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!
A $745 Mistake
Learn from the time when familiarity and haste while shooting a wedding cost $745.
Why I’m Headed to Georgia
Most of my summer travels had been planned out before March. A Photography Team in Texas in July. Another one in Michigan in late August. A wedding shoot soon after, but maybe some Photography Field Days in between in random places throughout the Midwest?...
On Assignment: Going Telephoto in the Back Yard!
I've done a lot of outdoor photography, but I've done very little with telephoto lenses! Why? Because the longest lens I've ever had in the longest time was a 70-200mm. And on a full frame, that just doesn't reach very far. When I was first getting started in...
5 Quick Tips for Getting Real Smiles
In this guest blog post, professional portrait photographer Mary Neiman shares tips on getting genuine expressions on your clients' faces.
What I Learned Shooting My First Wedding
In this guest blog post, Morgan shares a Pros & Cons list she developed from shooting her first wedding, plus a list of important tips she learned from her experience.
The Best Way to Bore A Photographer
I assume you like to look at beautiful pictures? Maybe that's one reason you follow photography blogs. Well, what if I were to talk about a beautiful photo this time instead of showing it to you?! Oh, let me tell you! It is amazing. The foliage is so lush, the...
On Assignment: Waiting for a Breakthrough!
Ready to shoot the next real-life photo assignment? Well, here it is!My first shot over by the fence didn’t work too well, simply because the sun didn’t come out strongly enough. Looking at it later on the computer here, I decided I did like the composition though....
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the 2019 Photography Team Group Photos!
If you think learning photography is not easy, try learning portrait photography, were you have half the amount of time (or is it a quarter the amount of time?) to spend thinking about what settings you're going to use on your camera while the rest of the time you...
Behind the Shot: Drifting Downstream
I usually gravitate toward “epic moment” shots when choosing a photo for a desktop background each month. You know, I’m going to be looking at it every day for a while, it might as well be worth looking at. But this time, I couldn’t help but choose a photo that I...
The Unexpected Challenge of Photographing Comparisons
Looking for a unique challenge? Biblical Character Illustrated Curriculum has handed one over to us! They’re looking for a comparison. Two photos, from the same perspective, that illustrate “organized” and “disorganized”. And so thus we have this month’s real-life...
The Most Important Factor In a Wow Photo
Are you pleased with your outdoor photos? Are they looking like the “wow shots” you see hanging in corporate workplaces or in promotional calendars? Part of it has to do with location, of course. But location is only 1 of 3 main factors that make an awesome photo....
Behind the Shot: Middle of Nowhere
I’m amazed at how little time I’ve had to edit my photos and write about my travels this spring! It’s been all I can do to keep up with emails, the Shoot to Serve assignments, the Convention Photography Teams and booths, and figure out where to sleep and what to...
Shooting for Excellence!
So, how does the next photo assignment have to do with “shooting for excellence”? Watch the assignment reveal video below to find out!Raising the bar is kind of a difficult idea to shoot for, so thankfully Kirk, the one requesting the photo, has given us several...
Ever Tried Photographing Photographers?
It’s time to update the header image on the Lenspiration homepage! And I’d love to update it with one of your photos! So hence, the next Shoot to Serve photo assignment! Photographer. Do you think you can take a really great picture of a photographer? Of course, it...
The Lenspiration-Recommended Browser
I’ve used Google Chrome for a long time. I thought it was the fastest browser out there. Then I learned about Brave. Maybe speed-wise they’re exactly the same, but the added benefit of having ad-blocking built-in (along with other random perks) made the decision to...
Reviving Photos from the Far Distant Past
Ever since the Journey to the Heart Challenge back in January, I’ve been camping out in Isaiah 55 during my memorization time at night. And then a couple weeks ago this photo request comes in… Cherith Studio’s said, “I'm looking for a photo to illustrate Isaiah...
The Meeting that Shaped the Direction of Lenspiration in 2019
Perhaps you were wondering why in my last post I was going to be trekking all over the country…it’s not like I just drive around randomly for fun. Well, back in April 2018, Miracle Mountain Ranch invited me to talk about photography at their 2018 Media Summit....
Announcement: 2019 Photography Field Day Schedule!
As I finish putting together my 2019 travel schedule, I’m excited to announce the locations and dates I’ll be available to hold Photography Field Days this year! Here’s an interactive map that shows where I’ll be and when I’ll be there. Click on the orange pins or...
Behind the Shot: Mt. Olive
I’ve been living just a couple miles away from Mt. Olive Baptist Church for over 15 years now. It’s a pretty little church--nothing epic--perched up on the top of a little, partially-cleared hill. It’s a nice spot to go to pray or have devotions or take pictures on...
On Assignment: Praying Hands
Know the hymn, "Now Thank We All Our God"? To you, what does it look like? When I found out that this was the next hymn that Family Conferences wanted us to photograph a background image for, I wasn't initially excited. It's February. We've long put all the...
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Follow along with Lenspiration travels…
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.
