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!
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...
About the Shot: June
June 2015 - Daybreak Over Emerald Bay Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, California Life is most fulfilling when I have had the opportunity to serve other photographers in a way that helps them grow in their skills as a photographer as well as encourages them to honor the...
About the Shot: May
May 2015 – Lily White in Morning Light Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina On a family vacation in the Blue Ridge mountains in spring, I was looking for the “perfect flower”. Not every flower is pretty, and I was on the lookout for the best flower out there. One...
About the Shot: April
April 2015 – Beneath the Pier Ocean Beach Pier, Point Loma, California The hymn for this month is “I Must Tell Jesus”. Though written over 100 years ago, it’s message is still so applicable today: “O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to...
Behind the Shot: March
March 2015 – Country Evening Homestead outside Topeka, Kansas “Love of Christ so freely given, grace of God beyond degree; mercy higher than the heaven, deeper than the deepest sea. All that thrills my soul is Jesus; He is more than life to me; and the...
How You Can Have a Truly Valuable Calendar
I just finished up the very first Artists calendar! An artist sent me 12 of her best pictures, I plopped them into the calendar design that I had already made for 2015, and voilà! Actually, it wasn’t quite that simple. Perhaps if evolution were true. But of course...
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What are we up to?
Follow along with Lenspiration travels…
Calendar season is in full swing!
Original calendars are shipping, I`m working on Personalized orders almost every day, and I`ve been enjoying helping other photographers get their photos ready for their Artist calendars!
To keep the momentum going, I decided to offer a mid-season sale . . .
🎉 This weekend only, get free shipping on orders of 25+ Original or Personalized calendars, until Monday, Oct. 19, using the coupon code 2027SHIPFREE. It`s the only bulk-order sale I plan to offer this year, so don`t miss it! 🎉
Order calendars at lenspiration.com/original
I had heard enough about Nubble Light to get up at 3am to drive a few hours from where I was staying in New Hampshire to the Maine coast to photograph it at sunrise! That was back in 2015, and was my first time to Maine. A few minutes after this photo was taken, the sky erupted in vivid pink, but I still come back to this photo as my favorite for it`s quite drama and illusion of movement in the blurred waves.
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#mainecoast #nubblelight #landscapephotography #shutterspeed #lighthouse
Time to get back to posting pretty pictures! The Art Show, Lenspiration stuff, and the 2027 Calendars are funny to post about, but hearing about those things is probably not the reason you`re following this account. 😊 So, let`s head out to Minnesota on a frigid, February morning! I had flown into Minneapolis the night before, picked up a rental car, and started driving north in preparation for shooting a wedding in Fargo. I car camped in a Walmart parking lot half way, and got up before dawn to drive the rest of the way. As the sky started to get light, I began looking for an exist that might offer something interesting to photograph. Nothing presented itself on that flat, endless prairie of western Minnesota. I took a random exit, knowing I had no more time left before the sun would came up. Then, out of nowhere, this fantastic old schoolhouse appeared next to the road not a minute`s drive from the Interstate! Needless to say, I rushed to find a pleasing composition before waiting only a few minutes to snap this shot of the sun peeping up over the horizon in just the perfect spot.
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#landscapephoto #behindtheshot #storytime #sunrisephotography #minnesota
Wrapped up the festival with 1st place in our division in the parade, thanks to my brothers help decorating our family fan. 🤗 First time ever for Lenspiration to be in a parade!
The Lenspiration 2027 calendars have arrived!! I`m starting to put them in the mail beginning TODAY! So excited to get them into your hands. 🎉
Haven`t ordered yours yet?! Place your order at link in bio.
New blog post! The Apple Butter Festival Art Show is around the corner, and I intentionally curated the gallery to showcase 40 photos from 40 different states. Here are some clues on guessing the states! Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
We just launched October`s photo assignment, and our goal this month is simply to work with a family you know to take their family photos.
Whether you have done a family photo shoot or not, don`t worry! We will guide you through the assignment with ease. When you’re finished, you’ll be genuinely glad you took the time to complete it.
View details at link in bio.
All frames and prints have arrived! Now to assemble all 30bof them . . . before the @salemwvofficial Apple Butter Festival art show begins next Thursday!
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#westvirginia, #festival, #applebutter #salemwv #diyart
New blog post! Discover simple, practical snack ideas that make travel days smoother and healthier. These easy, packable options keep you energized whether you’re commuting, road‑tripping, or heading out for a full day of photography. Read more at link in bio.
#lenspiration #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #christianphotographer #photographyeducator #photoinspiration #photography #photoblogger
Take a close-up look at the Lenspiration 2027 Calendar physical proof with me! 🎉Pre-order your calendars NOW to be included in the first batch of shipping!
✅ View pre-order link in bio.
Why visit a landscape photography art gallery? Here are at least 8 ideas....
1. An invitation to slow down
2. You experience similar feelings to being at iconic places... without the travel
3. A mini vacation without leaving town
4. Expands knowledge of places you didn`t know existed
5. A worshipful mood for magnifying the Creator, Jesus Christ!
6. Generates conversation about far off places and interesting subjects
7. Broadens appreciation for detail, color combinations, and photographic composition
8. Helps discover or refine your own tastes
Why would you visit an art show? Let me know in the comments!
Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#artshow #fineartgallery #landscapephotography #creationproclaims #seetheworld
I`ve been preparing for the Apple Butter Festival Art Show in October and needed a shot that said "Wisconsin". I had some generic scenic photos from across the state, and no photos of cheese. But when I started playing around with this round barn image that I originally intended to be documentary, it really started to grow on me. I took it in the middle of the day, on the way home from attending church, almost as an after thought. It was even in late October, after the leaves had fallen, a bad time of year for color. But the light, composition, and dramatic clouds all worked together to pull it out of the forgotten archives and into my gallery portfolio! And if you didn`t already know, Wisconsin has the most round barns of any state in the US, and speaks heavily of the rich dairy heritage of the area.
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Family-friendly photography training: www.lenspiration.com
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#onlyinwisconsin #roundbarn #fineartgallery #storybehindthephoto #behindtheshot
I`ve been printing calendars since 2009, and there`s something very interesting that I`ve discovered.
I always included a verse of Scripture and the lyrics of a nice hymn on each month. “What a great way to share God’s Word and connect with my neighbors in a meaningful way!” I thought.
Some neighbors took them courteously with a smile. Some neighbors opened right up and we would talk for half an hour or more! “You mean, you took these photos?” they would ask in surprise.
The reason friends and neighbors connect so well is because it’s not just a regular calendar. It’s an “I-know-the-photographer” calendar. It gives neighbors a glimpse of who I am, what I do, and what I’m like.
📷 And you can do the same, with your friends and family, or in your community, with Artist’s Calendars! 📷 View details at link in bio!
As photographers and artists who are Christians, every time we share our work, we offer a small, concentrated glimpse of God’s glory as it has been revealed to us. And in sharing it, we invite others to pause, to wonder, and to recognize the fingerprints of the Creator woven into the ordinary and the extraordinary alike.
Wow. What an opportunity for us photographers to use our skill, our talents, our art—for the glory of God!
Whether it’s through a calendar, or if you share your photos in another way, be encouraged to let your photography act as an avenue of God’s beauty and the reality of Christ in you to the world around you.
Interested in printing your photos in a calendar? Learn more at link in bio.
#artistscalendar #printyourphotos #fineartphotographer #calendarforartists #christianphotographer #christianartist #customcalendar
Join me for some LIVE photo coaching next Tuesday! Register at link in bio.
Uncle David came over to help Mordecai and I put together a sign for the Apple Butter Festival Art Show! #applebutterfestival2026 #applebutterfestival #artistatwork #workingwithkids #onlyinwv
New blog post! The journey to my first ever fine-art exhibit has been pretty crazy. But the purpose behind it is so fulfilling. Read more at link in bio!
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Become a photographer: www.lenspiration.com
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#artexhibit
#fineartphotography
#salemwv
#landscapephotographer
#wvphotographer
@salemwvofficial
A snapshot that encapsulates the fun Mordecai had on a farm with friends the other weekend. 🤗 #farmlife #familyfun #funonthefarm #fruitoflabor #akidslife
