Full circle

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. iPhone 6 / Snapseed borders

Yin-yang

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. iPhone 6 / Snapseed

Curious Queso

I was on the phone a few days ago and was absentmindedly fiddling with one of my dangling earrings. Queso came running and I got these shots of him–mesmerized by these shiny, moving things. Photos shot with my iPhone 6 (and yes, I was on the speaker phone and managed to get these shots at the same time. Creative multi-tasking, I call it). Borders added in Snapseed app (my go-to app these days; love it!) I am constantly amazed at the level of quality of phone snapshots and I use mine all the time for fun projects. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up my pro camera(s) anytime soon.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Wednesday sky

Last night’s sky was so painterly with a brilliant blue background, storm clouds, wispy cotton trails, and glowing gold patches of sunlight. I went a little nuts photographing it with my iPhone 6 (border added in Snapseed app) in a mall parking lot. Beauty is found in the most mundane places!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Katy Kinard’s God of Fireflies project

My friend Katy Kinard​ is requesting help on launching her fourth album, God of Fireflies. If you like the styles of Sarah McLachlan, Nicole Nordeman, and David Wilcox, then you’ll love Katy’s music.

I met Katy online a few years ago when she asked for permission to use a photo of my friend Tom’s Virginia farm for the interior of her Lullaby Hymns CD. She sent me several CDs of her music. She plays the piano and guitar and has a really beautiful voice, too!

One of my personal favorites is Spring, from her Headed Back CD. Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l0dgvyYseo

I’m lending a hand by contributing signed and matted prints for patrons who donate $150 or more to her project!

Check out her Kickstarter page to learn more: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katykinard/new-god-of-fireflies-cd-release-the-light

 

 

Just in time for spring…

RE-POST: In spring 2012, I had my first botanical photography exhibit, “Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio,” at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. Barbara Kelley of Kelley Hospitality (who is also the editor-in-chief and my partner with Celebrate Home Magazine), did a phenomenal job of catering the reception in mid-April. There wasn’t a crumb left of anything when the event was over!

Barbara shares her yummy recipes and party tips in “Inspired by the Garden: Garden Muse Tea Reception,” in the summer issue of Celebrate Home Magazine. Barbara and I published four issues of Celebrate Home Magazine as a personal project in 2012-2013.

I am forever grateful to her for all her hard work and very major contributions to that very special day! Special thanks to Hollace Goodman, who served as catering assistant, for her work as well. Special thanks Ed Fagan of Columbia Photography and Margot Juliette Storch for photographing the event for us. I recapped the event on this blog in the links below:

Scenes from an exhibit reception, part 1

Scenes from an exhibit reception, part 2

More scenes from a reception for Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio

View the issue as reader spreads (my favorite!):

CHM Summer 2013 Spreads

View the issue as single pages (suitable for printing out the recipes):

CHM Summer 2013 Single Pages

Splurge and purchase a beautiful print copy on magcloud.com (no markup; at cost + shipping):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/600404

Help us spread the word! Share Celebrate Home Magazine with your family and friends.

 

Learn how to make jam!

Want to learn how to make jam? My friend and jam master Sophia Stadnyk shows you step-by-step how to make jam in our spring 2013 issue of Celebrate Home Magazine. Turn to page 36 to learn how. Then turn to page 42 for Barbara Kelley’s article, “Cooking with Jam,” where you’ll find (jam-packed!) recipes for an appetizer, entree and three sweet treats.

Barbara Kelley and I published this magazine series in 2012-2013 as a personal project. Click on the link below to download the free pdf of this issue!

Single pages version: Celebrate Home Spring 2013

Reader spreads version (my favorite!):
Celebrate Home Spring 2013 Spreads

Order a print copy (at cost, plus shipping):
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/540569

You can also view it on issuu.com here.

Written by Sophia Stadnyk. Photography © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Celebrate Home Magazine: Spring!

It’s almost spring and I thought I’d share the spring issue of Celebrate Home Magazine again. Barbara Kelley and I created this magazine in 2012-2013 as a personal project and had so much fun doing it! Click on either of the links below to download your FREE pdf copy of this issue.

This issue is jam-packed (and there’s even a jam-making feature with my friend Sophia Stadnyk!), so download today and get started reading.

Single pages version: Celebrate Home Spring 2013

Reader spreads version (my favorite!): Celebrate Home Spring 2013 Spreads

Order a print copy (at cost, plus shipping): http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/540569

You can also view it on issuu.com here.

On the cover: What says “spring” more than colorful tulips? I was photographing this bed of flowers and was standing on the edge of the wall when this little girl, clad in a princess skirt with sparkly shoes, came running around the corner. I got this one shot and she was gone. Serendipity!

Staff portraits for Hearing Loss Magazine’s special convention issue

These are the interior shots I did of the HLAA staff members for our annual convention issue of Hearing Loss Magazine.

Spot the differences!

Barbara Kelley (acting executive director of HLAA and editor-in-chief of Hearing Loss Magazine) came up with the idea of doing a “spot the differences” photo game for this issue. I had fun making changes to the original cover photo. Can you spot the 21 things I’ve changed in this photo?

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Cover Shoot: Hearing Loss Magazine

The latest issue of Hearing Loss Magazine was so much fun to design! I design and photograph for this bimonthly publication of the Hearing Loss Association of American (HLAA).

I photographed the HLAA staff at Union 206 Studio in Alexandria, VA in early February. With 14 people I had to have more room than my little studio would allow. I loved working with the cyclorama wall. I’m thinking about joining the studio as a member for those times I need to use a larger space. The fees are very reasonable and the three individual studios are nicely done. Special thanks to studio owner Charles Butler for his assistance in helping me set up for this complicated shoot.

The March/April issue is our annual convention issue. This year’s convention will be held in Washington, D.C., June 23-26 at the Washington Hilton. For more information, visit http://www.hearingloss.org/content/convention

We wanted to welcome attendees to the city, so we came up with the tourism concept for the cover. I also did individual shots of each employee so I could include their photos along with their tips on fun things to do and see in the area.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sunset at Wrightsville Beach, NC

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. iPhone 6 / Snapseed app

 

Craft Studio: Flower pomander ball

While I was in Wilmington, NC this past weekend, my friend Dawn and I crafted this flower pomander ball. We watched a youtube video to learn how to burn the fabric. The flowers are crafted from various size fabric circles that are layered and hot glued together with embellishments. It was a bit frustrating at first to determine just how close the fabric had to be to the tea light flame to make it curl and pucker. Dawn became the master fabric burning guru while I assembled 22 flowers and glued them to the styrofoam ball. When I started to apply the first flower, I plopped on a big blob of hot glue. The ball began to roll so I grabbed it with my right palm…palm met hot glue and turned me into a swearing machine. It was SO painful! No pain, no gain—even in the crafting world. We are pretty proud of our first attempt at making handmade fabric flowers. One thing we learned—gold lamé fabric will ignite and disappear in a flash (good thing my baby sister Kelley never stood near an open flame while wearing her twirling costume in high school!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.