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 Coupon For RiseUp Discipleship
At the beginning of 2016, I knew it was going to be a busy year so I wanted to do something to keep it from just flying by in “go, go, go” mode. I wanted to do my best to live life in balance, to take the necessary time to develop my relationship with God, my...
The Problem with Direct Sunlight
With what type of camera would you guess the following shot was taken? A pro DSLR? Maybe a hybrid or high end point and shoot? What about an old iPad? If you know what you’re doing, you can take some pretty nice shots with just about any old camera. I’ve found that...
Shooting For Excellence
Jonathan and I wanted to do more than just “punch the clock”. We wanted to take our job seriously and fulfill our assignments with excellence! So practically, what did this mean we would need to do? Home Educators Association of Virginia hosted Day at the Capitol...
Behind the Shot: Abbaye St-Benoit-Du-Lac, Quebec
At first glance, this shot doesn’t look like it has much potential, does it? But after working on it for a while in Lightroom, it seems to have been transformed into something much closer to how I remember it feeling like on that cold, Canadian midwinter morning....
A Few Tips from the Latest Photo Critique Webinar
On Tuesday I had the delightful opportunity of pouring over several amazing photos from the PRO community. We spent over an hour talking about these our pictures. Here are a few takeaways: Spectral Spectator - Photo by Hannah Critique Takeaway: Framing a photo is a...
Ideas for Better Sunset Photos
Here’s a snippet from the lastest live PRO webinar. Regardless of how drab or how epic a sunset might be, here are a few tricks you can put into practice that will help you capture their color and attractiveness more effectively. Learn how to skillfully use focal...
How These Fine-Tuned Photo Editing Adjustments Were Done On A Mobile Device
Have you ever wanted to make fine-tuned adjustments to photos on a mobile device? Here’s how it’s done, as explained by Benjamin Holmes, Sharpening Character’s VersePics Director and expert mobile device photo editor… John 1:14 in a Phone VP layout I found the...
The Cold, Rainy Days of Christmastime
Unless you happen to be privileged enough to live very far north or very far south, Christmastime isn’t exactly a snowy time of year. While the air still holds a feeling of Christmas, the majority of us hear the rhythm of rain more than the crunch of snow...
Camera Buying Advice
For some reason, December is a popular time for buying cameras. Thus, it’s the time of year when folks are generally asking for camera buying advice. Here’s a recent one: Would you give any thoughts on these cameras or any other camera suggestions you might have?...
Wanted: A Picture That Illustrates “Walking Wisely”
Anyone happen to have a picture of a compass, a map, or a dangerous path in their archives? Put it to good use by submitting it for the latest Shoot to Serve Opportunity: Walking Wisely! Sharpening Character is looking for a picture to illustrate Proverbs 28:26,...
Detailed Photo Editing On Your Mobile Device Is Actually Possible With These 3 Amazing Apps!
A photo has been chosen! In response to Sharpening Character's request last week for a picture that depicted the message of Proverbs 16:9&18, members submitted pictures on Shoot the Serve and now one of them has been chosen for their weekly VersePic! View the...
How to Be Successful in Photography
Do you want to be successful in photography? I do, and I would venture to say that God wants us to be successful too (that is, if we are willing to let Him define what success means for us). Thankfully, the secret to being successful is actually quite...
The Secret To Amazing Golden Hour Portraiture
While there are many similarities between portrait photography and landscape photography, one must also realize that each certainly has it’s own nuances that are certainly unique to itself. Here’s what I mean…..
What Happened Over the Thanksgiving Weekend
Did you hear about the disastrously crazy turn of events that happened on Thanksgiving morning?! I just joined Instagram, and it’s all documented there . . . go to www.instagram.com/lenspirationphoto, click to Follow, then find and watch the video. It’s pretty...
What Helped Me Getting Started In Photography
Looking back over the years, the tips and “coaching” I received from photographers who were more experienced than I proved to be an invaluable element of my photography “education”. I mimicked my mentors. And still do. If I liked the way someone else’s picture...
Simple Edits Go A Long Way
How simple edits allowed family photos from a conference to be processed quickly!
Focus Stacking: When It Worked And When It Didn’t
Just got back from a fantastic weekend in Virginia, attending the Family Encouragement Weekend with the family! [Read more about what I’ve learned taking pictures at FEW Conferences in the past: Challenges of Shooting a Family Conference] But something else...
What Does It Mean To Vote?
With the choice of presidential candidates before us tomorrow, none of which are leaders I would have chosen to be in authority over me, I am perplexed with the question of what to do. Trump has led a life of immorality, is disrespectful in his language, is...
Where We Went for Epic Pictures During CAPTURE Virginia
This weekend was the CAPTURE Virginia creation photography workshop! Four photographers came. The goal was to exercise photography techniques in the classroom of creation. As we traveled from place to place, we put into practice the things we wanted to get better...
Heart of Autumn
Greetings from the highlands of North Carolina! After putting together a training video last week in Virginia on how to capture the unique beauty of early autumn, I’m excited to have now arrived at higher elevations here in North Carolina for another training...
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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.
