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!
4-Wheeler Ride of a Lifetime
After the big snow earlier this month, the forecast indicated it would be clear skies the next morning. I couldn’t believe it! With 10 inches of snow on the ground with clear skies, I knew it was going to be an absolutely beautiful morning for photography! So I...
Challenges of Shooting a Family Conference
How some creativity helped in setting up a photo booth at a family conference.
21 Photographers and Counting
Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that registration was open for all five ACTION Event Photography Teams being held at home-school conferences over the summer. In fact, as of the end of last week, 10 photographers are registered for the Big Sandy Family...
Snapshots of Winter 2015
After a relatively snowless winter through January here in West Virginia, I was grateful for two recent, descent snow falls! The one in late February was about 6 inches and the other from just a few days ago was about 10 inches. This amount of snow makes...
The Most Expensive Calendar Ever
One of the goals on my “dream list” is to sell calendars through Hobby Lobby. Well, I’ve been at it for a couple of years. Last year, I was instructed to go to a Hobby Lobby store and observe their calendar selection to get a feel for what sells, then make my...
Canvas on Sale Until March 21
For the first three weeks of March, I’m offering a steep discount on Canvas Prints of any photograph on the Lenspiration Portfolio! Receive 60% off + free shipping . . . all you have to do is subscribe to the Lenspiration Updates to view the coupon code! Click here...
In Search of a Moon Rise
Remember the free book I wrote, Instinctively, on the 10 basic camera settings every photographer should know? I wrote that last year in an attempt to help beginner photographers prepare for the more intense, hands-on instruction that they would receive at a...
In Celebration of Creation Sunday!
I don’t think I have ever written a post on Sunday before. But there’s certainly a reason to do so today! Did you know today is Creation Sunday? I hadn’t heard about it until I read OneNewsNow’s article on Defending Genesis’ efforts to celebrate the biblical...
A Valentine’s Day Idea
Do you have an email account? Are you subscribed to various promotional email lists? Are those promotional emails all decked out in pink and red, love and hearts? If you’re like me, you glance over them before hitting the delete button (if you even open it),...
How to Design a Logo
Kind of off topic for a photography blog, but let me talk about a design project I was working on last week. Have you ever thought about how knowing and understanding principles of design has a lot to do with developing your eye for creative and more pleasing...
5 Tips for Shooting in Dreary January
January is always sort of a slow month for creating pictures for me. The landscape in West Virginia is usually just plain ugly: no greenery, gray skies, rainy days, slushy snow. It’s especially boring when there’s no snow at all. And even when there is snow, it’s...
What Are Your Goals?
What are your goals in life? Really. What has God called you to accomplish before you die? What long-range objectives are you trying to reach? Do any of these goals require the skill of photography? Think about that for a minute. If not, then let me encourage you...
Be A Warning Sign
I’m sure you heard about the massive, 193-car pile-up that happened in Michigan a few days ago due to snow and low visibility. One graphic video, documenting two heart-wrenching minutes of collision after collision leaves one breathing and thinking hard. Even if...
Top 25 From 2014
Have you taken some time to look back through the pictures you took in 2014? Which ones were your favorite? Why? Looking back over a year of photographs is good practice at the beginning of a year. Of course it’s always fun to relive walking through the beautiful...
About the Shot: December
Remember the story from the February 2015 shot? Well, this shot was taken exactly 25 minutes later. December 2015 – Zenith of Winter Many Glacier Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana After leaving Lake Josephine, still amazed and chatting about the surprise...
About the Shot: November
Just two more stories to go with less than two days left in the old year! Thinking about what I should write about November, what popped into my head was “The Gospel.” Have you heard the Gospel story today? November 2015 – Golden Heights Konza Prairie Nature Trail,...
About the Shot: October
October 2015 – Autumn Veil Over Larch Valley Trail to Sentinel Pass, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada Sometimes, a lot of work goes into setting up just the perfect shot. I am currently working on an astrophotography composition I am envisioning at a unique...
About the Shot: September
September 2015: Chapel in the Valley Yosemite Valley Chapel, Yosemite National Park, California What is creativity? Is it the ability to come up with new ideas? Is it finding different perspectives? Is it discovering solutions to problems? Or is it something...
About the Shot: August
August 2015 – Ocean’s Boundary Sunset Cliffs, San Diego, California I had never been to the San Diego coast before. I was visiting a friend en route to a mission trip in Tijuana, Mexico, and since we both enjoy photography, he would take off work early so we could...
About the Shot: July
Before I launch into the story, I want to make an comment: within the last week, two different folks re-ordered a second batch of calendars because they underestimated how many they would be handing out. There’s no problem with ordering twice, but I thought I’d let...
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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.
