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!
Tracking Down the Right Tripod
The principles of finding the right tripod is not much different than finding anything else relating to photography, such as a compact camera. Therefore, having just finished going through the process of researching and purchasing a new tripod, I will expound more...
Shootout at the Bridge
It’s not often that I get to go on a photoshoot with someone else. But when a friend called me last night to ask if I would like to accompany him on a night photography venture, I readily jumped at the chance. It wasn’t anything fancy; just a stroll down to where a...
Use Your Skills
Along with photography, I enjoy doing layout and design projects on the side. A business in Connecticut needed a simple sheet explaining how to pay bills using PayPal. After talking over details with the company, researching the PayPal website, and conducting a...
How to Choose a Compact Camera
George poked his head into the office. “I’m heading off to Australia tomorrow for the annual ATI Conference” he said. “Would you be the one to ask for a camera to bring along with me?” Yes, I was the guy to talk to. But what camera would I give him? The old Nikon...
The Sun Makes All the Difference
Last Thursday, I received one of those urgent phone calls from Mr. Gothard’s office! With only one hour of sunlight left in the day, I was commissioned to photograph a hotel close by that IBLP is in the process of purchasing: the Drake Hotel of Oak Brook. My...
Pic of the Month: December ‘10
Christmas Bells It amazes me how pleasing compositions unexpectedly produce themselves. Of course, it’s hard not to come away with a winner when one is standing on a mountaintop at sunrise with mist rising out of the valleys, or on a beach at sunset directly...
Remnants of the Past
You might say I received an early Christmas gift the other day. A fellow from church drove me into the backwoods to a place that a photographer like myself considered to be, almost literally, a treasure cove. Obviously traveling off the highway, and then down a...
Quick Portraits
Have you ever had someone, or a group of people, ask you to take some portraits for them just “really quick?” The IT department at HQ did this just a few days ago. I was warned a few days earlier, but hadn’t had any time to prepare. Well, here are a few...
Blurry Effects
Last weekend, in Indianapolis for a Christmas Conference, I experimented a little with taking pictures completely out-of-focus. This is a very modern technique, but can look nice if used properly. In "Christmas Inspiration," complete blur transformed a...
Why Photoshop is Fantastic
Lamppost Soliloquy What you can do in Photoshop is just out of this world! I knew this picture was useless unless I could somehow add some light inside the lamp. Once this was accomplished using another picture taken back in January, I darkened up the background...
Why I Crop
I was editing pictures the other day while my brother Daniel was reviewing memorized Scripture verses on Memverse. When he broke the silence with an animated chuckle, and I turned to see what he was up to. He was looking over at me and had evidently seen that I was...
Winter Stroll
It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to break away from the stuffy office, magnetic computers, and a demanding schedule to just roam around the great outdoors with a camera! No, it wasn’t for long, just a few strolls from one building to another. But it was...
Pic of the Month: November ’10
Hangin’ In There As I was going through the pictures I had taken over the past month, this one clearly stood out as the one with the most suggested activity: that split-second moment between swinging out of the tree and landing safely on the ground. Well, suggested...
One Snapshot . . .
"I would willingly exchange every single painting of Christ for one snapshot." - George Bernard...
Back to Backpacks
After returning from Peru, I knew the backpack I had chosen for travel, the Calumet BP935 Small Backpack, was not the one for me. It was very nice, but here were the drawbacks for me: Did not fit my back very well. Even with a waist strap, it was just too big for...
Pic of the Month: October ‘10
I’m back! I’m finally back after three busy weeks of traveling, completing the calendar, and volunteering at the National Bible Bee! There is so much to talk about, so I’ll keep posting over the next few days. But for now, I’ve got to make up for missing the...
2011 Calendar is Now Available!
It’s here! Lenspiration’s Observe 2011 Calendar is now ready for purchase. Go to staddonfamily.com/2011-calendar to look inside the new calendar and take advantage of amazing quantity...
The Next Great Adventure
Well, things are ready now to fly out to Peru tomorrow! It has been an intense last few days leaving no time for blogging, but much was accomplished, and I am now prepared to work with a single focus on this next great expedition. For the most part, while in Peru...
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Let us remember this Memorial Day the reason why it`s so important to remember....see today`s blog post at www.lenspiration.com!
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When I have time, driving out on random roads just to see what landscapes present themselves for a photo, is one if my most favorite things to do!
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#landscapephoto #landscape #landscapephotography #art #nature #photo #godscreation #creation #greatoutdoors #outdoors #explore #optoutside #landscapeshot #canon #outdoorlife #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #pennsylvania #barn #farm
Using sunlight on a waterfall to my advantage at Falls Branch Falls in western Tennessee.
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Simple sunrise over Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park, Washington.
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Wow. WV wow!
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#landscapephoto #landscape #landscapephotography #art #nature #photo #godscreation #creation #greatoutdoors #outdoors #explore #optoutside #landscapeshot #canon #outdoorlife #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #gotowv #westvirginiamountains #westvirginia
Had a great time with this team at @teachdiligently #pigeonforge 2023!
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#travelphoto #travel #lifelearning #optoutside #travelphotography #traveling #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photoblogger #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #photographyteam
Enjoying the Tennessee scenery today! Since I don`t have an ND filter for the lenses I had with me, I focused on photographing the portions of waterfall that were in shade.
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#travelphoto #travel #lifelearning #optoutside #travelphotography #traveling #adventure #explore #ventureout #outdoors #thegreatoutdoors #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photoblogger #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #waterfall #tennessee #explore #optoutside
What a great team to photograph with last week at @familyconfs @alertacademy #2023familyconference
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#photographyteam #homeschoolconvention #workshop #photographyworkshop #homeschooled #photographers #team #photoworkshop #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photoblogger #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #april
I had never heard Nathan Johnson from Elerslie speak before! I had also never done tripod photography during a speaking session and merged the photos in post to get better quality results. Also, first time teaching at a homeschool conference with my wife. 😍 Lots of great firsts at the #familyconference2023! @familyconfs @alertacademy
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#photographyteam #homeschoolconvention #workshop #photographyworkshop #homeschooled #photographers #team #photoworkshop #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photoblogger #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration
Big Sandy Family Conference kicks off with the National Anthem!
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#photographyteam #homeschoolconvention #workshop #photographyworkshop #homeschooled #photographers #team #photoworkshop #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photoblogger #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration @familyconfs @alertacademy #familyconference2023
Getting ready for Family Conference next week! Last year, for the Photography Team, we had a family "model" for us so we could get experience working with a family before going out and taking pictures of families we didn`t know. Planning on doing the same thing again this year! @familyconfs @alertacademy #2023familyconference #homediscipleship @homediscipleshipnetwork
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#photographyteam #homeschoolconvention #workshop #photographyworkshop #homeschooled #photographers #team #photoworkshop #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #christianphotographer #photoblogger #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration
Some friends introduced me to a great photo spot along the highway in eastern Oaklahoma yesterday....check out Cross on the Prairie near Pryor, OK!
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#landscapephoto #landscape #landscapephotography #art #nature #photo #godscreation #creation #greatoutdoors #outdoors #explore #optoutside #landscapeshot #canon #outdoorlife #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #crosses #christian #christianity #threecrosses #goldenhour
Tuckered out after hiking all over the place in Turkey Run SP during CAPTURE Indiana!
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#indiana #spring #learning #turkeyrun #workshop #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration
Having a great time at Turkey Run State Park!
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#captureindiana #indiana #workshop #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration
Just finished up a fantastic Indiana Photography Field Day!
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#fieldday #photographyfieldday #workshop #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #farm #sunset
Scouting for the CAPTURE Indiana photography workshop this morning!
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#fieldday #photographyfieldday #workshop #photographyworkshop #outdoors #photographyday #photographyskills #photographybusiness #homeschooled #homeschoolphotography #homeschool #homeeducators #homeeducate #homeschoolingteens #lifelearning #homescool #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration #coveredbridge #morning #sunrise
On the way to the CAPTURE Indiana photography workshop this weekend!
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Become a photographer: www.lenspiration.com
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#landscapephoto #landscape #landscapephotography #art #nature #photo #godscreation #creation #greatoutdoors #outdoors #explore #optoutside #landscapeshot #canon #outdoorlife #photographyeducator #photoblogger #christianphotographer #photography #photographer #wvphotographer #lenspiration
Here`s the real photo from that shoot I posted about earlier. Much, much better quality 😊
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