Peruvian daffodil (Spider Lily Ismene)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

Sacred lotus

iPhone 12 Pro Max, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed 2 app border

Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio with Michael Powell

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

My USPS Stamps to date!

I’m working on updating and revising my photography-only website and created this collage as a side project. These are the 11 stamps with my images that have been published since 2014.

© 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2022 United States Postal Service

 

Columbine and hosta leaves

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded irises in my garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Lotsa purple! Siberian irises, Columbine and Spiderwort

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Siberian iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

May is one of my favorite months in the garden because it’s iris time!

Daffodils!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Tulip ‘Lady Jane’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

Tulips

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm micro lens

Tulip

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhone 12 Pro Max with Camera+ 2 app in macro mode

 

My 2022 Global Stamp Debuts!

Today’s the day!

It’s the first day of issue of the 2022 Global Stamp (with my photo of an African daisy) in Kansas City, MO.

Look for it at your local post office, or you can order online here:

https://store.usps.com/store/results?Ntt=african%20daisy…

This round Global stamp can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country to which First-Class Mail International® service is available. As with all Global stamps, this stamp will have a postage value equivalent to the price of the single-piece First-Class Mail International first-ounce machinable letter in effect at the time of use.

Global Forever® Stamp for 2022!

The USPS issued their very first Global Forever® stamp in 2013 (and it was a globe, appropriately). The USPS sends mail to over 190 countries, and guess whose photo of an African Daisy is going to be on the 2022 Global Forever® stamp? Drum roll, please…..

MINE!

I just got an email informing me that the news of the debut was released to the public today, so I can share the exciting news here!

USPS Reveals More Stamps for 2022: https://about.usps.com/…/0111-usps-reveals-more-stamps…

You can send 1 oz letters or postcards around the world with one Global Forever® stamp, which currently costs $1.30 and never expires, even if the postage price goes up. For large envelopes (flats) up to 15.994 oz, postage prices vary based on weight and destination.

The African Daisy stamp is being issued in self-adhesive panes of 10. This stamp will be released in Kansas City, MO, without a first-day-of-issue ceremony, on March 14. Sometimes the Postal Store will allow you to pre-order stamps from their website. I think they sometimes put issuances on pre-sale 30 days before issuance, so you might check out their site mid-February: usps.com/shop and then go to Stamps and search for African Daisy.

This is the 11th image I’ve had published as a Forever® stamp. Previously, I had images for: Ferns 2014, Water Lilies 2015 and Kenilworth Park (as part of the National Park Service 100th Anniversary 16-stamp panel) in 2016.

Hearing Life Magazine: 2021 Recap

It’s time for my annual recap of Hearing Life, which I design for the Hearing Loss Association of America. This year the magazine went from bimonthly to quarterly, and the issues are available for nonmembers to access now as well!

WINTER 2021 ISSUE

Allyson Welch explains how challenging it is to communicate as a mommy/daughter duo with hearing loss in Birds of a Feather—Better Together. In Hearing Dogs: What They Are and How to Get One, Allyson explains what an invaluable resource a hearing dog can be to help people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Kathi Mestayer explains the perils and pitfalls of technology and running meetings remotely in Telework: How’s That Working For You? Katie Byxbee, a young teenager from Connecticut, explains how she has the superpower to shut out any or all sounds in My Life Beyond Hearing Aids. Michael Harvey encourages a patient to correspond with her doctor about her tinnitus via a fantasized conversation in Doctors, Please Care That There’s No Cure. In Plunged Into Silence, Gloria Raskin realized how lucky she was to having hearing aids after hers were zapped during an MRI procedure. And finally, musician Wendy Cheng shares her journey with hearing loss and pursuing a music degree in I Hear You, Beethoven.

View here: https://ygsgroup.com/pubs/HLAA/2021/winter/

SPRING 2021 ISSUE

In this issue of Hearing Life, we celebrate the joy of music. For many of us with hearing loss, the problems we encounter when we try to enjoy music are among the hardest to accept. Composer Richard Einhorn shares what’s going on and what can we do about it in Music to Our Ears. If you’re a music lover, you’ll be inspired by nine diverse musicians who have refused to allow hearing loss to rob them of their enjoyment of music in Notes of Inspiration. Dr. Raymond Goldsworthy writes about Enhancing Music Appreciation for Cochlear Implant Users. Kristen J. Van Dyke shares the benefits of Music Education for Tiny Tots to Ten-Year-Olds. In Managing Hearing Hazards in the Workplace, Pauline Dinnauer explains how to work with your employer to ensure hearing safety in the workplace. Jackie Gayer shares her story of tinnitus and hearing loss from an ototoxic drug in The Dark Side of Cancer Treatment. And finally, Teresa Gonzales reveals how being born with hearing loss has made her more compassionate and given her better communication skills in A Gift in Disguise.

View here: https://ygsgroup.com/pubs/HLAA/2021/spring/

SUMMER 2021 ISSUE

In this issue of Hearing Life, we celebrate thirteen remarkable people who work tirelessly to educate, inspire and advocate for people with hearing loss. Psychologist Michael Harvey shares the story of a patient navigating the journey of grief and acceptance of her hearing loss in The Myth of Acceptance. In My Life as a Spy Kid, Katie Byxbee explains how her FM systems allows her to eavesdrop on top-secret conversations among teachers, earning her the nickname Spy Kid. And finally, we catch up with entrepreneur Hayleigh Scott in Leading a Charmed Life.

View here: https://ygsgroup.com/pubs/HLAA/2021/summer/

FALL 2021 ISSUE

In this issue of Hearing Life, Army veteran Katherine Yocom-Delgado shares the story of her hearing loss in Serving My Country. Hearing Loop advocate Stephen Frazier sings the praises of New York City and its dedication to providing hearing access with hearing loops, neckloops and telecoils in New York City—One Helluva Town for People with Hearing Loss. In A Sound Approach to Sports, golf pro Herb Rubenstein explains how listening carefully can enhance our enjoyment of sports and our performance in sports. David Seligman discusses the trying moments between a husband with hearing loss paired with his wife with no hearing loss in Listening for Two. Casey Bloom shares seven tips to help you navigate your way through the employment process in Tips for Job Seekers with Hearing Loss. Alison Freeman explores the issues of identity and hearing loss in Who am I? What am I? Identity Issues of the College Student with Hearing Loss. In Back Together Again! HLAA 2022 Convention in Person in Tampa, Amanda Watson shares some details about next year’s convention. And finally, Omoba Clement Aladeloye presents his poem about hearing loss—An Idiot, One Year After.

View here: https://ygsgroup.com/pubs/HLAA/2021/fall/

In the studio with Lisa

This past weekend I had a new subject in the studio—Lisa! We did some Alphonse-Mucha-inspired conceptual shots with wigs, headpieces and goddess gowns, and I captured some “regular” portraits such as this one. I’ve got a lot of photos to go through, but wanted to share this pretty one of her. Special thanks to my friend Gladys for doing the makeup and helping with styling!

Westcott FJ400 strobe with softbox, Westcott Spiderlite T6 with softbox, V-flat for bounce/fill; images shot with my Nikon D850 and 85mm Nikkor lens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Joe’s senior portraits

Joe is the son of my studio partner and friend, Anna. I photographed him last month in a local park that had gorgeous fall color. Special thanks to Michael Powell for assisting!

Nikon D850, 85mm lens, Westcott FJ400 strobe with softbox

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Saucy gardener

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Here’s another of my “experimental” portraits of Shawna in her wonderful desert-inspired garden. We wanted to do something sophisticated but contrast the look with those fun gardening boots. Shawna added the (mock)tail for a bit of panache!

Shawna is an accomplished author and a passionate anti-inflammatory wellness lifestyle advocate.

Check out her website here: https://shawnacoronado.com/

Check out her wonderful books here: https://shawnacoronado.com/books/

Check out The Wellness University here: https://shawnacoronado.mykajabi.com/

Shawna of the desert

These are just a few of the shots I did of my friend Shawna Coronado when I visited her on my “Arizona or Bust 2021” road trip that began on Thursday, October 8 and ended when I returned to northern Virginia on October 25.

So before I embarked on my long road trip, Shawna texted me, “How do you feel about Annie Leibowitz? Would you feel comfortable doing something over-the-top creative?” She wrote the magic words every artist wants to hear.

(Behind-the-scenes notes: The velvet dress was purchased online for $30; the fabric was $4 a yard and I bought it just a few hours before I drove over to her house…I had no idea what I would do with it, but with that sunset-southwest-ombre palette, I knew I had to have it. Shawna brought the cool lattice chair from her house and we shot just after sunrise in a local park. Shawna calls her curls “wild child hair” and I thought it mimicked the wild cholla cactus behind her quite well.)

I did lots of promo shots for Shawna for her business and then we spent this day doing more “fantasy/experimental” shots for fun. These are two of those shots.

Isn’t that ombre fabric just perfect for this shot?

Who’s next? 

© Cindy Dyer. All right reserved.

Stargazer lilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Thought I’d play with the black velvet background behind this group of Stargazer lilies blooming in my backyard garden this afternoon. I’ve previously done single blooms (mostly of Bearded irises), but wanted to see what the effect would be for an entire grouping of blooms. I shot this image with my iPhone 12 Pro Max using the Camera+ 2 app in macro mode.

American lotus

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

Blue Dasher dragonfly

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850, Tamron 180mm macro

In the studio with Michael Powell

In the studio with Michael #ConversePride

Michael P says: I am celebrating Pride Month 2021 with sole. T-shirt from the Converse 2021 Pride Collection, hightop Converse All-star Sneakers 2020 Pride Edition, and white Levi’s 501 jeans.

Michael is an accomplished nature/wildlife photographer as well as a gifted storyteller. Check out his blog here: https://michaelqpowell.com/

Gladiolus in my garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Alliums

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Irises at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Pocket garden, year #2

And so it begins—my second year of creating the “hanging garden of Babylon,” as Michael calls it. This year I added a lot more punchy color with red and pink polka dot plants and geraniums with colorful leaves. I added an Asparagus fern, coleus, white and green polka dot plants, sweet potato vines in three color variations and several ivies. Stay tuned for the metamorphosis!

Bleeding hearts

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

(Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro lens)

Bearded irises galore in my garden (bouquet #2)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded irises galore in my garden (bouquet #1)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.