Our Kind of Town

As native Washingtonians we are blessed with beautiful architecture and historical places both in the City and in the surrounding towns and countryside.  Famous places like the historic City of Winchester, Fredericksburg, Old Town Alexandria and Williamsburg in Virginia to the beautiful Annapolis and Eastern Shore of Maryland.  As lovers of historic architecture, the Pedestrian Mall in Old Town Winchester with its quaint streets make a perfect choice for property and business alike.  Old towns have wonderful buildings with high ceilings, great light and perfect locations for photographers.  This image is one of our favorite streets for studios and storefronts and if an established photography studio was not already there, we might just have to move in a beautiful building across the street.  As they say, great minds (and photogs) think alike!

Another Beautiful Sunset

Beautiful sunsets deserve a second showing.  As we ready for the beautiful sunrise and sunsets in the Shenandoah Valley we are inspired by the simplicity of photography subjects that can be a forefront to our amazing sunrise-sunsets here in the Valley.  They always inspire poetic verse!

“The first stab of love is like a sunset,
a blaze of color — oranges, pearly pinks, vibrant purples…”
― Anna Godbersen, The Luxe

The Season of Natural Beauty

One of our favorite places for Autumn photography are those beautiful natural wooded parks filled with all kinds of trees so we return each year to capture the beauty!

“The falling leaves drift by the window the #autumn leaves of red and gold…”

My beautiful views of Autumn from my windows of my #PromiseGardens to the #forests filled with #leaves of red and gold🍁 it is a joy and delight to behold. #jayjacyphotography #landscapes #foliage #sherandolake #sherandopark #visitvirginia #VisitVA #shenandoahvalley #shenandoah

The Marsh, My Marsh

The beautiful marshes and waterways of Amelia Island Florida bear repeating!  We are back at the Marsh again photo-walking in the peaceful serenity of this natural place with its beautiful waterways, sunrise, sunsets, pristine beauty and wildlife in abundance. It is the perfect place for rest, contemplation and photography. @jacyjoypals

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“IN my sleep I was fain of their fellowship, fain
Of the live-oak, the marsh, and the main.
The little green leaves would not let me alone in my sleep;
Up-breathed from the marshes, a message of range and of sweep,
 Interwoven with waftures of wild sea-liberties, drifting,
Came through the lapped leaves sifting, sifting,
Came to the gates of sleep.

* * *

I have waked, I have come, my beloved! I might not abide:
I have come ere the dawn, O beloved, my live-oaks, to hide
 In your gospelling glooms,—to be
As a lover in heaven, the marsh my marsh and the sea my sea.

* * *

The tide ’s at full; the marsh with flooded streams
Glimmers, a limpid labyrinth of dreams.
Each winding creek in grave entrancement lies
A rhapsody of morning-stars. The skies
Shine scant with one forked galaxy,—
The marsh brags ten: looped on his breast they lie.”*

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*Excerpts: Sunrise By Sidney Lanier

Photography:  Copyright, JayJacy Photography ©2013-2021 All Rights Reserved
No Reblogs Please.  Thank you.

Golden Days of Autumn Beauty

We are excited for Autumn as we see the leaves falling so planning many photographic excursions in Virginia!  Capturing the beauty of Autumn weather is one of our favorite times of the year.  Hope to see you on our Virginia travels!  @jacyjoypals

Autumn, one of nature’s most beautiful times for photographers to capture beautiful light, color and subjects.  We are off to photograph the “leaves and foliage of Autumn” in the mountains, at the lakes and in the forests from East to West, North to South for our new series “Autumn on Canvas”!

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Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain,
With banners, by great gales incessant fanned,
Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand,
And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!
Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne,
Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand
Outstretched with benedictions o’er the land,
Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain!
Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended
So long beneath the heaven’s o’er-hanging eaves;
Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended;
Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;
And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid,
Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!
_Autumn, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Photography: “Golden Days of Autumn Beauty, Art on Canvas,
Copyright, JayJacy Photography ©2017-2021
All Rights Reserved 

Spirits of Dawn And Majestic Heights

We return to the beauty of the mountains from the seaside to enjoy the majesty of heights and quietness of special places. Morning walks are best here where beauty, poetry and restful hearts, minds and bodies enjoy a refreshing for busy days ahead. Walk with us…

O SWIFT forerunners, rosy with the race!
Spirits of dawn, divinely manifest
Behind your blushing banners in the sky,
Daring invaders of Night’s tenting-ground,—
How do ye strain on forward-bending foot,
Each to be first in heralding of joy!

With silence sandalled, so they weave their way,
And so they stand, with silence panoplied,
Chanting, through mystic symbollings of flame,
Their solemn invocation to the light.

Too still for dreaming, too divine for sleep,
So range the firs, the constant, fearless ones.
Warders of mountain secrets, there they wait,
Each with his cloak about him, breathless, calm.
And yet expectant, as who knows the dawn…

But lo! the east,—let none forget the east,
Pathway ordained of old where He should tread.
Through some sweet magic common in the skies,
The rosy banners are with saffron tinct;
The saffron grows to gold, the gold is fire,
And led by silence more majestical
Than clash of conquering arms, He comes! He comes!
He holds His spear benignant, sceptrewise,
And strikes out flame from the adoring hills.

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Excerpts from Sunrise on Mansfield Mountain by
Alice Brown (1878-1962)
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Photography: Copyright, JayJacy Photography for @HDRCHIC ©2016-21 All Rights Reserved- No Reblogs Please. Thank you.

Inspiration Moments

Looking for Inspiration? It’s everywhere in nature…even in storms…
One of the most amazing things that happens to photographers is that expected moment when cloudy skies burst open up with shades of beautiful color in hues of the rainbow and more!  This was one of those moments, I was inspired and I grabbed the beauty of it!

Golden Lights

In search of beautiful light is always a quest for photographers and golden light of sunrise, sunsets, beautiful sunlit trees, cloudy days and waterfront are ones we truly delight in.  The rolling hills and fields in the countryside spun with golden lights are also a favorite.  There is beauty of golden light to be found everywhere if we just pursue it.  A recent interior design project sent us on a journey for just the right light and color for fine art prints to complete our design.  With our blue and white project, what is more beautiful than golden light hues coupled with the classical softness of HDR.  The six images for this “Art on Canvas” project are thus entitled “Golden Lights.”

~ ~ ~

“Above yon gleaming skies of gold 
One lone imperial peak is seen; 
While gathered at his feet in green 
Ten thousand foresters are told:
And all so still! so still the air 
That duty drops the web of care. 
 
Beneath the sunset’s golden sheaves 
The awful deep walks with the deep, 
Where silent sea doves slip and sweep.”*

~ ~ ~

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Excepts:  By the Pacific Ocean, Joaquin Miller

Copyright, JayJacy Photography ©2000-2020 All Rights Reserved
for HDRCHIC

No Reblogs Please.  Thanks!

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Before and After the Storm

“The Calm Before the Storm”

This post is a reminder to me that with the storm of life comes beauty and anticipation of a stunning day at Amelia Island coming soon.  Despite the COVID19 and all that entails, the beach and sunshine have no partnership with it.  Go to the beach and soak in the sunshine!

A respite from the snow and cold of winter, this image inspires us to “think” of warmer days and the delights of the ocean and the opportunities it brings to us to venture into wonderful places to photograph nature. This image along the waterways and salt marshes of Amelia Island was shot just as the clouds were rolling in for a major thunderstorm which created wonderful crisp-clear color and interesting cloud formations. As the threatening lighting and thunder were behind me, I was reminded that with beauty must also come danger and it is especially so in landscape, nature and wildlife photography.

After the Storm:  We return to the beautiful and restful Amelia Island, a place of beauty, refuge and respite, peaceful sunrise and sunsets and blue hour glory.

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* * *

Blue Hour at Christmastime

A revisit to Christmas Blue Hour.  Christmastime is here at last, a favorite time of the year for faith, family, food, festivities and of course, beautiful decorations of light and color, snow sledding, skating and enjoying the season.  It is a delightful time for photographers to capture the beauty in HDR.  As we embark on our Christmas Photo Tour, we share a favorite from our Greenbrier Photo Shoot:

* * *

Beautiful in Blue, The Greenbrier Resort glorious in color, lights and couple that with the “blue hour” and “snow’ — a recipe for pure delight to the eyes!  A week at Greenbrier on combination photoshoot and holiday adventure offered a plethora of wonderful delights for our HDR photography.  We trekked the estate at 12 degrees and six inches of snow to photograph the lights and decorations filling cards to the hilt until we were frozen and on return were rewarded with a cozy place in front of the fireplace with super-delish hot chocolate, warm cookies and a glorious concert!  It was a  truly a magical Christmas holiday adventure!

The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. As a National Historic landmark, The Greenbrier Resort’s classic architecture, exquisite interior design, carefully sculpted landscape, impeccable service and outstanding amenities have hosted distinguished guests from around the world since 1778.

Visit our galleries for a larger view of this image:  Beautiful in Blue

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HDR Notes: Canon 5dMII, Canon EF50mm f1.2L, Raw, [3 at +2-0-_2] ISO 800, Photomatix, Topaz DeNoise, PS-CS4, Sandstone Texture

Cars, Trucks, Photo Walks & Friends

What better way to enjoy a Saturday than photo walking with friends.  We often participate in photo walks both our own, local and the biggie, Scott Kelby’s WorldWide Photo Walk.  For photographers who love working in HDR-DRI, the endless subjects for creating amazing images are everywhere and photowalks allow friends to get together at various times and places to share together their love of photography.   This image is from our local Winchester Photowalk WWPW led by jArt.  It was a beauty and the Classic Car Show provided more than expected from the walk.

PGSunrise

Glorious Promise Gardens Sunrise