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!
Smells of Spring
Spring brings smells of all sorts. We found this poor little guy evidently estranged from it’s mother trying to hide behind a leaf and too scared to run away. We just about touched it, we were so close, but after a while we decided to leave it alone….making sure to...
Getting Started in Portraiture
5 quick tips to keep in mind when you're getting started in portraiture.
CAPTURE NC Rescheduled
Just a quick update to let everyone know that CAPTURE North Carolina has officially be rescheduled! You can now mark August 7-10, 2013 on your calendar as the new dates for the workshop. Though several attendees and I were looking forward to having the workshop...
2014 Calendar: What Pictures Should I Use?
Would you like to have a voice in the creation of the 2014 Lenspiration calendar? I’ve selected around 60 of my best recent images, but now I need help narrowing them down to the top 12 that are suitable for a calendar. For the next week or so, you can cast your...
Capturing True Beauty in Weddings
Thoughts on the deeper aspects of shooting a wedding.
Do You Use Counterpoint?
I ran across a great article this morning by a pro landscape photographer who explains a key aspect of good composition: Counterpoint. Do you know what it means? Do you know how to use it? I learned a lot from this article and hope you find it helpful too! (You...
The Heart of CAPTURE
Christ “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). Are you a Christian? Are you a photographer? Are you a Christian photographer zealous of good works? In today’s...
Another Canvas Sale!
Hey! Just wanted to let everyone know that I’m running another canvas sale for all images on Lenspiration.com for the next two weeks. The more I use canvases these days, the more I like them! Normally, a fine art canvas print from the Lenspiration portfolio is...
Taking Group Shots on Vacation
It’s always important to get family pictures on family vacations! So many times I’ve missed great opportunities for encapsulating the greatest of memories simply because I’ve forgotten to get a group shot. I’m still working on not forgetting, but here’s a few tips...
Flower in the Forest
Here’s one of many gorgeous flower pictures taken on the family vacation to Grandfather Mountain last week. Flowers were everywhere! Flower in the Forest I don’t like to post a picture without giving a quick tip behind it. Usually, I will take super-close-ups of...
A Walk in the Park
Grandfather Mountain State Park isn’t your typical walk in the park! Even the parks main attractions are extreme. The “singing bridge” boasts of being 1 mile above sea level and the short hike from the bridge to McCrae peak (the closest peak to the bridge) is the...
Crabtree Falls
One of my favorite things about the Blue Ridge mountains is the abundance of waterfalls! Crabtree Falls is a gorgeous, perfectly shaped, 70ft waterfall on milepost 339 along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Reaching the falls required a one mile hike downhill, and a rocky...
Lens Flare at Sunrise
Imagine having this view out your living window! It was just so handy to throw on a jacket and step outside this morning at this quaint, little house that my Uncle is letting us stay at for the week! Sunrise over Grandfather Mountain I thought about quite a few...
Off to North Carolina!
Today I drove down to Grandfather Mountain for a vacation with my family and to begin preparing for the CAPTURE North Carolina workshop! It’s gorgeous around here! However, instead of sunset finding us on a beautiful overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway, it found...
Introducing: CAPTURE Photography Workshops!
Everywhere I go, I’m always meeting new photographers! It’s so much fun to pass around tips, share stories, and simply learn from each other’s experiences. And the more photographers I meet, the more I realize how many of them are following the exact same path of...
Designing for a Big Event
Been wrapping up these last big design projects! Here’s what I put together for MissionTalk as they prepare for a big conference the week after next. What’s the key for designing for big events? Repetition with variation! We stuck with one design that we liked and...
New Pictures!
Just added more than 50 new pictures to my portfolio; click on the picture below to get a fresh wave of inspiration from creation! And for the effect, when you’re viewing the collection, click “Dim the Lights” under the “Menu” button that appears when you hover...
Development of a Logo
So, here’s another design project I finished up recently! And you might be asking, “Why so many design projects of late?” Well, as a photographer and designer, I try to do as many design related projects over the winter and early spring as possible because that’s...
Victory Banner
Just finished working on a quick banner design for the ATI Regional Homeschool Conferences today. Colors, textures, and positioning changed over various versions throughout the process of approval, but here’s the version I liked best: I never work on a project...
Waterfall Wallpaper
Hadn’t posted a new wallpaper in a while so, here’s a shot I thought was pretty nice from the beautiful state of Oregon. Latourell Falls is one of those off-the-beaten-path gems that I happened to see a sign for along the road I was traveling en route to another...
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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.
