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!
To What Degree Do I Want This?
Was looking around for pictures that illustrated the lyrics of the hymn, Take My Life and Let It Be, the other day. It’s quite a convicting song when, as I read it, I ask myself, “to what degree do I truly want to pray these words?”Take My Life And Let It Beby...
Testing A Lightroom Auto-Keywording Plugin
I ran across a free auto-keywording plugin for Lightroom the other day! It’s called Wordroom, and this is my first time testing it to see how it well it works! Here’s the first picture I tried, a church nestled in the valley during the first snowstorm of the...
On Assignment: “Eagerly Opening A Gift”
It’s fun the things I find myself getting into when I have no choice but to shoot the next assignment! Filmed in some places I’ve never filmed before, here’s what happened in my attempt to shoot this month’s Shoot to Serve Photo Assignment, a child Eagerly Opening...
Can You Guess?
I ran across a fun little catchphrase the other day: “Don’t make your photos your best-kept secret.” It’s always nice when you can get your photos off the hard drive and used for something. And if that something happens to be of eternal value too, it’s extra nice!...
Do You Know What “Peaceful” Looks Like?
Hey everyone, want to see some photos that are practically guaranteed to make you feel peaceful? What about some photos that are sure to make you cringe or go bouncing off the walls?! I had so much fun conducting this survey this month! I asked a random assortment...
Shoutout to Royal Camera Repair
If it hasn’t happened to you yet, get ready for it. Equipment gets old. Accidents happen. Moth and rust corrupts. When your photography equipment breaks, have you thought about where you will go to get it fixed? If you’re like me, your lens might be too old to be...
Observing Some Results of This Amazing Survey!
Last week, I launched a survey showcasing 38 different photos, asking “Which of these photos would you describe as peaceful?” And the results have been fascinating! For some of the photos, 100% of the feedback was “Yes”, such-and-such photo could be described as...
On Assignment: A Peaceful Scene
This was a tough photo shoot to bring you along on! Taking a video at night is quite a challenge. And that hillside! It is literally a field of thorns. But come now! Let me take you behind the scenes, and show you how that epic, pre-dawn trek unfolded!The app...
Christmas Gift Ideas for Photographers!
I got a fun email over the weekend. It was from a mother. She was looking for Christmas gift ideas for her daughter. “Any accessories that you think would be beneficial for a budding leisure photographer?” I thought that was a fun question. So I replied with some...
What Happened on the Way to St. Louis
I ended up having only one opportunity for landscape photography on the 1260 mile round trip to St. Louis last weekend. Instead of sleeping in on Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, I left where I was staying in Louisville to head out for a sunrise. I didn’t...
On Assignment: Made In His Image
It was quite convenient that the current assignment, Made In His Image, landed around the holidays! With Robert & Kendalyn and their family in town, I had ample opportunities to shoot it. However, not every opportunity turned out as I expected….I really liked...
The Gift of Photography
For the past couple of months, I’ve been looking forward to going out to St. Louis for the wedding of a good friend of mine. The wedding is next week. So I decided I had better figure out my travel schedule and decide whether or not I’d make some time for...
Editing Out Reflections in Glasses
How to edit out reflections in glasses using Photoshop.
The Truth Revealed
Can you tell me what this is a picture of? Maybe it’s a picture of an epic ocean sunrise. Maybe it’s a picturesque old barn on the midwestern prairie. Maybe it’s a grizzly bear on the steep slopes of an Alaskan mountainside! Who knows. You can't tell. It's totally...
On Assignment: Autumn Reference Photo
Maybe you can’t tell…but I had no idea how to go about shooting this great assignment, Autumn Artwork Reference Photo!November is late to be photographing fall colors. I suggest you try to photograph this assignment as soon as you can. Just a couple days can make a...
Playing with Tone Curve
While editing the Assateague Island Field Day group photo not too long ago, I felt my typical adjustments in the Basic panel just weren’t getting it right. Maybe it had something to do with how bright both the foreground and background were? I don’t know. Here’s...
A Twinge of Sadness
Have you ever been out taking pictures someplace that you’ve never been to before, enjoying the beauty of the place simply because it’s a beautiful place . . . and then someone starts giving you a glimpse into the history of the place? It gives a deeper perspective...
Behind the Shot: Crimson Display
It was a quaint little place. Not all that attractive in and of itself. But the view was amazing! An especially great place for morning devotions, even when it was cold outside. But on one particular morning, I saw the horizon begin to glow red, I knew it was time...
On Assignment: An Illustration of Selfishness
Oh, this is going to be a good assignment! Surely, everyone has a water hose, an algae-covered pond, or an old rain barrel somewhere close by! But has anyone ever thought to take artistic pictures of them??The pond that was supposed to be all stagnant and ugly...
One Way to Reduce Stress While Shooting a Wedding
A wedding is basically a series of mini-shoots, back to back, that continues for the entire day. Every wedding is going to be different, but this blog post outlines 9 basic stages that each wedding generally flows through.
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New month - new photo assignment! And this one is pretty sweet. 🙂 Our goal is to take beautiful photos that reflect the truths of Psalm 119:103, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Get all the details at the link in bio!
Another behind the scenes shot....thanks to @real_lukas_n Though I usually use a tripod for landscape photography, there was no time in this situation where it was literally raining. When I saw the distant mountains after pulling in for only a short time at this open-to-the-public farm, I knew there was a shot somewhere. This vast field of flooded strawberry plants was the foreground I was looking for, offering perfect leading lines to the triangular peak framed by the sweeping mist.
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#farm #landscapephotographer #shootingintherain #rainyday #behindtheshot
New blog post! The last bit of light after sunset doesn`t take long to disappear. Sparkling stars were peering through the pinyon pine boughs above us. We were in the deep shadows of dusk as we picked our way down the rock strewn trail back to the parking lot. Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Behind the shot photo.... When it`s rainy, and you`re not on lights`s time table, there`s time to chat with friends while you`re out in the field! 🤩 Thanks @real_lukas_n for the second photo! --
Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#outdoorphoto #lowkey #mystery #photographyfriends #explorenc
Happy Memorial Day! Let us honor their sacrifice by using our freedoms not to do as we please, but to live as we ought. #freedom #integrity #selfcontrol #memorialday #Godblessamerica
New blog post! Rain poured down in torrential waves as we made our way through the Smoky Mountains. We had gotten up insanely early—long before dawn—to make the most of our time photographing at the high-elevation overlooks before the storm. But now the rain was coming down so hard that even the most dedicated among us didn’t feel like stepping out of the car for a photo. Until we rounded a bend and saw... Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Join me for some LIVE photo coaching on Tuesday, May 26 as we look at "Glowing Scenery" photos. . . Register at link in bio!
Foreground element, framing, leading lines, human element, vibrant color.... Definitely one of my favorite shots from EXPLORE Springtime in the Smokies.
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#photographycomposition #photoworkshop #composition #landscapephotography #springtime @greatsmokynps @blueridgenps
Before/after....look at the difference! A little editing is just what it needed to make it pop (IMO). What do you think?
"For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills." Deuteronomy 8:7-9 Every time I photograph a waterfall I should thank the Lord for letting me live in such a blessed land.
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#waterfall #verseoftheday #landscapephoto #thankful #godsblessing
New blog post! The photographer who makes decisions based on comfort won’t get out in the field, even in a place like the Smokies—and therefore won’t come home with any photos. Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
The photo assignment for May is live! Take beautiful, landscape photos that have a warm, glowing sense to them. Photos could include warm sunlight glowing at the end of a path, over water, over a stream, in a field, or over a mountain. Details at link in bio.
New blog post! Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Someone got a photo of me taking the group photo at Family Conference last week! @familyconfs @alertacademy #familyconference #eventphotography #groupphoto #eventphotographer #adventurous
A quick stop in Paris for a selfie! 😄 #paristexas #travel #selfietime #texas
So much fun to photograph a family conference as an actual family! (Thank you Rebekah for the photo!)
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#family #behindthescenes #together #teamwork #wvphotographer
On the lookout for puddles on a rainy first day of Conference!
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Family-friendly place to learn photography! www.lenspiration.com
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#rainyday #homeschool #conference #familylife #puddlejumping
Join me for some LIVE photo coaching on Tuesday, April 28! Register at link in bio.
