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!
It Has Arrived!
The Canon EOS 5D Mark II has now started it’s active service after arriving in the mail today! Besides popping in the battery and releasing the shutter a few times to hear what it sounded like and to test the video function, I haven’t done much with it yet. I’m...
Keeping Things From Caving In
January’s the time for planning! It’s the time to evaluate the lessons I’ve learned from last year’s successes and mistakes. It’s the time to set long-range goals to keep me from making “short-range” decisions. It’s the time to stake boundaries and search out new...
Should I Print on Canvas?
My family helped me to buy a new 23” widescreen monitor for Christmas, just the tool I needed to begin accurately editing pictures for printing! Have you ever ordered prints that looked fabulous on your screen but looked sickeningly yellow, or deathly blue, or...
Pic of the Month: December ‘12
Work of Light What fun it is to put up Christmas lights! I’ve put up Christmas lights on our house (or at least helped put them up) for as long as I can remember. Back when I was growing up at our home in Manassas, Virginia, I remember helping Dad put up Christmas...
It Has Been Sold!
It seems to have happened so suddenly, but after months of deliberation and searching for a new owner, I can now say that my trusty, rock-solid Canon 40D camera has been sold! I’ll miss my constant companion of three years, but it served me well while I had it and...
Top 25 from 2012
Praise the Lord for yet another awesome year of awesome photography! I hope you enjoy my top 25 favorites from 2012 as much as I enjoyed choosing them! “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it...
New Wallpapers Page!
Have you ever wanted to set a picture you’ve seen on this website as your desktop background? I am excited to announce that a brand new page on Lenspiration.com is now dedicated specifically for this purpose! On the new Wallpapers Page, you may download high-res...
Christmas Bells
Just wanted to post a picture before heading out tomorrow to spend Christmas with friends in North Carolina. This ornament on my families Christmas tree commemorates what I hope folks would consider to be a special time in history (ie. the year I was born) and is...
Christmas Cookies
Decorating Christmas cookies at Christmastime has been a Staddon tradition for as long as I can remember! It never ceases to amaze me how with everyone’s creativity, every cookie is somehow different every year. Tonight’s three hour decorating party was no...
Free Christmas Cards
Merry Christmas! What a fun and festive time of year. I must admit that I’ve been feeling the effects of the hustle and bustle of the season, but what a joy it is to know that I can rely on the peace that passes all understanding given by none other than the...
How to Choose an SLR
Another friend of mine recently asked me what SLR I would recommend they get for seriously starting into photography. While there’s no easy answer to this question, it is easy to follow steps to know for yourself which camera is best for you, serious or not. Below,...
Quick Redesign
“Can you throw together a quick redesign of this book cover before 5:00 this afternoon?” A friend of mine came over to my desk while I was working at IBLP HQ last month and handed me a small book. “It’s a book my father-in-law uses for his prison ministry and we...
Pic of the Month: November ‘12
The Glow of Faith Over the Thanksgiving holiday—that charming time of year which so mysteriously blends emotive recollection with cheerful anticipation—I visited Fort New Salem with the band of friends and relatives who had come to visit and celebrate the festive...
Sale Ends on November 30!
Save 10% to 25% on www.lenspiration.com Or click here to download a printable Order Form With the ability to print calendars on-demand now, I will not have an overstock to get rid of at the end of the year anymore. But I wanted to give some kind of a discount, so I...
Barbers DO Exist!
Here’s a great story I ran across today. It has nothing to do with photography, but I think it’s true and certainly gives a good dose of perspective. A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to...
Moon Over Mt. Rundle
Going through pictures, I couldn’t help but love the uniqueness of this capture! It’s one of few night shots I took in the Rockies last month simply because every day was filled from sun up to sun down to the point that I had not the energy to shoot from moon up to...
Pic of the Month: October ‘12
Life in the Thicket I don’t think I’ll ever forget that extraordinary morning at Lake Josephine in the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, Montana. Everything fit together in a miraculous way. The timing was just right. Due to our travel schedule, my...
Lenspiration.com Updates!
Along with the 2013 Calendar, I’ve been working on making lots of tweaks and updates to the Lenspiration.com website! Here are a few of the more noticeable changes: Extensive keywording – I went through every picture on Lenspiration.com to make sure they are all...
How to Make a Difference
Tomorrow is election day. Use you’re freedom to make a difference in America by going out to vote! We might not have the best candidates in the world to choose from, but everybody will vote for somebody. And it’s not just a presidential race either. If you’re not...
Walking by Faith
Thank you so much for praying for the Journey to the Heart I was on last week! As evidence of God’s working, let me share about one fellow on my team who began to see God answer prayer even before he returned home to day. Starting with a small thing, he prayed God...
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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.
