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!
Grand Canyon Photography: Searching for Ideal Sunrise Locations
My alarm went off at 4:00am sharp. Though I didn't feel like getting up, I was too excited about the potential of what would be happening that day to snooze the alarm for even one minute. I quietly slipped out of the tent and started the car. Julianna sleep-walked...
3 Gift Ideas for Your Photography at Christmas
This month's photo assignment is "The Gift of Photography". Whether it's as simple as printing out a photo and framing it to give to someone you love, or offering a free photoshoot to a family you know, we're going to use the month of December to not only grow our photography skills, but also to practically share them with others this Christmas season!
Keeping Family Vacation Blissful
It's amazing how easy it is to lose track of time when you're on vacation! The morning dawned over our campsite with a lazy reddish glow. A light breeze dried up the last drops of rain clinging to the sides of our tent. By the time I got back from an enjoyable...
How I Survived the Demands of Photographing an Outdoor Wedding in the Middle of Summer
I've learned what I need to do before and during the wedding day to make sure I don't get exhausted. But this year, I was asked to photograph a wedding in July that would put everything I knew to the test!
Concept Photography: 13 Simple Steps to Approaching it Like a Pro
Concept photography. What is it? And how does one go about conducting a photo shoot that successfully captures the "concepts" one is attempting to illustrate? I wanted to make the current photo assignment, Fashioning the Future, more instructional than usual, so I sat down and thought through exactly how I go about shooting these kinds of photos. And here's what I came up with!
Photography, Excellence, and the Bible
The family was comfortably settled around the dining room table. The orange and sage striped tablecloth lent a cozy feeling of autumn inside while dusk set in early over the landscape outside. I was working a nutcracker while Mom and Julianna picked out the meat...
Does Aperture Affect the Thickness of a Lightning Bolt in a Photo?
After an enlightening workshop in Pennsylvania and a busy HEAV Convention Photography Team, we were headed back to familiar territory. Our spring travels had taken us away from home for 5 weeks! But before crossing the finish line we wanted to make one last stop: a...
How to Capably Shoot the Photo Assignment, “Happy Homeschoolers”
This assignment may feel intimidating at first. However, photographing happy homeschoolers isn't necessarily as difficult as it may seem.
6 Takeaways from a Photography Workshop That Didn’t Quite Go As Planned
It was about as normal a summer afternoon as it gets in Pennsylvania. Hot, sunny, and humid. A typical June day in the countryside along the wide Susquehanna River. But the events of the day were all but normal!
6 First Impressions of One of the World’s Most Iconic Lighthouses
On the way down the Maine coast, we couldn't resist a detour to one of the world's most iconic lighthouses, Portland Head Lighthouse. We were not able to be there during ideal lighting, but this would be a good scouting excursion for potential visits in the future. What would be my impression of the location? Is it really as photogenic as people say? How much freedom would a landscape photographer have to explore different angles and compositions?
On Assignment: Your 12 Best Photos
I can't believe it's been a whole year since we've last sorted through our photos together! Remember the interview I had with myself last year? In that video, I talked about the 7-step process for finding and choosing your best photos from the past 12 months. Making the time to assemble your very best!
The Worst Year In History
The other day I was reading Psalm 25 and verses 4-5 really stood out to me. Then, as I was thinking about what to post today, those verses came to mind in conjunction with some other things that I'd been thinking about over the past several months. Plus I had just...
How I Chose the Theme for the 2026 Calendar
A few days ago, I was driving around Dallas. We were about 5 minutes from our destination. I had just pulled out of one of those incredible, multi-layered highway interchanges when low and behold, straight in front of us, there was this strange natural phenomenon in the sky! Awe-struck, I pulled over on the shoulder, grabbed my camera, and ran into the freshly plowed field beside the road in my dress shoes, suit pants, and white shirt to capture it before it disappeared!
18 Photos Ranked from Best to Worst
Thank you, everyone, who furnished your impressions on the 37 photos listed in the Lenspiration 2026 Calendar photo survey! Now that all the results are in, would you like to see which photos in the survey ranked the highest . . . and which ones ranked the lowest?! Get ready for some intriguing insights gathered from public opinion! Two things before getting started.
On Assignment: Prayer at Bible Time
When this assignment concept came along, I was excited to take these pictures to encapsulate the concept of prayer. It's so simple, yet there are so many variations one can explore within the concept. And "simple" doesn't necessarily mean "easy", but there's enough room in the assignment details that really anyone can photograph it!
Arizona Or Bust
Our favorite mode of transportation is by automobile. A minivan has all the room in the world for transporting all the stuff we need for all the crazy things we do, whether its dispersed camping, working a Lenspiration booth, running a photography workshop . . . or...
A Day In Acadia Enjoying Heaven’s Special Touch
Our eager group of young photographers maneuvered down the short path toward an eastward view of the old, historic lighthouse at Acadia National Park. None of us had been to that location before, so we were anxious with anticipation of what might be awaiting us! Rounding the corner, we were greeted with . . .
An Opportunity to Furnish Your Impressions on My Photos
It's only July, and all of my photos for the 2026 Calendar Survey are finished! The survey is now ready and waiting to receive your coveted opinion! Click here to let me know which of these 37 photographs are your favorites!
Searching for Scenic Photos In Scenic Spots
I've been building the Lenspiration Scouting Guide over the years. After photographing some place, I'll add what I learned about that location to the map when I have time. Now, I've been adding locations for a while now, but it doesn't just have to be me. Anyone can add locations to the Scouting Guide! And that's the purpose of this month's photo assignment. . .
Keeping An Eye Open for Hidden Beauty Along the Way
When we left the breathtaking beauty of that unexpected golden hour in Cades Cove, it took me a while to mentally switch into convention mode. I arrived at the loading dock at the Teach Them Diligently homeschool convention with my brain reeling from the realization that I would be speaking to a class of students in just a few hours . . .
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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.
