The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project / Installment #7

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.”

For Installment #7, we have (hairy) Harry White (Little Rock, AR); friend Betty Ferguson (Denton, TX); Ashley Polk-Sutherlin (owner/artist at Stephano’s Fine Art Gallery, Little Rock, AR); Dolly Parton (Pigeon Forge, TN), new FB friend Paula Biles, owner of About the Lotus, http://www.aboutthelotus.com/ (Bradenton, FL); owner/artist Stephano Sutherlin of Stephano’s Fine Art Gallery (Little Rock, AR); Eual (Hoquiam, WA); Harry & his mother, Gay White​—my friend Sue Cummings‘ aunt and Former First Lady of Arkansas—(Little Rock, AR); friend Debbi and her brother Paul (South Pittsburg, TN); friends Joe and Karen Wyatt (Alexandria, VA); friend and fellow Emmylou Harris fan Jim Slattery​ (Washington, D.C.); garden and lifestyle TV personality/author P. Allen Smith at his Moss Mountain Farm outside Little Rock, AR; Lori (Tacoma, WA); Marge (Hoquiam, WA); friends Pam, Nancy and Ft Eyre​ (Hot Springs Village, AR) at Moss Mountain Farm this past week; friend and fellow photographer Alex Solla (Trumansburg, NY); Teddy (at Moss Mountain Farm in AR); friend and HLAA member Molly Corum​ (Tampa, FL); and finally—during his whirlwind trip around the world in Great Britain, Paris and Italy (without even leaving Vegas!)—my longtime friend (met him in the first days of AOL a gazillion years ago!) Bret Keisling​ (Harrisburg, PA)

If you’d like to participate, head to your post office and request the Water Lily Forever Stamps, then photograph yourself (or your dog/kids/significant other) with the stamps and email me at dyerdesign@aol.com or post on my FB page!

The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamp Project / Installment #6

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.”

For Installment #6, we have Dan (Texas) who happens to be wearing a really cool shirt with giant koi on it (how’s that for a nod to ponds?); my cousin Deanna (Georgia); my friend Hollace (Maryland); Joni (Couers Fleurs Farm in Kentucky)—I met Joni’s brother, Gary, when I was photographing one morning at Kenilworth and now I’m FB friends with him, Joni and her husband, Ed (all of whom have beautiful gardens that I want to photograph); Tammy (Georgia)—who is my cousin Deanna’s best friend AND, after some family history research last year, I have discovered that Tammy’s husband Darrell is actually my cousin, so that makes Tammy not just a friend but a cousin-in-law! (Is there such a thing?); Tammy used the stamps today on mail for their family business, Merritt Heating & Cooling; and last, but certainly not least, Elizabeth (Texas).

The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamp Project / Installment #5

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.” For Installment #5, we have my sister-in-law Ann (Kansas), friend-through-HLAA Juliette (Wisconsin), blog subscriber and new friend Heidi (California), my friend Martha‘s niece Erica (New York); former boss/mentor and friend Brian (Texas), Erica’s dad, Peter (New York) who is my friend Martha’s brother​, Martha’s mother Virginia (New York), friend-through-HLAA Marjie and her mother Judy (Florida), and a creative First Day Cover artwork submitted by Lloyd (North Carolina). Thanks for purchasing my water lily FOREVER stamps and sharing your mugs with me!

I’ll be announcing details on a contest to win a signed 20×30 gallery wrap canvas, which will be awarded to the person who collects the most selfies (need name/city/state of each) by an end date. Details to follow! Come on, stamp lovers—-get me those entries!

Blooming in my garden: Siberian iris

One more shot utilizing a black background (in lieu of showing a background composed of an asphalt street, a neighbor’s driveway and a yellow curb!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden: Bearded iris

And one more from my garden…Bearded iris (Iris germanica sp.) I have no idea which cultivar/hybrid this is.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Pow!

Here’s a little tip to achieve this bright punch of color in the background: I had my Nikon D800 with my Nikkor 105mm micro lens on a tripod and the peony framed and focused for my composition. I held my tri-grip translucent diffuser between the sun and the peony, but I let the background to the left be illuminated by the sun—that made the green pop against this hot pink peony. Sometimes I’ll diffuse the flower and the background but in this case, that background of lime green lit by the sun is just what I needed to make this image pop!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden: Bearded iris (unknown variety)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden: Bearded iris ‘Poem of Ecstasy’

With tall flowers like this bearded iris stalk, which blooms in my front garden, my background would be parked cars, kids on bikes or asphalt, so I substitute a background of either white or black foam core board to create my “plant portrait.” In this case, I chose the black as my background for more drama. I didn’t have to use my tri-grip diffuser this morning because the light was diffused already, creating an almost studio-lighting quality.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Flying lessons soon…

I photographed Mama Dove and her big babies again on Tuesday of last week. I checked yesterday and everyone has left the nest, but Mama and Papa are in view, behaving like sentinels, so I know the babies are now in their “flying lessons” phase and probably resting safely somewhere in my garden!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamp Project / Installment #4

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.”

For Installment #4, we have some very happy women on Beale Street in Memphis (Tennessee), friend-through-HLAA Dot (Nevada), friend and fellow photographer Ed (Maryland), FB friend Carolyn (Nebraska), FB friend Mary (Texas), friend-through-HLAA Tom (Florida), my friend Sue’s dear friend Susan (Missouri), my friend Zenna (Virginia), my niece Lauren (Texas) and FB friend Mary (DC). Thanks for purchasing my water lily FOREVER stamps and sharing your mugs with me!

New Exhibit of Garden Muse: A Botanical Portfolio at Children’s National in Washington, D.C.

All works are for sale and a portion of sales goes to benefit Children’s National!

Inchworm, inchworm

I spent quite a while photographing this little inchworm as he made his way along the jagged path of an Autumn fern stalk in the woodland garden at Lewis Ginter this afternoon. Here’s something I didn’t know until I did some homework: this little inchworm is actually not a worm—it is the larvae of a Geometer moth (exactly which type, I haven’t a clue). The word Geometer means to “measure the earth,” which is what the inchworms appear to be doing when they move in this looping crawl. They have two to three pairs of legs at each end so they can “inch” their way through life. (Now I can’t get the inchworm song out of my head!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Tulipmania!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Small Yellow Foxglove

Small Yellow Foxglove (Digitalis lutea)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Forget-me-nots

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

White Trillium

An elegant Trillium bloom (Trillium grandiflorum), photographed this morning at Green Spring Gardens (with my Nikon D800 and Nikkor 105mm micro lens)

Interesting fact: Trillium seeds are spread by ants, who are drawn to the small fruits produced by the plant. They eat the fruits and toss the seeds, which germinate where they fall.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography in my garden

Crabapple tree “confetti” and ‘Lady Jane’ Tulips in my garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography at Green Spring Gardens

Although I shot nearly 500 photos with my Nikon D800 in about two hours at Green Spring Gardens this morning, I also shot a couple dozen with my iPhone 6 and processed them on the spot with Snapseed2. The two members of my “photo posse” below are my intern, Andrew Savino, and my friend and frequent photography partner, Michael Powell. You can view Andrew’s portfolio here and Michael’s blog here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project / Installment #3

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.”

For Installment #3, we have friend-through-HLAA Jeff (Georgia), my friend Carmen‘s postal lady Diana (South Carolina), new FB friend Virginia (Florida); Carmen’s friend Marcy (Missouri); my friend Karen (Virginia); my friend Sue’s YAHAS group (Alabama); my cousin Deanna’s cousin Sylvia/J&T Tire Inc. (Georgia); Lee & Tweety (Missouri); and Marcy with her daughter and daughter-in-law. Thanks for purchasing my water lily FOREVER stamps and sharing your mugs with me!

The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project / Installment #2

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.”

For this collage, we have a slew of Texans—Luis, James, Sandra, Tracey, Martha, William, and Laney, followed by Juliette from Wisconsin and Ginny from New York. Thanks for purchasing my water lily FOREVER stamps and sharing your mugs with me!

The Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project / Installment #1

Thanks to all the participants who continue to submit to my “Traveling Water Lily Forever Stamps Project.”

For this collage, we have Dave (Missouri), Glenn (Oregon), Addison (Texas), Melody (Texas), Gary & Cindy (Ohio), Daniel (Pennsylvania), Elise (Texas), Irma (Texas), Nick (Illinois), Kathy (Maryland), Michael (Virginia) and Katherine (New York). Thanks for purchasing my water lily FOREVER stamps and sharing your mugs with me!

Striped Siberian squill and Hyacinth

I shot these two beauties with my iPhone 6 a few weeks ago. I always have my Nikon D800 with me on photo excursions, but now I’m also shooting with my phone from time to time just to play a bit (images processed with Snapseed2, now one of my favorite apps to use). These were shot at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.