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!
Proving a Point from a Midday Photo Shoot
Every year as I prepare for homeschool conventions, I like to keep the Photo Classes fresh and interesting...
Stepping Outdoors for some Epic Landscape Workshops!
While preparing for upcoming landscape workshops the other day, I ran into some photos in my Lightroom catalog that I don't think I had ever shared here on the blog before! So, sit back and get ready to enjoy some pretty photos from random excursions from the past!...
Miracle Mountain Ranch Photo Summit: Snapshots from My Journal
Thursday, April 3, 2025 - Last-Minute Car Swap Julianna & I headed to the homestead after work to celebrate Joshua's birthday because Robert & Kendalyn were in town from Texas. Driving over, I could tell the knocking noise coming from under the car was...
On Assignment: The Glory of the Morning
As soon as I found out what this month's Shoot to Serve photo assignment was going to be, I knew immediately where I would shoot it. In some respects, the location I had in mind wasn't ideal, but there were some special, morning memories associated with the spot that I wanted to revisit. And as it turned out, the location happened to be better for the photo shoot than I had originally thought!
Top 10 Favorites from IAHE
Ever been to a homeschool convention before? If not, here are some photos to give you an idea of what it's like! The Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) invited me come out to Fort Wayne last weekend to cover their annual event and teach the IAHE Photo Class. I took hundreds of photos, but here are my top 10 favorites.
An Exciting Long-Distance Photography Adventure
You never know what adventures you’ll find yourself in as a photographer, or as a family member of a photographer. I happen to find myself simultaneously in both of those positions. 🙂 However, sometimes it’s not even the photographer in the family who initiates the photography adventures, as you’ll see in the story below. . .
It All Started With Some Pretty Pictures…
Mordecai's fussiness suddenly ceased when he saw the smooth, dark green object in my hand. Wherever it moved, his eyes moved with it...
Every Beautiful Photo Relies on This One Essential Element
Some time ago, Julianna and I spent time with friends in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. Almost every day was spent searching for a beautiful photo of a beautiful object in a truly beautiful area...
On Assignment: Portraits of Flowers
I couldn't wait to photograph this month's photo assignment! I have wanted to try taking a studio portrait of flowers for a long time now and here was my opportunity...
Come Take Pictures With Me!
"Darling!" James spun around in his office chair and flashed an excited smile . . .
Illustrating Bible Verses with My Rock Collection
In my previous post I described my icy venture into sub-zero temperatures to photograph this month's photo assignment, The Solid Rock. Being away from home, I used what I could think of in the vicinity, and the stately, stone structures that dot the landscape of...
On Assignment: The Solid Rock
It's not every day that you get to experience the extremes we find in God's creation. But when the day came for me to film the next Shoot to Serve photo assignment, The Solid Rock, I came face to face with an extreme I had never encountered before...
Is It Safe to Use My Camera in Extreme Cold?
I tramped through the blowing snow, camera dangling around my neck, hands dug deep into my pockets to protect them from the extreme cold. The clouds were thick and puffy above me. Every once in a while a flurry of snow would come swirling through the valley. But it...
A Lenspiration Adventure: How Rubber Floor Mats Saved The Day
If you've been following along with what we've been doing here at Lenspiration, you'll know that this month's photo assignment is "Scenic Seasonal Paths" and that I went to go take pictures for it on the spur of the moment because snowflakes were accounted as gold...
On Assignment: Scenic Seasonal Paths
After last month's relatively difficult assignment, I was excited to get out and photograph something a little more up my alley. But just because this assignment is easier doesn't mean it doesn't have its own special twist. The fun part about this assignment is the...
Is A Bug’s-Eye View The Ideal Perspective In Photography?
I do a lot of traveling and I have seen a lot of places. Let me tell you about one recent trip from my perspective! I don't think many people wake up with branches arching above them and a window-view of orange leaves at their feet, but I am used to waking up in...
How Do I Expose Properly for Christmas Lights?
I rushed out into the cold, winter night. Blue hour was quickly slipping away. But before it did, I wanted to capture the amazing display of Christmas lights that my brother had put on the house! The contrast between the lights on the house and the darkness around...
Photographing As A Group Revealed These 4 Interesting Things
It's hard to believe it's been over a year since the St. Simons Island photography workshop! As I was editing my photos from that excursion the other day, I started to notice something interesting. During the day, the group of us 5 photographers were shooting the...
On Assignment: Young Person Preparing Food (and Tips for Great Lighting!)
It's not very often that we receive a photo request from a publisher who goes into great detail about the kind of photo they are looking for. Usually, a publisher doesn't need something ultra specific, so a typical request can tend to be broad and brief. However,...
First Impressions of the Canon R6
In a previous blog post, I shared some autumn photos from a pleasant, October excursion to Swallow Falls State Park with my new Canon R6 mirrorless camera. It was my first excursion with that camera. But now that several weeks have passed and I have had opportunity...
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***GIVEAWAY***
Enter to WIN $25 off the CAPTURE Maine Landscape Workshop (May 16-17)!
How to enter:
1. Follow @lenspirationphoto
2. Tag a friend in the comments (each comment counts as a separate entry!)
3. Share this post to your story and tag @lenspirationphoto so I can see it!
Giveaway runs till 11:59 PM Monday, May 5 (EDT). One winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 6,
More details about CAPTURE Maine at link in bio.
#CAPTUREMaine #lenspiration #mainephotography #mainehomeschoolers #homeschoolersofmaine #landscapephotography #photographyworkshop #photographyeducation #maine
New blog post! Every year as I prepare for homeschool conventions, I like to keep the Photo Classes fresh and interesting...unlike this photo. Read more at link in bio!
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Looking forward to being in Maine on May 16-17!
During this CAPTURE workshop, Day 1 will include some classroom training and then we`ll put what we learn into practice for shooting golden hour and sunset.
Day 2 will start off with a sunrise shoot, and then we`ll head out to Acadia National Park and photograph as many scenic places there through golden hour and sunset.
If you`re interested in coming and want to learn more, check out the details at the link in bio!
#lenspiration #capturemaine #photographersofmaine #mainephotography #photographersofnewhampshire #photographersofvermont #maine #newengland #homeschoolphotographer #landscapephotographer #homeschoolphotography #photographyeducation #photographyworkshop #mainehomeschoolers #homeschoolersofmaine
Join me in Maine on May 16-17 for a CAPTURE Maine Landscape Photography Workshop!
Each day will run from 9 AM to 9 PM, and is perfect for anyone who is interested in growing their landscape photography skills. A visit to Acadia National Park is planned for Day 2!
Get all the details at link in bio!
#lenspiration #photography #photographyeducation #homeschoolphotographer
#homeschool #learnphotography #photographyclass #photoclass
#photographyworkshop #homeschooling #homeschoolcommunity #photographersofmaine #mainehomeschoolers #homeschoolersofmaine #homeschoolersofnewengland #homeschoolersofvermont #homeschoolworkshop
New blog post! Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Looking forward to being in East Texas at the end of the month!
Photography Team members will learn how to effectively capture the moment, create consistently bright and sharp images in difficult lighting situations, expedite the post-processing workflow to meet time-sensitive deadlines, develop Biblical perspective in the art of photography and much more!
Learn more at link in bio.
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@familyconfs #lenspiration #photography #photographysummit
#photographyeducation #homeschoolphotographer
#homeschool #learnphotography #photographyclass
#photographyworkshop #homeschooling
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolersoftexas #easttexashomeschoolers #texashomeschoolers
Make plans to join me in east Texas on April 28 - May 2 for "Count it All Joy" Family Conference with @familyconfs!
I`ll be running a Photography Team during the conference, which gives photographers the practice and opportunity to master the skills of covering the photography needs of a large event.
Learn more at link in bio.
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#lenspiration #photography #photographyeducation #homeschoolphotographer
#homeschool #learnphotography #photographyclass
#photoclass #photographyworkshop #homeschooling
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolersoftexas #texashomeschoolers #bigsandy #familyconferences #txhomeschoolers #texasphotographers
New blog post! Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Light painting! At Miracle Mountain Ranch Photo Summit last weekend @miraclemountainranch @mmrschool
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Become a photographer: www.lenspiration.com
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#workshop #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #lightpainting #specialeffect #photoeffect #lightingeffect
Just now editing photos from the weekend! Miracle Mountain Ranch Photo Summit 2025 @miraclemountainranch @mmrschool
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Become a photographer: www.lenspiration.com
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#workshop #fieldtrip #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #cowboy #horse #horsebackriding #western
The Photo Summit at MMR over the weekend was amazing! Here we`re doing an equestrian shoot to put into practice what we had learned in the classroom earlier. Panning was one of the fun effects we learned too.
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Become a photographer: www.lenspiration.com
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#fieldday #photographyfieldday #workshop #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #lenspiration #horse #cowboy #equestrian #equestrianphoto #horsephoto
Photo Summit is going well! #learnphotography #photographyeducator #photoclass #photo #photography
New blog post! As soon as I found out what this month`s Shoot to Serve photo assignment was going to be, I knew immediately where I would shoot it. In some respects, the location I had in mind wasn`t ideal, but there were some special, morning memories associated with the spot that I wanted to revisit. And as it turned out, the location happened to be better for the photo shoot than I had originally thought! Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
The sky was so cloudy the other day that I wholly didn`t expect to see the sun, let alone and color! Pays to get up early even if there`s a low chance of seeing anything.
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Become a photographer: www.lenspiration.com
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#photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #sunrise #morning #sunrisephoto #sunrisephotography #sunriselover #wvhills #wildwonderfulwestvirginia #gotowv
What is one of the most INTERESTING places you`ve ever taken photos?
Tell me in the comments!
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Register for Photography Summit near Erie, PA on April 4-5 at link in bio!
#lenspiration #photography #photographysummit
#photographyeducation #homeschoolphotographer
#homeschool #learnphotography #photographyclass
#eriepa #homeschoolersofpennsylvania #photoclass
#photographyworkshop #homeschooling
#homeschoolcommunity #miraclemountainranch
#photographersofpennsylvania
#photographersofnewyork #photographersofohio
New blog post! Ever been to a homeschool convention before? If not, here are some photos to give you an idea of what it`s like! The Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) invited me come out to Fort Wayne last weekend to cover their annual event and teach the IAHE Photo Class. I took hundreds of photos, but here are my top 10 favorites. Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Know a budding photographer near the northwest PA area?
Tag them in the comments to invite them to the Photography Summit on April 4-5! It`ll be here before we know it! Looking forward to connecting with all the photographers there. Plus, it`s an incredibly affordable event. Details at https://www.lenspiration.com/workshop/mmr/
#lenspiration #photography #pennsylvaniahomeschoolers #paphotographers #nyphotographers #wvphotographers #photographysummit
#photographyeducation #homeschoolphotographer
#homeschool #learnphotography #photographyclass
#eriepa #homeschoolersofpennsylvania #photoclass
#photographyworkshop #homeschooling
#homeschoolcommunity #miraclemountainranch
#photographersofpennsylvania
#photographersofnewyork #photographersofohio
I`ll be teaching workshops on the basics of photography at Miracle Mountain Ranch`s Photography Summit. Looking forward to heading out there (near Erie, PA) on April 4-5! This photo is one I took back in 2018 after teaching at the Summit - so many good memories there! Love how much hands-on learning is included in this event.
Register for the event at link in bio!
@miraclemountainranch
#lenspiration #photography #photographysummit
#photographyeducation #homeschoolphotographer
#homeschool #learnphotography #photographyclass
#eriepa #homeschoolersofpennsylvania #photoclass
#photographyworkshop #homeschooling
#homeschoolcommunity #miraclemountainranch
#photographersofpennsylvania
#photographersofnewyork #photographersofohio
