In the studio with Michael Powell (in action!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

When Michael P. and I were doing our fun portrait session last month in our shared studio, we decided to “loosen up” and get some silly shots. We were trying to decide how to show up the shoes (especially the soles) and not just by him sitting down. So the ever-energetic Michael came up with jumping and I must say I tired him out after about 20 shots! I told him to pretend he was a Rockette dancer and he should be very proud that he can kick his leg up THAT high at 66 years old (and in a suit, no less)! We knew the background wouldn’t hold his tall frame (especially when jumping that high), so we decided to share these anyway—consider them behind-the-scenes studio shots! Also, I’m not known for action shots, so there will be a technical learning curve if I pursue this type of portraiture…but we sure had fun creating the silly ones. Now if we could only build a cyclorama in the studio…..

In the studio with Michael Powell

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

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/

In the studio with Michael Powell

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio: Michael Powell

Having fun with my studio partner, Michael Powell—shooting with the mirrorless Nikon Z50 and the 16-50mm kit lens (and a fun, inexpensive (less than $20!) paint splatter background I ordered from Amazon). You can see Michael’s gorgeous nature photography on his blog here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the (traveling) studio: Shawna, Eric, and baby Ian

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

In the studio: Barbara Kelley (installment #3)

Model: Barbara Kelley, Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association of America

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (Nikon D850, Nikkor 85mm lens)

Hearing Life: Katherine Pawlowski

I photographed Katherine Pawlowski for her cover feature in the July/August issue of Hearing Life magazine, a bimonthly publication that I design for the Hearing Loss Association of America (www.hearingloss.org).

Katherine was named the first Walk4Hearing ambassador in 2014, and she and her mother traveled to many Walks to represent children with hearing loss. A few months ago, I visited with Katherine, now 14, to catch up on her life and learn about her continuing advocacy efforts.

I photographed the family in 2014 for a Walk4Hearing cover feature, and was happy to catch up with them again for this feature shoot. Thanks to my friend Michael Powell (see his wonderful blog here), for serving as my trusty assistant, holding the diffuser and reflector during the shoot.

You can read my interview with Katherine here:

https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HL_2020_4_Dyer.pdf

 

In the studio: Maria

Maria Keffler was my first official portrait session in our first month (May) in the new shared studio space (with my friend and photographer Michael Powell).

Maria is a published author and a very talented fiber artist/pattern maker as well. Read more about her here. Purchase her books on Amazon here. She also sells crochet and knit patterns, and several of the pieces she is wearing in the photos below were designed and created by her. You can purchase her designs on Ravelry here. Find her on her Maria Keffler Books Facebook page here.

Michael and I are subleasing with another creative on a six-month basis. The price was right for a short-term commitment (and shared with Michael, for whom I am extremely grateful for helping make it happen) and I hope to shoot many more sessions during this time—and possibly be able to continue the experiment! It’s the first time I’ve had a studio space outside the house.

I’ll be announcing some studio portrait specials soon, so stand by! Visit Michael’s blog here to see his wonderful wildlife photography as well as educational and amusing narratives.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

In the studio: Monica

This image was captured on my iPhone 8Plus in portrait mode!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio: Monica

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.  (Nikon D850, Nikkor 85mm)

In the studio: Monica

Just finished a really fun photo session with Monica. She works at an Apple store and when I saw her the first time, she had her hair pulled back and I thought to myself, “she sure would make a great photo subject.” The next time I saw her, she had her hair loose and natural like this and I was compelled to ask her to pose for me. I’m so thankful she did, because we just got some really great shots. She’s never modeled before, but she’s a natural at it. More shots to come! (Thanks for modeling for me, Monica. I’m so pleased with the results!) Nikon D850 and 85mm Nikkor lens

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iPhoneography: Still life with Lobo

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 8Plus, Snapseed2 app border)

In the studio: Charles Mokotoff

More shots from my studio session with classical guitarist Charles Mokotoff

Visit http://www.charlesmokotoff.com to hear his music!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio: Charles Mokotoff

My friend Charles is a classical guitarist. I photographed him playing his guitar for his website and this was one of the head shots I did at the end of the session.

Visit http://www.charlesmokotoff.com to learn more!

Marvelous Marva Laws

More shots of Marva Laws from our photo shoot for the article written by Nancy Dunham for F&I and Showroom magazine…

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Published: F&I and Showroom Magazine

Thanks to my dear friend, neighbor and talented writer, Nancy Dunham, for this photo assignment for F&I and Showroom magazine. Nancy interviewed Marva Laws for this cover feature and I shot the accompanying photographs at Volvo Cars Annapolis, where Marva works.

Read more of Nancy’s work here: https://nancydunham.journoportfolio.com/

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio: Victoria

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio: Victoria

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio: Victoria

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

In the studio: Victoria

I had a great photo session last night with my friend Katye’s daughter, Victoria. She just finished her first year in NYC studying at AMDA (American Music and Dramatic Academy). Students usually spend the first two years in NYC, then transfer to AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Victoria is so ahead of schedule in her skills that it was recommended that she move on to LA after just one year for further training! I used an LED ringlight as my main light and two LED lights overhead for hair highlights. These were shot with my Nikon D850 and a Nikkor 85mm 1.8 lens.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio with Shelby

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In the studio with Shelby

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In the studio with Mia Elise

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In the studio with Mia Elise

Mia is the granddaughter of my friends James and Irma in San Antonio. Their daughter Tess and son-in-law Chris left Mia with them for the weekend and we were able to do a quick photo session after dinner tonight. She was the best model. These are just a few of the almost-500 shots I did in less than an hour. She has such an expressive face!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D800 / Nikkor 85mm lens / LED lighting and ringlight

And here’s the look one gets near the end of a session…the Churchill stare:

 

 

In the studio with Lauren

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In the studio with Lauren

I bought this pink sequin tablecloth to use as a backdrop for tonight’s photo session with my niece, Lauren. We ended up using it later as a gown. Not too shabby for improvising, huh?

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In the studio with Lauren

In my studio-away-from-home with my niece Lauren, now in her pink hair phase (I love it!). She is as sweet and smart as she is photogenic. Thanks for modeling for me tonight, Gigglebean!

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Re-post: Nicole as muse

I have always loved the images I captured of my friend Nicole in this session taking many moons ago…I think I was trying to turn her into a forest fairy or something to that effect. She was always a great subject for photographs! I’m watching a Creative Live class with fine art photographer Brooke Shaden and am inspired to do more of this type of portraiture. Anyone out there want to yield to my creative whims? Sing out now and come on down!

Notes: This was pre-digital days, shot with a Nikon and Fuji slide film. For lighting, I used a torchiere lamp (yes, a lowly torchiere). Her clothing was simply swaths of satin and netting. I did her makeup, but her beautiful hair was inherited—Goldilocks is what Michael nicknamed her. I added the border in Snapseed just for effect.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Cover girl/boy/dog

We visited our dear friends Tom, Holly, and sweet Bailey in their beautiful new home in Charlottesville, VA back in August and I shot some photos with my iPhone 6s while we were downtown. Holly submitted a photo for a publication in their Glenmore subdivision and thought they would be featured inside in the “welcome newcomers” column. The magazine arrived and they made the cover, too!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.