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!
Revealing the Best (and Worst) Candidates from the 2024 Calendar Survey!
The results have come in! A big thank you to all who participated in the survey of candidate photos for the soon-to-be-released Lenspiration 2024 Calendar. Seeing your ratings and reading your comments was extremely helpful. It was like getting good critique on my...
Which Photos Are Your Favorite?
It’s that time of year to be thinking about calendars again! Would you like to help me choose which photos I decide to use in the Lenspiration 2024 Calendar?! Each year’s calendar can only have 12 photos in it. And that’s not very many! I sorted last year’s...
On Assignment: Scenes of Faith & Freedom
Browsing through the Christian Law Association’s Instagram feed is a feast of scenic inspiration! I love the beautiful photos they choose. It’s the kind of collection that makes me think, “I wish one of my photos could be on there. . . .” Well, it can be! If you...
Beware of Beauty
The day after exploring Snowshoe, we headed over to another iconic West Virginia attraction. The old, historic Cass Scenic Railroad! The 11-mile long heritage railroad takes you back in time to an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday...
Choosing the Best Photo from Snowshoe
This year, my family did something we have never done before. You see, my family is from West Virginia. And this summer, we decided to take a family vacation to . . . West Virginia! Not a field trip. Not a day trip to and from a vacation destination. This was a...
On Assignment: Balloons!
Last week, I meandered through the Exhibit Hall at the Southeast Homeschool Expo. At big events like this, I try to talk to as many vendors as I can. If I can find out what kind of photo needs they might have, I can turn them into the monthly Shoot to Serve Photo...
One Thing You Can’t Fail To Do Before Photographing A Wedding!
Beautiful photos are not an accident. So, what can you do, as a wedding photographer, to make sure your photos are the best they can be?On our way back from 4th of July concerts and celebrations in Connecticut, Lydia (the second photographer), Julianna, and I...
A Visit to America’s Newest National Park
The New River Gorge National Park & Preserve is America’s newest National Park. And it’s in West Virginia! With free admission, how could I not be excited about this?! Over the years, I’ve enjoyed exploring the the New River Gorge when I’ve had the chance....
On Assignment: Photography Equipment Macro
Ever wanted to take macro photos, but didn’t have a macro lens? That’s when it’s time to pull out an extension tube! An extension tube takes a regular lens and turns it into a macro lens by simply adding more space between it and the camera body. And what if you...
An Unlikely Subject
It’s a long drive from West Virginia to Connecticut. Sometimes, on our trips up there to visit family, we get off late and don’t have time to stop and take pictures at random places along the way. Other times, if we can get off early like we did this time, we...
Put On The Camera!
On our way back from the HEAV Convention last week, Julianna and I met up with some friends to go for a hike and spend some time together! The hike we decided on was Bear’s Den Overlook on the Appalachian Trail. I hadn’t ever been there before, but it seemed like a...
My Favorite Photos from HEAV
Just finished up editing all my photos from the HEAV Convention last weekend! I didn’t have much time to shoot, my time being split up between the Photography Team, Photo Class, and booth, but I was able to contribute a few photos to the collection harvested by the...
On Assignment: Multi-Generational Family
Buried deep in the work of finalizing brand new Lenspiration photography courses, James' voice came over the phone, "You know, it would be really helpful if you could shoot the demonstration video this month". When I heard the details of the new assignment, I got...
How Important Is It To “Remember”?
I have driven down Route 50 through Grafton, West Virginia, many times. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that all these years I had been driving right by a National Cemetery! It is up on a hill, set apart just enough that you can’t see it from the...
A World of Words
The other morning, I was reading Matthew 12. As a photographer, verse 36 popped out to me: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”“Idle” in that verse literally means lazy, the trait...
A Waterfall in the Middle of the Day
Between conventions earlier this month, we were staying with friends in Tennessee and decided to go for a little hike. They lived close to the Smokey Mountains, so we headed out to a trail that led out to Falls Branch Falls. I was working in the earlier part of the...
On Assignment: Scientific Investigation
What a fun assignment this is! Creation Today is looking for photos related to science or investigation. You can read all the details on the assignment page here, but here's how I ended up going about photographing it: https://youtu.be/SF97emxnIXQ This assignment...
The One-Minute Photo Challenge!
Have you ever been in a competition with an intense deadline? Do you remember your heart pounding, your hands sweating and your mind racing with a million thoughts a minute? It’s almost impossible to think.The 8 students I worked with at CAPTURE Indiana had...
Highlights from CAPTURE Indiana!
More photos coming soon, but here are some highlights from the Lenspiration photography workshops in Indiana this weekend!God gave us an amazing sunset on Thursday night!Horses, a donkey, cows, and this huge bull came by to have their pictures taken at this random...
On Assignment: Creative Scripture Designs
Can you imagine, a photo assignment where you can take pictures of just about anything you want! But there is a catch. Special text needs to be added to the photos. But you can see the assignment details for more info on that. So, let’s use this as our opportunity...
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Follow along with Lenspiration travels…
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.
