White Prickly Poppy

White Prickly Poppy (Argemone albiflora spp. texana) is also known as the bluestem prickly poppy or the Texas prickly poppy.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 8Plus with Camera+2 app in macro mode)

iPhoneography: Blooming aloe vera

Photographed at Mission Concepcíon in San Antonio, Texas (iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

iPhoneography: Live oak tree with Tillandsia air plants

Photographed at Mission San José in San Antonio, Texas

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

iPhoneography: Wylie sky

Sunset over Wylie, Texas (iPhone 8Plus)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Gingko leaves

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 8Plus)

Ghost fish in the sky

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. 

Capillaries

I shot this image at a rest stop in Arkansas en route home to Virginia this week. My friend Greg purchased the new Nikon D850 (which I have been dreaming about) and let me play with it on this trip. I knew I’d love it! Now to just find some spare change in the couch ($3,300 to be exact).

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

San Antonio River Walk

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. iPhone 7 plus, Snapseed app border

 

Belle at Sweetwater Valley Farm

Meet my new friend Belle, front porch sentinel at Sweetwater Valley Farm, the magical cheese place in Philadelphia, TN. (She rolled over and requested belly rubs. I obliged. I think she probably wanted cheese.)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. / iPhone 6s, processed in Snapseed app

 

Mission San José

Window in the ruins of Mission San José, San Antonio, TX

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

Yin-yang koi

The reflection of a footbridge over the water created this lovely contrast. Photographed at North Terminus Indian Creek Trail, the first canal in Alabama (1831).

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

Ball moss on oak tree

Ball moss on an oak tree outside the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, TX

Learn more about this air plant here: http://npsot.org/wp/story/2009/19/

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

Summer inspiration

Inspired by summer and the beach (Polaroid transfers created from my favorite 35mm Fuji slides)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Field of gold

I shot this photo on my recent road trip to Texas. This was somewhere in Tennessee.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Landscapes

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: lovely skies of Texas

iPhone 6, processed with Snapseed app © Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Texas sunset

iPhone 6 / Snapseed app

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Texas sky (again)

iPhone 6 in pano mode / processed in Snapseed app / double-click to enlarge

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Yep

iPhone 6 / processed in Snapseed app / text applied in Font Candy app

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Somewhere in Alaska…

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Re-post: Late fall in the rural Virginia countryside

Originally posted November 7, 2009

Fairview Christian Church (Madison, VA), erected 1880…and nearby farms

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Jockey’s Ridge sunset

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sunset at Jockey’s Ridge

Wild sunset at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, NC, 10.18.2014

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Road trip in Iceland: Mossy selfie

For those of you who have requested a photo of me in Iceland, here you go! (No complaining, ya hear?)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Road trip in Iceland: Greener than Greenland

Iceland is greener than Greenland (or so I’ve read). This color abounds in my travels—such a happy shade of green! Yesterday morning I captured this shot on the walking trail to the Solheimajokull Glacier (actually called a glacier snout), in the southwestern outlet of the Myrdalsjokull icecap. River Jokulsa discharges it, and is sometimes called “The Stinking River” because of its emission of sulphuric acid from sub-glacial high temperature areas. (It didn’t stink, by the way.)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Road trip in Iceland: Brúarfoss

Another shot of Brúarfoss…I half expected Tattoo to come out and say, “welcome to Fantasy Island.” This place is SO indescribable. And on that note, it is 12:30 a.m. here in Iceland and this gal is t-i-r-e-d. Good night from Iceland (where, remarkably, you cannot find a bag of ice for your ice chest anywhere). Yes, there is no ice in Iceland (at least not cubes in bags).

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Re-post: Fuji G617 archives: Bryce Canyon

Originally posted 12.31.2010

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, photographed in the mid 90s (not sure exactly what year) with my Fuji G617 panoramic camera and Fuji RVP transparency film. The image height to width ratio is 3:1 and only four photographs can be made per 120 roll! The transparencies are 2.25″ x 6.5 inches long (6×17 cm). The angle of view with the fixed 105mm f/8 lens is about the same as my Nikon 24mm lens.

After my first trip (with my dad) to the Southwest, I was flipping through Joseph Meehan’s Panoramic Photography book and saw an image of Monument Valley shot with this camera. I knew then and there I had to have one, but certainly couldn’t afford the over $3,000 price tag for such a specialized camera. I found a brochure for one, tacked it over my computer, and vowed to work toward the lofty goal of acquiring one. I had wished fervently that someone would sell a used one. Voila!—a few weeks later one was advertised in the Washington Post for $1,900. The seller had used it just six times, photographing Little League group shots. It was in pristine condition and I was thrilled to become its second owner (he even reduced it to $1,800 just to reward me for my enthusiasm). I just saw one on eBay for that price and B&H Photo has a used one for $2,295.00. I’m happy to learn that this camera has held its value. Years later I was fortunate to meet Joseph Meehan at a photography seminar and had him autograph my copy of his book. Seeing these old images makes me want to go buy Fuji 120/220 transparency film (hmmm…how hard is that going to be to find in this digital age?) and lug my camera out to the great beyond!

Want to learn more about this attention-getting, shark-cage-surrounded, completely manual and mechanical film camera? Check out photographer Flemming Bo Jensen’s write-up on the Fuji G617 here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Re-post: Christmas in Montana

Originally posted 12.13.2009

I took this shot in Montana on the road between Gallatin Gateway (where Michael’s Aunt Jackie lives) and the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. We were spending Christmas at Jackie’s, along with two of Michael’s sisters and their families, in 1995. This trip included my first try at snowshoes (awkward, as expected), hiking up a mountain to find a Christmas tree Jackie had picked out (ask me about that adventure sometime), the snowmobile-on-frozen-lake-ice-fishing excursion (no luck for anyone), a fun (but very bumpy) snow coach ride with everyone through Yellowstone the day after Christmas (a gift from Aunt Jackie), me suddenly sinking waist deep in snow (along with Michael’s brother-in-law, Pete) while we were trying to get that perfect landscape shot (but we saved the cameras!), a sightseeing/shopping trip to Bozeman, and more cold and snow than you could possibly imagine. I probably shot this image with my N90s. I also brought along my Fuji G617 panoramic camera—I’ll have to find those really wide transparencies and get them scanned some day.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Yes, I’m going to Carolina (Beach) in my mind….

Yippee! After owning my iPhone for eight months, I finally figured out how to download all 1,514 images I’ve shot from April until this week onto my MacBook Pro. Now I can finally do something with them other than post them immediately on Facebook!

This first collage consists of photos that I took of Michael and my friend Karen on Carolina Beach (love those donuts from Britt’s!). I had a lot of fun using Snapseed, Hipstamatic and Instagram on my first iPhoneography efforts. Special thanks to Barbara for letting us stay in her adorable condo overlooking the beach!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Announcing art, photography and cooking workshops in Tuscany in spring 2013!

Earlier this year, my friend and fellow artist, Suzy Olsen, invited me to teach photography workshops at her villa in Tuscany. We had originally planned for workshops to happen later this month but the timing was too short for planning, so we moved the date to spring 2013.

Join us in Italy for a feast for the senses!

Spend seven days/eight nights in Tuscany for workshops in watercolor painting and photography, topped off with authentic Italian cooking lessons! Accommodations are in a lovely artist community at the top of a hill overlooking Poppi. The little town of Poppi is located in the beautiful Ortignano Raggiolo region at the center of the Casentino Valley, not far from Florence.

Two dates to choose from: April 19–27 or May 2–10, 2013

Trip includes accommodations, all meals, and daily workshops—watercolor and pen and ink classes with Suzy Olsen each morning; a travel, nature and portrait photography class with me each afternoon, and three authentic Italian cooking classes in the evening with Chef Daniela Cursi.

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

Artist Suzy Olsen will teach you a great way to use watercolor with pen and ink for travel sketches using just the supplies in your backpack. You will learn how to access views and single out what works best—sketching and using your pen, then you can later fill in with watercolor back at the studio where you will utilize photos for reference. Her demos will be done every day to assist you with how to use pen, papers, and watercolor to your best advantage. You can paint with both a notebook and a watercolor paper pad, and are encouraged to further your creativity in the studio at the villa. She will share her paintings and demonstrate watercolor and sketching techniques during the morning hours.

Graphic designer, avid blogger and award-winning photographer Cindy Dyer will show you how to capture the beauty of the Tuscan countryside with your camera including landscapes, nature, still life and portraits. You’ll learn about composition, depth of field and lighting and receive hands-on, personalized instruction in every session. Cindy will review your digital images throughout the week so you can improve your skills with each session. She will show you how to combine your watercolor paintings, sketches and photographs with narrative and captions to create an online blog or publish a travel journal with magcloud.com.

Chef Daniela Cursi has spent more than 20 years mastering traditional Tuscan cuisine and has worked as a chef since 1998. She will prepare our food and teach us how to make our favorite Tuscan meals such as homemade pasta and wood-fired pizza. She has mastered the local cuisine of the Casentino Valley near Poppi and Arezzo, which is famous for lasagna and ravioli. During late afternoons, Chef Daniela will host three cooking classes in which she will focus on these areas:

Homemade Pastas—You’ll learn how to roll it out using fresh country eggs to make the classic noodles: raviolis and lasagnas. Chef Daniela will also teach you how to create pestos and vegetable- and meat-based sauces.

Vegetables and Roasting Meat—You’ll learn to use fresh vegetables in side dishes and salads and how to grill meat over an open fire. Chef Daniela will share how the locals prepare wonderful appetizers—the traditional way to start a great meal!

Pizzas—You’ll learn how to make homemade pizzas using wood fire and desserts using pastries. You’ll see firsthand how beautiful simple food can be. We embellish with good wines from the area, and we’ll sample cheeses, local delicacies, sweets and more.

QUESTIONS? Contact Suzy directly via e-mail at suzy2art@gmail.com or text her cell phone at 210.556.8909 for more information. Contact me at dyerdesign@aol.com or call 703.971.9038.

For more details, download the preliminary brochure by clicking this link here: Tuscany Workshops

If you are unable to download the brochure, please e-mail Cindy at dyerdesign@aol.com and I will send you the brochure electronically. We are working on a more detailed itinerary and will be posting it shortly.