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!
Everything is in the Editing . . . Almost
I figured I’d better not exaggerate after my last post and added the word “almost” to what’s on my mind to blog about today. There’s a lot more to post-processing than one might first recognize. I went on a morning photo excursion with a friend last week. I’m...
Thoughts on Exaggeration
Have you ever exaggerated the amazing story behind a shot? What about exaggerating the Saturation slider? I’m reading an excellent book written way back in 1890 called “Ethics; An Early American Handbook”. A section on “Exaggeration” in the chapter titled “Truth”...
CHHEW Needs a Picture
Calling on all Lenspiration community photographers! Here’s a unique, limited-time opportunity: The executive director of Christian Heritage Home Educators of Washington has requested a picture to use on the cover of their 2014 Family Discipleship and Homeschooling...
“When the Autumn’s Coming On . . .”
Fall is my favorite season and there’s no other place I’d rather be than at home with my family in West Virginia! Home sweet home. And hopefully at the right time of year to finally see the fall colors in “my own backyard.” It’s been about 6 years since I’ve been...
Eradicating Awkwardness
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to step out and do something different. As much as I love landscape photography, it does not always provide direct, on-the-ground ways of advancing God’s Kingdom. But when I heard about the opportunity to take pictures at a...
First Day of Fall Presents . . .
Can you guess? What do you think I would be so excited about come one quarter till next year?! Take a peek at the new Anywhere with Jesus 2015 Lenspiration Calendar! It’s exclusive, it’s a new design, it’s different . . . and it’s totally not politically correct....
Tips for Taking Great Pictures on a “Normal Vacation”
Are your vacations ever “normal”? Like, where you actually take a break from what you always do? For me, a “Normal Vacation” is when my main objectives for vacationing someplace does not include taking pictures. A vacation is when I go someplace and feel like I...
An Enlightening Appointment
We did something during CAPTURE Alaska that I had never done before at any previous workshop. It was such a helpful experience that I’d like to do it again at future workshops where possible. In fact, it was so good that I would recommend you incorporate this...
The Thoughts Behind the Shots
Here are a few images from the CAPTURE Alaska workshop which I’ve converted to desktop backgrounds. Their allusion of grandeur, energy, and steadfastness remind me of a verse I read yesterday: “The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with...
From the Perspective of the CAPTURE Alaska Photographers
It’s about time I showed some of the pictures from the others on the team of photographers in Alaska! Sam is a budding photographer who wanted an intensive to help him unleash the power of his SLR camera. He’d always loved photography, but had only been using an...
5 Easily Accessible Alaskan Photo Ops
For the rest of the CAPTURE Alaska workshop, we stuck pretty close to the road for our shooting excursions. Number one, it takes a lot of time to backpack out to different locations, and for this workshop once was enough. There were many things to cover in the...
Quick Update from CAPTURE Alaska
You know the number one challenge of taking pictures in August in Alaska? Clouds. It’s the beginning of the rainy season here, so rain and clouds are very common and can quickly become a huge problem. But they can also be an amazing benefit! Without them, the sky...
How to Do Scouting for Landscape Photography
When shooting landscapes, sometimes I just shoot to get the best shot wherever I happen to be. Especially on family vacations or when I am traveling from place to place. But when it comes to a CAPTURE Workshop, it’s a totally different story! I’m up in Alaska now...
The Most Helpful Aspect
We covered a lot of material and many ideas concerning photography during CAPTURE Virginia. However, by the end of the class, it was clear that there was one thing that continually and overwhelmingly came out on top as the absolutely most helpful aspect of the...
Today in Virginia
Hello from Virginia! Our first full day of CAPTURE was just that . . . very full! We’re all learning a lot. It’s a great team of photographers to be working with and I’m looking forward to the next two full days ahead of us! I only took one shot of the sunrise this...
10 Tips for Shooting the Pacific Coast
Just pulled together a few new desktop wallpapers from the California Loop with a theme of The Pacific Coast. I’ve also jotted down 10 helpful things I learned while shooting along the coast. Arrive early. I can’t emphasize this enough! I’ve arrived 30min before...
One Picturesque Day
The sixth, and second-to-last day of our incredible trip through California began with a hike to Rainbow Falls. What a majestic sight! I am used to the waterfalls of the East, the bubbling cascades along forest streams hidden away in lush valleys and moss-covered...
Pushing Pause
Let me push pause on the California Loop for a sec to mention some quick announcements about some of the upcoming CAPTURE workshops. Put purpose into your summer vacation and consider the following: CAPTURE Alaska’s $100 Early Registration discount ends today....
Take Out Tiny Distractions
By the 5th day of the California Loop, we were getting pretty tired, but we were experiencing more than ever the incredible diversity of California. From Death Valley, the lowest point in North America, we drove toward the towering Sierra Nevadas to see Mt....
A Typical Progression
On the fourth day of the California Loop, we drove from San Diego to Death Valley National Park. I was lazy and didn’t feel like getting up early, so I missed whatever sunrise opportunity there may have been on our last day on the Pacific coast. But what I saw out...
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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.
