Gentle Joy Photography: May 2017

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Severe Storm Clouds

Storms... they come in our weather. The clouds can be spectacular... and scary.

Storms make a lot of noise and have bright flashing lights. They do the unexpected.

Sometimes the storms come in quickly... they pop up and rush through the area.

The sky can turn so dark even in the daytime so that lights need to be turned on.

These pictures are all from one storm... that took about an hour to come in... the sky kept changing so fast. It was wonderfully amazing.

I haven't enhanced the color, shadows or brightness on any of the photos on this post. This is what the sky looked like. Like I said, it was amazing!

I was out when this was coming in and I was snapping pictures... and stopping in parking lots to snap more pictures.

A son called and said he was at a country park near us and the sky was amazing.. and I should come to take pictures there. The view from there was amazing because of the lack of buildings around. However it started to rain, so I just kept taking pictures.

This son enjoyed talking with weather spotters who were at the same park where he was and they were watching the clouds because of the severe weather.

We did get heavy rain, lots of wind and lightning and some hail from this storm. It was actually a day of storms... It would do this, then move through, settle down and the sun would come out, then the storms would come through again. The pictures here are from the afternoon storm that day.

We enjoy watching the storms... and seeing the massive power in such storms. The amazing thing is that God is much more powerful than those storms.

We don't like the damage such a storm can cause, but we enjoy the colors of the clouds, the changing weather, the blustery day when it comes.

Our lives also have storms.. we can see them in the lives of others.. and we don't like to see the damage left behind.... the suffering. We can experience such storms in our life and it can be frightening to be pushed and pulled by such storms. What a blessing that God is stronger than those storms also... and He has promised to be with those who are His.

How nice when the storms pass on by and the sun comes out again and we can clean up the mess left behind.

We do need to take storms seriously... they can do a lot of damage. This can also be true of the storms in our lives. We can take precautions and do what we can to be safe. Then we ride out the storm, trusting the One who controls those storms. His plan is perfect... even when it includes storms....

Maybe you are going through storms right now... maybe you feel despair and everything looks dark and confusing. I hope you will listen for God's still small voice in the midst of the storm.... and that you will remember His promises. I know I have to do that in my storms..

He is always faithful, even when we don't understand or like what we are going through. A kind and encouraging word to others enduring their own storms can be such a help. I know it is to me. May we remember to offer that encouragement when we can.

How beautiful the results can be in the life of one who has faced such bad storms while trusting the Lord.

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." Psalm 56:3

Thank you for visiting.... If you are going through a storm or have sensed God's work in your life in storms, I would love to hear about it in the comments. I hope you have a great week. :)

Shared on:

Scraptastic Saturday
Simple Saturdays
Friday Photo Journal
Friday Frivolity
Blogger's Pit Stop
Skywatch Friday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Homemaking Party
Homestead Blog Hop
Wise Woman
Tuesdays with a Twist
Inspire Me Tuesday
Project Inspire(d)
image-in-ing
Modest Mom Monday
Art of Homemaking Monday
Over the Moon Link Party

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Black and White Photography Tips

Some pictures can look good in color.... and also in black and white. I like this old schoolhouse in color, but I thought it might also do well in black and white.... so I turned it to black and white, added a bit more shadow and put a small bit of vignette around it. I like it.

This can work also if you want to make a picture look older.... or if you just like the black and white.

TIP- A picture with lights and darks in it may work well as a black and white picture. Experiment and see if you like it.... remember to make a copy of the picture first by pushing "file" at the top of the page and also "save a copy" so that you can save the original.

This was a foggy day at the cemetery. I liked this picture, but I think I like the black and white even better.

This path looks interesting... and we did enjoy walking it.... What about in black and white? Yes, this one works too.

TIP- Adding a light colored vignette to the outside of the black and white picture can add greatly to the changes. It also aims the focus of the viewer toward the path.

Another path with really tall trees and the older gentleman walking on the path. Seems like a good possibility for black and white.

Sometimes it doesn't take much to make a picture look so very different. I really like color pictures, but sometimes a black and white looks very interesting and can even pull out details it is easy to miss with color.

I love this picture in color... this was a special romantic hairstyle and lace dress for my daughter.
A Romantic Hairstyle and Lace Dress

The pale pink of the dress is so feminine and pretty. Still, I thought I would try black and white...
I do like both of them... for different reasons.

I hope you are enjoying photography..... and experimenting.... and learning as you have fun. :)

Thank you for visiting... I hope you have a great week!

Photography Tips Series:

Tea... and Photography Tips?

A Killdeer... and Photography Tips

A Tree's Best Side Photography Tips

Clouds... and Photography Tips

Shared on:

Dishing It and Digging It
Sunday Snap
Snickerdoodle-Create Bake Make
Scraptastic Saturdays
Simple Saturdays
Weekend Reflections
Family Friday Link Party
Skywatch Friday
Vintage Charm
Share Your Cup
Paula's No Rules Weekend Party
Home and Garden Thursday
The Homemaking Party
Wise Woman Link Up
Penny Pinching Party
Wow Us Wednesday
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Tuesday Talk
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Project Inspire(d)
Inspire Me Tuesday
Modest Mom Monday
Art of Homemaking Monday

Sunday, May 14, 2017

A Humorous Look at... Photo Shoots!

What IS a photo shoot anyway? Whether you are a professional photographer or a hobbyist, photography is wonderful.... and fun. If you live with a photographer, you know things can be interrupted by the "need" to take a "quick" picture! Either way, I hope you will enjoy this humorous look at Photo Shoots. :)

I love how this turtle looks like he is laughing... it fits with taking a humorous look at photo shoots. :)

Trees, clouds and birds
We're going on a photo shoot!

Juvenile Cooper Hawk

Smooth waters and images reflected
We're on a photo shoot!

A Few of My Favorite Things

See a squirrel, deer or hawk?
It's a photo shoot!

In the Life of a Squirrel

Cook food for blog post...

Gotta do a photo shoot.

Hearty Meatloaf Burgers!
Flowers, buildings, trees in bloom?
We do a photo shoot.

A walk in the park or woods....
For a photo shoot.

Have extra time and beautiful scenery....
Why not do a photo shoot?

Bridges, tunnels, sunsets....
All good for a photo shoot!

Angles, lighting and backgrounds...
Considerations for a photo shoot.

Interesting oddities or old barns....
Another photo shoot!

Keep a camera ever handy....
We may see something for a photo shoot!

Husband says "Can't we just walk?"
Couple walk means no photo shoot.

Mentally record beauty and sunset on such walk...
Because relationship time better without photo shoot.

Husband read this, then we went for a walk...
He said, "Grab your camera.... you might do a photo shoot!"

Clouds... and Photography Tips

Husband and I laugh as he points out something and says....
There, Honey, there's something for your photo shoot!

Thank you for visiting... I hope you are enjoying your own photo shoots! We are really enjoying ours.

By the way, I would love to hear if you can relate in some way to any of this... please let me know in the comments.
I don't think it happens only in my home. :)

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Clouds... and Photography Tips

Clouds... we see them often ..... many times we just ignore them or don't even notice them. Maybe we think all clouds are the same... and are ... boring.

I like watching clouds... they are so interesting to me. They change fast and often.

Some clouds are light and fluffy... almost happy-looking, as they float across the sky.

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TIP
Sometimes clouds will look a bit "washed out" and that can be because of the lighting... the relationship of the sun to the clouds can affect it. Sometimes if you turn to a different angle, the picture may be better.
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Some are colored by a sunrise or sunset. Sometimes there are many different kinds of clouds in the sky at the same time. I like to take pictures of them... and I have been amazed that I still see cloud pictures that are different after all of the hundreds (thousands?) of cloud pictures I have taken.

Some cloud formations can indicate a change in the weather or bad weather coming.

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TIP
Sometimes cloud pictures can be even more interesting with another object in the picture... like this tower, or power lines, an airplane, a road, a tree or other.
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TIP
Sometimes you can find a reflection of clouds which can make for a fun or beautiful picture.... like the puddle, windows or water.
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These look like pictures on a wall, but they are reflections of clouds in the windows of the library. I liked how it looked and was glad I had taken the picture.

This was a very large window in a barn... and I liked the clouds outside the window... it added a bit of variety to the cloud pictures.

I liked this rippled picture on the water surface... the clouds and the trees.

This picture below is one of my favorites! I love the dark ominous sky over the sunlit old schoolhouse. It shows an interesting contrast of colors and of weather.

God has made so many different clouds and I love to photograph them... I hope the tips have been helpful and I hope you are enjoying your photography and learning as you go. Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a great week. :)

Other Posts in the Photography Tips Series:

Tea... and Photography Tips????