Beautiful Reflections

 Beautiful reflections catch my attention, like this reflected house. The sun on the side of the house, the still water, the early morning... all worked together to create some beautiful reflections.

 I love the colors and shadows of the early morning.... the softer light...  and the peacefulness.

This picture shows the heron and its reflection.......... and also the reflection of the house not shown in the picture.  It seemed to be an interesting way to crop the picture.











The sunrise was beautiful............. and its reflection was amazing! What a blessing to be there and to capture it on my camera.  

I liked the image of only the reflected sunrise... and the plants in the water.

I do enjoy looking for reflections... and I hope you have also enjoyed these.  It was such a beautiful morning and I so enjoyed having the privilege of observing these scenes. 

Which picture is your favorite? 

I hope you have a great week... thank you for visiting.  





Shared on:

Dishing It and Digging It
Scraptastic Saturdays
Weekend Reflections
Skywatch Friday
Paula's No Rules Weekend Party
Vintage Charm
Thursday Favorite Things
Share Your Cup Thursday
Penny Pinching Party
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Wise Woman Link Up
Tuesdays w/ a Twist
Inspire Me Tuesday
Tuesdays at Our Home
Through My Lens
Art of Homemaking Monday
Modest Mom Monday

Featured on:

Thursday Favorite Things

An Old Castle House

 I really enjoy old houses...I like seeing the style of them, the workmanship, the history.

 I like imagining the lives of those who lived there, the oddities of the house, and the mystery of the unknown about such a place and its architecture.

This is one of those places.

I was able to find out a bit about this building, although I have never been inside.

It was built in 1907 and the stones were cut by hand.  It took 2 years to complete the house.

 The castle was originally built as a family home, but eventually was used for other purposes.

  It is a beautiful place... and very interesting. It seems like a small place for a "castle", but actually has 12-14 rooms inside. There are also 3 fireplaces and 2 staircases.

It was modeled after the style of a French castle, from what I could find. 

 I'm not sure if there is actually a door to this balcony or not. It would be nice to be out there on the second floor to see the view.

 The rounded rooms are appealing because they are so unusual, and I can imagine what it may be like inside such a room.

 I also wonder if it would have been difficult to arrange or rearrange such a room with those round walls.

 I suspect you wouldn't be able to change the furniture arrangement much.

 Yes, there are some lights up there by the battlement. 

Can you imagine being inside such a place and looking out? Very interesting.











 I loved the great reflection in this window...

 All in all, a very beautiful castle. I'm so glad you stopped by to look at it with me. Do you enjoy old houses also? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.  I think they are quite intriguing. 

If you are interested in old houses, you may also enjoy this post:

A Beautiful Old Italianate House


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

 Shared on:



Counting Our Blessings
Saturday Shuffle
Friday Photo Journal
Blogger's Pit Stop
Friday at the Fire Station
Skywatch Friday
Encouraging Hearts and Home
Paula's No Rules Weekend Party
Vintage Charm Link Party
Thursday Favorite Things
Share Your Cup
Wise Woman Link Up
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Wednesday Around the World
Penny Pinching Party
Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
Tuesdays w/ a Twist
Inspire Me Tuesday
image-in-ing
Through My Lens
Cooking and Crafting w/ j and j
Modest Mom Monday
Art of Homemaking
Over the Moon Link Party

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
Tuesdays w/ a Twist
Tuesday Talk
image-in-ing
Project Inspire(d)
Inspire Me Tuesday
Modest Mom Monday
Art of Homemaking Monday

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. :)

Silhouette Beauty

 Silhouettes... they are just dark outlined shapes... nothing special...... 

and yet, there is something intriguing about them.

The sky is beautiful... but so are the outlined shapes that are dark against the sky.

 I am so thankful for the variety of beauty it is possible to find.....   I hope you are also able to enjoy the beauty of the silhouettes you see. Thank you for visiting...  I hope you have a nice week.  :)




"Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" 
Psalm 8:9


 Shared on:


Dishing It and Digging It
Sunday Snap
Snickerdoodle Saturday
Scraptastic
Simple Saturday
Saturday Sparks
Friday at the Fire Staion
Blogger's Pit Stop
Home Sweet Home
Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Home and Garden Thursday
Wednesday AIM Link Party
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesdays With a Twist
image-in-ing
Inspire Me Monday
Modest Mom
Art of Homemaking Mondays
Over the Moon Link Party 

Featured on:

Saturday Sparks

Top 10 Gentle Joy Photography 2015

These are the top 10 posts published in 2015
here on Gentle Joy Photography 

There are links to each post if you would like to visit them....just click the link and you will get to the post.

   Number 10

The Beauty of Being Known

     Number 9

Feeling Sympathy For Farmer McGregor 

 Number 8


 Pigtails and French Braids

    Number 7

Saving Money-Part 3-Buying Used 

    Number 6

Polycarp Movie Review-Trailer Included 

   Number 5

Allergy Tea-Homemade Herb Tea 

Number 4

Two More French Braid Hairstyles 

   

    Number 3

Saving Money-Part 2-Grocery Shopping 

  Number 2

Hidden In The Woods 

   Number 1 for   2015

The Number ONE Way I Save Money! 




 What a year it has been... filled with good times and challenging ones also. Thank you for joining me through the year... and I hope we find that 2016 will be even better. 




Shared on:
Tumbleweed Contessa