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!
How to Stay Warm Shooting in the Cold
Shooting in Quebec in February was a very cold experience. It was around –15 degrees Celsius on average in the mornings. This equates to 5 degrees in Fahrenheit. So, yes, it was cold. How do you stay warm? We all know the basics: dress in layers, wear cloths that...
Last Day for Early Registration
I enjoyed my time in Quebec so much that there was practically no time to keep my blog updated! I’m looking forward to sharing many pictures and tips from the event. But before I jump in, I just wanted to mention the fact that the $50 Early Registration discount...
The Luxury of Color
We have scouted over a dozen places surrounding Shurbrooke the past few days in preparation for CAPTURE Quebec. Can’t believe it starts today! Though we have visited many locations when it was cloudy and snowy, it was nice to visit a few places when the sun was...
Great Expectations
Like Charles Dickens' unassuming and endearing character Pip, I do my best to keep a realistic perspective in the face of considerable prospects. However, it’s hard to stay calm and down-to-earth when researching shooting locations for an event like CAPTURE Quebec....
The Story of the Screwdriver
I never dreamed how difficult it would be to replace the bezel on my laptop! In April 2013, having used my good ol’ Dell Studio XPS 1640 practically every day for over 2 years, the screen was getting kinda scuffed up and I wondered what it would take to get it...
Valentine’s Day Perspective
I praise the Lord for a holiday like today that has it’s roots in God’s perspective of human love. It should be a day for Christians to remind themselves of the way God designed mankind, marriage and companionship. It should be a day to remember not only God’s...
Lessons from North Carolina
The details page for CAPTURE North Carolina (autumn) has been added to the Workshops page! Here are a few desktop wallpapers and the short-stories behind them from the workshop in North Carolina last year: Shapes of Nature Download as Desktop Background I like to...
New Addition to the Camera Bag!
From Adarama by Lenspiration from Salem, WV on 2/11/2014 5out of 5 Pros: Fast, Accurate Auto-Focus, Durable, Lightweight, Easily Interchangeable Cons: Distortion Best Uses: Indoors/Low Light, Night Photography, Weddings/Events, Landscape/Scenery Having sold my wide...
Have some Feedback?
Did you receive or purchase a Lenspiration 2014 Calendar? Has it been hanging on your wall long enough for you to begin formulating your own opinions about it? Did concerns or impressions come to mind back when you were navigating on the Lenspiration or...
4 Differences Between an OK Image and a Great Image
I distinctly remember the feeling of awe that came over me as I drove into the valley where June Lake lay in the shadow of the south-central Sierra Nevada foothills. With just a short bit of time in the middle of the day to check it out, I wanted to see what the...
My Favorite Lens
When I upgraded to my full-frame camera last year, it meant retiring my wonderful EF-S IS USM 17-55mm f/2.8 lens. It was the best lens I knew of for the APS-C sensor camera. It's as close to an 'L' series lens as you can get in build and image quality and with...
Only 1 Spot Left!
With exactly one month before the opening night of CAPTURE Quebec, there’s only one spot available for one more photographer! Seven photographers are signed up. There’s just a narrow window of opportunity to join the team! And with a few more days left until Early...
Want to Go to Quebec?
Until 2011, my answer to this question would have been “Why?”. I didn’t know much about Quebec before then. I hardly even know where it was on the map! Just another Canadian Providence up north, right? Well, photographers shouldn’t think that way. Every culture,...
Tools for Planning a Photo Shoot
I remember this dramatic morning at Linville Falls, North Carolina, as vividly as if it was yesterday. I was scouting for the 2013 CAPTURE North Carolina workshop and had never been to this location before. However, I was pretty confident of where I wanted to go...
Comments on a Few Masterpieces
I have my desktop background set to cycle through my latest wallpapers. Yesterday, I got to thinking that they were starting to get a little repetitive, so I figured it was time for another batch! The first two new ones, Glimpse of Grandeur and Chapel in the Valley...
The Absolute Best Time to Shoot the Moon!
Have you ever been outside under a full moon on a completely clear night? You don’t even need a flashlight, it’s so bright! Now imagine that same moonlit night over a landscape of white snow. It’s almost unearthly! Its a phenomenon I have only experienced a few...
Want to Capture Texas?
I’ve been working the with Skrnich family to square away the details for the workshop coming up in April in Prosper, Texas. The details page for the CAPTURE Texas photography workshop is officially launched! The exact dates are April 2-5, 2014, starting early...
Are Christian Photographers Different?
I received an email, not too long ago, from a friend of mine who had a great question I thought I would share here on the blog: Apart from putting Scripture on a picture, how will a Christian's work glorify God, as opposed to a non-believers? In areas like...
Top 25 from 2013
After taking some time to go through my 2013 archives this week, I finally decided on my top 25 favorite images from the year! Though Ansel Adams said, “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop”, I couldn’t seem to get them cut down down...
Last Minute Designing
I had the opportunity to do quite a bit of designing over Christmas. Let me share a few things that I found were helpful in designing things last minute. Here are some business card ideas I put together for my brother Michael. I figured the gift of a few business...
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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.
