Ginkgo branches

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sunday sky

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

Icarus flying too close to the sun (see him above, left?)

Signs of fall #2

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 8Plus, Snapseed 2 app border)

Signs of fall #1

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (iPhone 8Plus, Snapseed app borders)

My Garden Photography Workshop at River Farm

Yours truly is leading a garden photography workshop on Saturday, October 17, at River Farm, home to the American Horticulture Society!

What I’ll be teaching can apply to everything from a DSLR to a point-n-shoot to your smartphone.

The workshop is 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., with a lecture and hands-on guidance photographing in the gardens at River Farm. (I just attended a botanical illustration workshop a few weeks ago, so I know the social distancing/mask wearing is in effect there.) The event will be held exclusively outdoors under their big event tent. Their address is 7931 E Boulevard Dr, Alexandria, VA 22308.

If you’re local and want to attend, learn more in the link below!

https://connect.ahsgardening.org/river-farm-events/2020/garden-photography-workshop—non-members

Runnymeade Garden Club

When my friend Elizabeth recently mentioned the flyer (on Facebook) that I sent out to residents when I started the Runnymeade Garden Club (eons ago), she described it exactly as I created it—little colorful squares with photos taken around my garden and in the neighborhood. I just came across the front and back covers of the brochure I distributed around the neighborhood. I have no idea what I did for the inside of the piece–will have to locate the file. But for now, here are the two covers. On the back cover, you’ll see a tabby cat in the lower righthand corner—that was my sweet boy, Jasper. I hosted the garden club for about four or five years (I don’t remember exactly how long), then needed to step back for personal and business reasons—I put a lot of time, effort and money into this wonderful group of “Weedettes.” It was just what I needed during those years, and I made many wonderful long-lasting friendships as a result.

Hibiscus

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. iPhone 8plus, Camera+2 app in macro mode

Orange Jessamine (Orange Jasmine)

Orange Jessamine (Murraya paniculata)

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

Morning glory blooms

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

 

Rudbeckia

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

 

Tiny Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

 

Crocosmia

Crocosmias are part of the Iris family. Originally from South Africa, the name comes from the Greek words for “saffron” and “smell.”

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

Bumblebee on Coneflower

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro)

Daylilies

For this shot, I diffused the light shining directly on the daylilies, but allowed the bright dappled sunlight to filter through in the background.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Daylilies

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. Nikon D850 / Nikkor 105mm micro

Hydrangea blues

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Stargazer lilies

My huge cluster of stargazer lilies put on quite a show a few weeks ago! 18 blooms across four plants, and so fragrant that I could smell them from the front porch! 

Shot with my iPhone 8Plus

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

“Hosta seeds” (NOT)

A few weeks ago I shared a post about some unusual color hostas available from a FB ad. I took the bait and paid $12.95 (including shipping) for “200 hosta seeds” from a company called Garden Gate (apparently NOT affiliated with the magazine of the same name). My hostas in the backyard garden are gorgeous this year, so I thought, why not add some new varieties–and with those colors (which I admit seemed a bit suspect, but I was smitten already!) would mean color in the garden when nothing else was blooming. Plus, hostas are perennial and easy care plants. I’ve never seen a hosta seed and didn’t know whether they grew from seeds in the first place. Win-win, yes?

I then read reviews saying you will NOT get 200. You will NOT get actual hosta “seeds.” And there is no hot pink hosta in existence.

So I promptly wrote to PayPal and told them what I thought of this company. I was refunded just a few days later. Then today, I just got these “hosta seeds.” Not 200, by a stretch. But since they’re FREE and I’m curious by nature, I’m gonna plant them and let you know what transpires. (They look like tulip bulbs or something smaller. Someone commented and said they look like garlic cloves, which they do. No garlic smell, though.)

Also, the box was already open. Guess whoever tampered with the box saw “hosta seeds” and considered it a bust. Wish me luck on whatever these are. 😜

Just counted them….24.25 “hosta seeds.”

Blooming in my garden: Oriental lily ‘Stargazer’

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

Blooming in my garden: Asiatic lilies

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

Blooming in my garden: Asiatic lily

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

Oriental lily ‘After Eight’

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

Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)

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

Raindrops on Lambs ear leaf

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

Louisiana iris ‘Black Gamecock’

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

Allium

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

Asiatic lilies

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

Love-in-a-mist

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bumblebee on daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Daylily

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Gladiolas

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded iris

Okay, one more black-blackground-outdoors scenario with my Bearded irises…it was overcast but high light this morning, so I was able to get some really cool contrast in this image…so much so that it looks like I added some artificial lighting to the right (I didn’t, I just harnessed mother nature!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bearded irises blooming in my garden today

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. (Photographed outdoors with a black velvet background)

Bearded iris blooming in my garden today

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Forget-me-nots and Hosta ‘Abba Dabba Do’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Siberian iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

White Bleeding Hearts

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Siberian iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden: Bearded iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

Blooming in my garden: Bearded iris

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

 

How to Grow Your Garden Photography Skills

It’s that time again! Time to get out your camera (and your macro lens, if you’re fortunate to have one!) and get out in the garden to start capturing images of early spring flowers. (And if you don’t have a tripod, please get one. As much as you may not like toting one around, they are instrumental in capturing really sharp macro images; trust me on this!)

In my front yard garden, I already have purple crocus in bloom and the Hellebores have been blooming since February (hardy and eager plants, those Hellebores!). The tulips will probably be in bloom in a couple of weeks.

In September 2011 I was interviewed and featured on the Nikonusa.com website about photographing gardens. Since the weather is getting warmer every day and early spring flowers are making their appearance in our part of the country, I thought I’d share the article and accompanying photos with you again! Click on the link below:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Learn-And-Explore/Photography-Techniques/gr35ffdt/all/How-To-Grow-Your-Garden-Photography-Skills.html

Kenilworth catalog

I compiled this catalog of my best Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Garden images earlier this week. I get orders a few times a year from the park’s store for matted 5×7 prints and greeting cards. I wanted to show them an expanded gallery so they’ll have more images to choose from when ordering. I can’t wait to get back out there in mid-summer to capture new images!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Alstroemeria (Peruvian lilies)

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Thunbergia (Black-eyed Susan vine)

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Eastern tiger swallowtail on Vervain

Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro lens, 1/250 sec, f/13, ISO 400

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Daylily ‘Frans Hals’

(Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm micro)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Sharing Brian Loflin’s feature article in Bird Watcher’s Digest

Fellow photographers (especially the bird-loving ones), just wanted to share my former boss / mentor / lifelong friend Brian Loflin’s latest project—a feature article in the current issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest highlighting South Texas photography ranches and bird photography. Brian writes, “These photography ranches earn a secondary revenue stream from this type of activity instead of / in addition to the traditional consumptive activity of hunting. In my wildlife photography course, I try to instill the benefit of participation in, support of and aid in building these activities.”

You can check out Brian’s photography and learn more about this wildlife photography workshops here.

I hope you enjoy the article, which begins on page 58 of the pdf. Click here to download: Loflin-birdwatchersdigestJul-2019