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!
What Happened on the Way to St. Louis
I ended up having only one opportunity for landscape photography on the 1260 mile round trip to St. Louis last weekend. Instead of sleeping in on Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, I left where I was staying in Louisville to head out for a sunrise. I didn’t...
On Assignment: Made In His Image
It was quite convenient that the current assignment, Made In His Image, landed around the holidays! With Robert & Kendalyn and their family in town, I had ample opportunities to shoot it. However, not every opportunity turned out as I expected….I really liked...
The Gift of Photography
For the past couple of months, I’ve been looking forward to going out to St. Louis for the wedding of a good friend of mine. The wedding is next week. So I decided I had better figure out my travel schedule and decide whether or not I’d make some time for...
Editing Out Reflections in Glasses
How to edit out reflections in glasses using Photoshop.
The Truth Revealed
Can you tell me what this is a picture of? Maybe it’s a picture of an epic ocean sunrise. Maybe it’s a picturesque old barn on the midwestern prairie. Maybe it’s a grizzly bear on the steep slopes of an Alaskan mountainside! Who knows. You can't tell. It's totally...
On Assignment: Autumn Reference Photo
Maybe you can’t tell…but I had no idea how to go about shooting this great assignment, Autumn Artwork Reference Photo!November is late to be photographing fall colors. I suggest you try to photograph this assignment as soon as you can. Just a couple days can make a...
Playing with Tone Curve
While editing the Assateague Island Field Day group photo not too long ago, I felt my typical adjustments in the Basic panel just weren’t getting it right. Maybe it had something to do with how bright both the foreground and background were? I don’t know. Here’s...
A Twinge of Sadness
Have you ever been out taking pictures someplace that you’ve never been to before, enjoying the beauty of the place simply because it’s a beautiful place . . . and then someone starts giving you a glimpse into the history of the place? It gives a deeper perspective...
Behind the Shot: Crimson Display
It was a quaint little place. Not all that attractive in and of itself. But the view was amazing! An especially great place for morning devotions, even when it was cold outside. But on one particular morning, I saw the horizon begin to glow red, I knew it was time...
On Assignment: An Illustration of Selfishness
Oh, this is going to be a good assignment! Surely, everyone has a water hose, an algae-covered pond, or an old rain barrel somewhere close by! But has anyone ever thought to take artistic pictures of them??The pond that was supposed to be all stagnant and ugly...
One Way to Reduce Stress While Shooting a Wedding
A wedding is basically a series of mini-shoots, back to back, that continues for the entire day. Every wedding is going to be different, but this blog post outlines 9 basic stages that each wedding generally flows through.
Do You Know What A Tack Sharp Photo Looks Like?
One trait of an amateur photographer is that, in their portfolio, they will showcase photos that are not tack sharp. And why do they showcase them? Simple. Because they think they are “sharp enough”. And that’s what makes them amateur. Professional photographers...
Creative Posing Ideas
Follow along behind the scenes as James photographed the "Creative Posing" Shoot to Serve Assignment. The purpose of this assignment was two-fold: helping introverted photographers break out of our mold, and learning the intricacies of a single pose.
Observations on the Last 12 Months of Stock Photography Statistics
In order to get 1 free year of Lightroom, Adobe Stock is offering a contributor bonus program. The long and short of it is: before the end of 2020, there has to be 150 of my pictures downloaded from the Adobe Stock site. This is kind of a funny bonus program,...
Constraining Factors
The sound of my alarm going off was evidently louder than the pitter patter of water dripping off the trees onto the rainfly. Everything inside the tent was still pretty damp from the previous evening’s rain, but outside, the moon was making it’s appearance through...
On Assignment: Harvest!
We’re shooting to illustrate two different verses this month, both with a theme of “harvest” (more details about the assignment here). If you live where golden fields of wheat or rye are around, photograph that! That’s what we’re really looking for. But if you’re...
Quick Tip: Shoulder to the Sun
Last night, I was putting together a training video about the different times of day and how they relate to photography. If you’ve done much photography, you’ll know that each time of day offers the photographer something completely different to explore! Anyway, I...
What Quality Setting Should I Use for JPG Photos?
The topic of image quality (specifically JPG format image quality) comes up every so often in photography circles, and Lenspiration is no exception. I’d venture to say that all of the photographers here at Lenspiration are shooting for the best, so they naturally want their photos to be the “highest quality” possible. However, the downside to high quality is high file size!
Homeschooling Photo Shoot!
Learn more about lighting, helping kids get comfortable in front of the camera, and the incredible effect of focal length on your photos as James shares about a shoot he conducted with a homeschool family for a photo assignment.
Caught by Storm Chasing
A self-described country boy from a farming family on the coast of southern Virginia, John has been active on the Lenspiration forums since 2015 and a member on Lenspiration since 2018. When he has time for photography, his excursions tend to evidence his...
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