Tulips

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm micro lens

Camellia japonica ‘Jerry Hill’

Jerry Hill Camellia (iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Bearded iris

Bearded iris (iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed2 app border)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: ‘Flame of Jamaica’

‘Flame of Jamaica’ (Euphorbia punicea), from the Spurge family (iPhone 8Plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Bumblebee on Coneflower ‘Cheyenne Spirit’

iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhonegraphy: Coneflower ‘Cheyenne Spirit’

iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhonegraphy: Lantana

iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhonegraphy: Mandevilla

iPhone 8Plus, Camera+ 2 app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

In my garden: Bearded iris

Bearded iris (unknown cultivar name); Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm micro lens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

iPhoneography: Lantana

iPhone 7Plus, Camera+ app in macro mode, Snapseed app border

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Bearded iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded iris

I think this is a dwarf or intermediate bearded iris (hybrid name unknown).

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Camellia ‘Jerry Hill’

Jerry Hill Camellia (Camellia japonica ‘Jerry Hill’)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Canna blooms

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Northern Blue Flag iris

I think this is a Northern Blue Flag iris (Iris versicolor); photographed at Green Spring Gardens. I love the jumble of curving and radiating leaves framing this beautiful bloom (the raindrops in the foreground were a visual bonus!).

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

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:

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/scenes-from-an-exhibit-reception-part-1/

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/scenes-from-an-exhibit-reception-part-2/

http://cindydyer.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/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.

 

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!

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.

iPhoneography: Botanicals

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

A burst of color on this very gray day…

© 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.