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!
Off the Beaten Path
I’ve been repeatedly impressed at how incredible some un-highlighted, off-the-beaten-path places can be. Before heading to one of California’s famed Redwood parks yesterday morning, I decided it might be worth a try to stop by the coast in the early morning to...
The Incredible Redwood
It felt as though I had stepped back in time when drove into Jedediah Smith State Park this afternoon, one of several parks in northern California created to protect the rare habitat the redwood. I learned today that redwood trees are the tallest trees in the...
The Oregon Coast
I spent the morning at Shore Acres State Park, right close to Sunset Bay where I was last night. The incredible wave action along this portion of the coast was awesome to watch though it produced a lot of mist. This, coupled with the fact that it was mostly cloudy...
Pacific Splendor
So, today Josh and I drove from Portland to Coos Bay, OR, just in time to make it to Sunset Bay for, well, sunset! What an extraordinary place. Breathtaking only begins to describe the awe-inspiring vistas and the sound of massive waves breaking on the rocky shores...
Another Cloudy Day
After shooting waterfalls in Connecticut last week, I was looking forward to shooting majestic mountain peaks in Oregon this week. So what do you do if those mountain peaks are shrouded in clouds? Shoot more waterfalls! Today I took the opportunity to drive along...
Kent Falls
Because I was in Connecticut a few weeks too early to see the peak fall colors, I focused on shooting waterfalls during my three day visit. It was cloudy most of my stay anyway, so it worked out very nicely. The first falls I photographed was Kent Falls, a...
New Haven Lighthouse
Yesterday I spent the late afternoon at Lighthouse Park on the southern shores of New Haven, Connecticut. The old lighthouse which once guided ships through Long Island Sound is no longer in use, yet it stands today as a symbol of the importance of instruction and...
Purchase with a Purpose
It’s October 1: the day for a special announcement! My brother Jonathan would like to attend 9-weeks of ministry training at ALERT, an academy in Big Sandy, Texas that equips young people with the discipline, character, and life skills necessary to meet the needs...
Pic of the Month: September ‘11
Desert Shore Most people say: “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.” But perhaps folks on the Baja Peninsula say “the cactus grows thicker on the other side of the valley.” At least that’s what was going through my head as I stood at the top of a...
Joshua and Lisa Wilkes
A few favorite photos from second-shooting a friend's wedding.
MissionTalk
Perhaps you are wondering why I haven’t posted anything for a few days. Well, it’s because I’ve been focusing a lot of my attention on doing design projects for MissionTalk, a ministry that seeks to reduce your cell phone service costs and directs the funds that...
Announcing the 2012 Calendar!
"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee" (Deuteronomy 32:7). Let us not forget the wisdom of our forefathers! With the election year of 2012 coming upon...
Loons on the Lake
I very much felt like murmuring as I stumbled my way through the darkness. Unlike the magical peninsula of a few days ago, the island I now traversed was covered in impenetrable stands of young pines, impassable bogs of mud, and incredibly abundant piles of dead...
Mysterious Morning
I had no idea what was in store for Nathan and I as we bumped down the country road to Ox Yoke Lake deep within the Ottawa National Forest. My videographer friend and I had the whole day off, and we figured spending part of it together shooting the sunrise would be...
The Glory of the Creator
As I was reading Psalm 97 this morning, I couldn’t help but think of this picture, taken just a few nights ago here in the Northwoods. “The heavens declare His [God’s] righteousness, and all the people see His glory. Confounded be all they that serve graven images,...
A Simple Sunrise
That’s all I can say about it: simple, short, somber. After getting up 30 minutes later than I should have, I was only on the water for a few minutes before what little color in the sky and weak reflection on the lake vanished completely, expelled by the dismal,...
A Week in the Wild
God has given me the opportunity to spend this next week in the wilds of the Ottawa National Forest at the Northwoods Conference Center. While attending the IBLP Staff Retreat and the JTTH Reunion, I will be taking every opportunity possible to snap some shots of...
A Work in Progress
Well, I didn’t exactly get the back end of things off the ground before September 1, the day I wanted to officially announce Lenspiration’s 2012 Calendar. But at least something is up! Though the interface is not perfect yet, the calendar is ready to go, so feel...
Pic of the Month: August ‘11
I’m posting a day early to allow room for a special announcement for the first of September . . . Raptor in Flight It’s amazing what memory’s we attach to the pictures we take. Want to guess what this picture reminds me of? You probably will never guess. Believe it...
Capture Lightning!
Thank you everyone for your comments; I know how to capture lightning now! Seriously, because I do so much trial and error, and I don’t get to shoot storms very often, I really enjoyed reading your comments. In all actuality, you probably don’t want to take...
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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.
