the photography tips and stories you'll find in the following free articles. By learning from the experience of others, you can also start taking pictures that you're excited to share with others!
An Unexpected Outdoor Opportunity
After a fairly disappointing morning (as described in the last blog post, Better Than Nothing!), all I wanted to do was get some sleep. I knew I had an inbox full of emails begging for my attention, but after pushing through an almost-all-nighter, sleep was higher...
Better Than Nothing!
I stared in disbelief at the glowing LED traffic info sign next to the barricade across the road. We had driven all this way….and then, this? A fat moon hung close to the horizon in the dark, night sky, and the puffy clouds looked promising for a gorgeous sunrise....
On Assignment: The Month of March
I don’t think we’ve ever done a documentary themed assignment before. So I got excited when Nature Friend Magazine had the idea to publish photo essays of The Month of March in your corner of the world! A demonstration video had to be filmed before March began, so...
The Guy In Orange
I wiggled my way through the dirt and stretched upward to search the air. Yay, more rain! This would be my opportunity. The past week’s unusually warm days and heavy downpours had loosened up the earth. Winter was passing. Sap was flowing in the maple trees. The...
Heading Back To The Hoosier State!
There’s nothin’ quite like making breakfast over an open fire! Biscuits on a stick. Sizzlin’ bacon! I will not soon forget that foggy morning in November, 2006. A whole group of us guys had come early to spend the whole day at Turkey Run State Park in western...
Meet The Photographer From New Zealand!
I stood behind the Lenspiration table, watching people trickle past my booth. Maybe I was grabbing a bite to eat. Maybe I was actually sitting down, giving my feet a much needed rest. Being almost 5 years ago, I forget the details exactly. But I do remember when a...
On Assignment: Glowing Scenery
Yes! A landscape photography assignment. My favorite! But the weather put an interesting twist on my plans as I set out to find what I was looking for before the deadline.I had so much fun exploring with the Farrells. I took pictures of all sorts of random things!...
Why I Went To Washington DC
I could hardly believe it. After days of discussion, combing our calendar and shifting back and forth between pros and cons, Julianna and I finally decided . . . we were heading to Washington D.C! Within a matter of hours, we coordinated a place to stay with...
Getting around the “De-ghosting” Problem
Everyone loves sunset photos! But photographing a sunset is not easy. The dynamic range between the bright sky and the dark foreground is too incredible for the camera to pick up. If I expose for the sky, the result may be nice color, but at the expense of a dark...
On Assignment: Joyful Pictures
Months ago, an great idea was suggested. Last week, we acted upon it! I found myself walking down a quaint little street lined with houses headed to a special destination with friends. Golden hour was just around the corner, and the three of us photographers took...
Looking Back At 2022
Looking back at the year 2022, it’s incredible to think that the 12 Lenspiration Shoot to Serve photo assignments were photographed by 39 different photographers, submitting a grand total of 800 different photographs! Now that’s a lot of work and creativity...
3 Snowy Photo Editing Tips
Merry Christmas from Lenspiration! As we dwellers of the northern reaches of the northern hemisphere begin taking snowy photos, here are 3 little tips that I hope you find helpful in editing them to perfection! 1. Change canvas color to white Here’s a snowy photo...
Comparing Rebels
Have you ever felt overwhelmed trying to buy the camera that’s best for you? Brieanna sure did when she started the topic Best Cameras for Beginning Enthusiast!! on the Q&A forum. But I’m so glad she posted something. I learned a lot as we worked together...
Analyzing Lens Flare
I don't often visit gun ranges, but this one held an attraction worth stopping for. We were on our way north to spend Thanksgiving with Julianna's family and we made sure to factor in some time for checking out three crosses I had observed on a hill close to home....
On Assignment: Homeschool Schoolwork
I’ve been filming and photographing photo assignments every month for the past 4 years, and what happened while preparing for this month’s assignment, the 12th and final one of the year, had never happened before! It was a sort of miracle, you might say, how we...
The Waterfall I Can’t Get Away From
I stumbled on a waterfall 11 years ago that I’ve never been able to get away from. In 2011, I visited Kent Falls State Park, Connecticut, for the first time. It was a cool, mid-October morning. With not a soul around, I enjoyed several hours by myself exploring and...
On Assignment: Scenes of Calvary
I was so excited to have a concrete, outdoor subject to shoot for an assignment this time! I even had a few leads as to where exactly to find this subject. But what I found was definitely not what I was expecting! Here’s how things unfolded on my first attempt at...
If Only I Had More Time!
I love running Lenspiration! But running Lenspiration is also a lot of work. . . . A few weeks ago, things were piling up. On top of the the regular weekly tasks, I was dumping lots of time into the Lenspiration calendars. Time was ticking, and decisions had to be...
How In The World Did We End Up Here?!
It might as well have been a dream. A stair case winds up into the sky.A ball of light dispels the pre-dawn darkness.My best friend stands by my side.Invisible currents carry autumn leaves through a sea of golden light.A photographer’s heaven!But it wasn’t a dream,...
Revealing the Best (and the Worst) from the Calendar Candidate Survey!
Back in September, via the blog post Which Are Your Favorite Photos?, you voted on which photos should go into the 2023 Lenspiration calendar! Well, your votes have been tallied, and the 12 have been chosen! Now, let me show you how I arrived at the 12 . . . When...
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Follow along with Lenspiration travels…
I just love how soft and fuzzy the mountains look from the air! I had never noticed this until that surprise ride a couple weeks ago. See blog post on that.
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A beautiful sunset from the other day.... "Oh those West Virginia hills!" 🎶
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It`s amazing how beautiful "stick season" can be! This is an unnamed (probably seasonal) waterfall next to a forest road in Georgia photographed on an airport run to Atlanta. Beauty is everywhere for those who can see and capture it!
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Middle of the day is hard to shoot overlooks, so I opted for a low key exposure and moody edit of this break in the trees along a forest road in the Nantahala National Forest.
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Spent some time in a creek today 😄
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Early morning mountiain bicycling! Didn`t bring my camera for this one. 😄
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Had an incredible opportunity to photograph the mountains of North Carolina from the air this morning!
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I had never once thought to photograph a worm, until the other day I saw one crawling across rhe driveway!
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God is very generous to give us beautiful sunsets on a regular basis 🤩
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A large background element + a small foreground element + wide angle lens = interesting composition!
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A February sunrise in the State Park closest to where I live: Waters Smith Memorial State Park, West Virginia.
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While visiting my grandparents in northern West Virginia once years ago, I asked a neighbor if I could roam around on his farm with my camera. It was a great way to open new doors to new angles and perspectives in the area!
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Do you think this photo, taken in the farmland of north-central Florida, works as a centered composition, or not? Heart or let me know in the comments. Studying centered compositions and how to make them work.
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This photo reminds me of a photo taken by a student photographer from New Zealand who was featured in today`s blog post! See her work at www.lenspiration.com/blog
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An interesting perspective on the interior of the Kansas State Capitol Builsing Dome.
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A unique rock formation in Alabama Hills, California. Closest thing to an elephant I`ve seen in the wild; how could I not photograph it! 😄
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Never processed photos from this shoot from years ago while out on the West Coast. What obvious distraction prevents this from being a masterpiece?
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A break in the trees made for a nice frame on a neighbors property after a picturesque snowfall in northern West Virginia.
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