I enjoy looking for unique perspectives on seemingly mundane subject matter….In this case, it is a stack of old windows on my deck that I am repurposing into a sculpture (updates on that process at another date).

Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f/1.8E (manual focus) Lens

I met Sophie and Paul on a very wet and rainy day … we’ve had a lot of that in the UK recently. However, they both have something special to celebrate … their baby is due in January and Sophie is turning 21 today (congratulations)!

They certainly both entered into the spirit of the shoot … in fact, they were both laughing so much that it was difficult to get them to look mean and moody … I knew that the shots would work really well in black and white …

but that’s also due to the fact that Sophie and Paul don’t know the sex of their baby … cheeky little thing was hiding during the scan so it’s going to be a surprise!

Oh, and I forgot to mention another reason to celebrate …

they are getting married too! Thanks to you both for making the session such fun and looking forward to meet your new baby in the New Year!

Yesterday, I had intended to leave my expectations at home, and go for a walk with my camera. A process that generally yields something new to add to Hours of Idleness. However, after dropping off my rent check at my landlord’s (he lives a few houses away), I realized that I just wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with how cold it was outside. I know, coming from frosty Chicago, I should be used to temperatures rivaling those of walk-in freezers, but that’s part of the reason why I wanted to leave. In any case, I shuffled back home to my warm environs, thank you Laclede’s, and decided to do a little photo safari around my living space. Here is some of what worked:

All Nikon D300 with Nikon 50mm f/1.8E (manual focus) Lens.

Hi folks!

I hope this post finds you all well! All very exciting at the moment as my interview in Professional Photography magazine is due to be published imminently…whoot whoot! don’t worry, as soon as I get hold of a copy i’ll it here on the blog for you all to have a look at! Also, while i’m on the subject of PP magazine, I’m pleased to say that the Editor, Grant Scott was really pleased with his portraits (see my last post) which was a big relief!

Right, back to this weeks post. the shot below is another photo taken on my recent holiday to Greece. As is typical for me on holiday, I’d woken up really early in the morning  to catch my pre-booked taxi in pursuit of a sunrise. And, as is typical with foreign taxi drivers, my cab didn’t show. So, at 5am in the morning, miles away from my planned shoot location, i decided to make the most of where i was.

Making  the most of my current location was more difficult then i envisaged, as there was a small mountain between me and the sunrise, so after lacing up my hiking boots (converse allstars) I began my ascent…in total darkness…with no torch…or map…!! Anyway, after a lot of huffing and puffing I made it to the top of the hill and was welcomed with the dullest sunrise ever…boo!

So, feeling quite let down I began my descent to the Hotel, at which time I was roused from my sulk from falling rocks above. I looked up and spotted a few goats on the ridge. So, in one last ditch effort I grabbed the 2oomm lens and started shooting This was the best shot from the morning:

Right that’s it for this week, and remember, keep your eyes peeled for my interview in Professional Photographer Magazine!!

Untill next time!!

Michael and I hosted Thanksgiving for all our “orphan” friends—those who didn’t have plans to go home to visit family but still wanted to celebrate. Our friends, Paula and Ken (far right), son Kirk (left in blue) and our friend and neighbor, Regina (left in red) helped us celebrate the occasion. Not wanting to bother with all that camera-on-the-tripod-with-time-delay-run-and-jump-into-the-scene business, I shot the first image and handed the camera over to Kirk. A little Photoshop trickery united the entire group into one image. It was done rather crudely and quickly, so don’t be getting out your magnifying glasses to scrutinize, ya hear? (Upon second glance, I wish I had removed Michael’s “claw” on my shoulder—never a good position for hands in a photograph—it looks like a dismembered hand—hmmm…maybe another challenge in Photoshop, perhaps?)

© Cindy Dyer & Kirk Grabowski

The day after Thanksgiving, this family met up again to do some formal family portraits.  This went suprisingly smooth for the large number of people- and the kids were quite impressive!  They followed directions and this shoot was done faster than a single newborn shoot!!

Santa made an early delivery just in time for Christmas!  He brought this sweet little present- but his older brother was so busy playing with all of the fun ornaments (balls) that he didn’t even have time to play with his gift during the session!

Less than 4 days away from being done! Yet still so far away…

Before Weathervane begins the first of many all-nighters to be pulled over the next few days, I will revel in this moment of deep satisfaction and a bit of nostalgia as I look back on the whirlwind of events that has made up “All the Pretty Snakes… (& Bellydancers)”. Today I spent at least 4 hours creating more videos from shoots that took place some time ago… We’re aware there was quite a lull in videos for a while there and our excuse is that we went on a business trip to Chicago and then came back to more shooting (with no time to spare in-between). You forgive us right? Well without any further delay…. we present Jessica and Sherri!

Reminder– only a little more than 5 days remaining to purchase the 2010, “All the Pretty Snakes… (& Bellydancers)” calendar at 20% off… http://weathervanearts.com/alltheprettysnakes/ .

Today Michael and I headed out to the Green Valley Book Fair in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about 2-1/2 hours away (you know, because we simply need more books). The late afternoon sky was spectacular—simultaneously gloomy on our right with swaths of cornflower blue on our left. Then the sun broke through a dark patch, illuminating the barren trees. We were compelled to pull over and get this can’t-miss-it shot.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Today Michael and I headed out to the Green Valley Book Fair in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about 2-1/2 hours away (you know, because we simply need more books). The late afternoon sky was spectacular—simultaneously gloomy on our right with swaths of cornflower blue on our left. Then the sun broke through a dark patch, illuminating the barren trees. We were compelled to pull over and get this can’t-miss-it shot.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Here are some of photos captured during their wedding day, hope both of you will love them

# The lovely couple and the photographers, Susan (right) and me (left)

For more photos, please go Here.

For the movie clips, please go here:  Video Clip 1 | Video Clip 2

** Special thank to Susan for her hard works to create these 2 lovely video clips with great songs

~ all photo are capture by Nikon D700, Nikon D300, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, Nikkor 85mm f/1.8, Sigma 10-20mm,  SB900. SB800 ~

I photographed Martha and her daughter, Corinne, last December down in San Antonio when I was visiting my family. While I posted the “glamour sessions” with all my “models,” I didn’t post any of the mother/daughter duo shots. You can see the results of those glamour sessions posted here. Martha flew up two weekends ago to join us for our first-ever Tapas Party. She now has a whole new gaggle of friends in the D.C. area!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

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3 Exposure HDR. Click image for full size.

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On Broadway

Old Room

I took this photo during a “photo lesson” weekend back in June. It was before I bought my camera, I borrowed someone’s Nikon D300 (it’s an amazing camera by the way).

Actually I was going to make an HDR photo out of this but mistakenly had the wrong settings on the camera so it became a regular photo.

It was a room in St Feyre castle, an old tattered room that was falling apart. I loved the blackened walls from the chimeney smoke and the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, it was connected to an old switch that was probably a security hazard. But those are the risks of photography

Details:  Aperture: f/4  –  Exposure: 1/15 sec  -  Focal lengths: 12mm  -  Iso: 250

Do You Have OCPD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Photography Disorder (OCPD) is characterized  by perpetual thoughts about photography—when you are driving to work, when you are at work, when you are driving home from work, and even when you are lying in bed preparing to go to sleep.   The symptoms of OCPD range from repetitive cleaning of one’s camera equipment (even when not dirty) and extensive hoarding of newly purchased gear (otherwise called NAS/CAS, or Nikon/Canon Acquisition Syndrome) to an obsessive preoccupation with where and when your next photo trip is going to take place.  Individuals with this disorder will often walk or drive around aimlessly looking for any and all photo opportunities—even if it means lugging a 30 pound pack and tripod through a snow storm.  

For those with OCPD tendencies, photography has most likely shifted from being just an avocation or casual pastime, to an unequivocal part of their identity and psychological makeup.  Individuals with OCPD no longer look at the world through normal eyes, but as if they are peering through a camera viewfinder all the time—always in search of fresh perspectives and unique subject matter to capture.  And irrespective of what subject is being discussed, individuals with OCPD will always find a way to relate any topic back to photography.

These symptoms may be alienating and time consuming (especially to your significant other who often does not understand your disorder, or your boss who wonders why it’s taking so long for that project to be completed because you are too busy stalking the photo forums), and may even cause severe economic loss—especially when that new VR lens makes its way onto the B&H website. 

The typical OCPD sufferer performs photography-related tasks, or compulsions, to seek relief from obsession-related anxiety.  Within and among individuals, the initial obsessions, or intrusive thoughts, can vary in their clarity and vividness.  A relatively vague obsession could involve a general sense of tension and imbalance, accompanied by the belief that life cannot proceed as normal unless our fingers are firmly planted on the shutter and we are actively engaged in the process of taking pictures. 

In extreme cases, an individual who engages in compulsive hoarding of camera equipment might even be inclined to treat their gear as if it had the sentience or rights of a living organism.  This will often manifest itself in the form of a nickname for our cameras, or otherwise assigning a gender reference, such as “she or her.” 

While some with OCPD perform compulsive rituals because they inexplicably feel they must, others act compulsively so as to mitigate the anxiety that stems from not being able to take pictures all the time.  Compulsions include counting specific things (such as pixels, frames per second, focus points, f-stops, number of lenses/camera bodies in one’s collection, etc.). For some people with OCPD, these tasks, along with the attendant and continuous thoughts about photography, can take hours of each day, making it hard for the person to fulfill their work, family, or social roles.

According to University-lead psychiatrists who have coined the term, “shutter therapy”—just going out and actually taking some pictures, rather than merely thinking about taking pictures, should be regarded as first-line treatment for OCPD.   The occasional gear purchase can also help in managing some aspects of the disorder, although this is often a temporary solution.  Winter can be a difficult time for OCPD sufferers, especially when stuck inside for any prolonged period of time.  Often, these individuals will resort to taking pictures of meaningless and often uninspiring inanimate household objects (including but not limited to their cats) in order to satiate and quell their photo-related anxieties.  Do You Have Obsessive-Compulsive Photography Disorder (OCPD)?   Well, I think you know the answer to that question…

The time has come again to celebrate the season.  As I smell my pumpkin pie cheesecake baking in the oven, it is time to post some holiday pics from the enchanting Christmas event I held on Sunday.  Can you feel the magic?

This location was brand new to me!  The sights were gorgeous and once we got the little man to loosen up we were smooth sailing for some fun and play.

This little man, Gunner, is my psuedo nephew.  Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa, and big pup ‘Oreo’ jumped in some pictures too!

These two pouches, Porkchop and Fudge, were energetic and fun, and knew how to pose for the camera!  It didn’t take long to get these smiles!  Mom and Dad did well too

One of the most enjoyable aspects of  “All the Pretty Snakes… (& Bellydancers”) is the coming together of so many creative, talented individuals. Last Friday we took over EPICA studios for a multi-person shoot with Sherri Wheatley and friends (snake and otherwise). This particular shoot brought a lot of anticipation and agonizing over every detail as it was by far our most complex shoot from a costuming and makeup standpoint.

In come Amy and Melissa! At Karma’s Halloween party, these two sisters (along with third sister Meredith) did a zombie-inspired number with makeup to boot! So Lee asked Amy if she had any experience with costume makeup, explained to her the concept of our trying to achieve the look of stone, and soon thereafter started communicating frequently about how best to accomplish said goal. Lee was busy all last week starching thrift store shirts to get a frozen, statue-d look With some professional makeup purchased from Cinema Secrets in Los Angeles, a few makeup brushes, sponges and whatnot, and most importantly, some very enthusiastic and talented participants, we were ready.

The day of the shoot dragged – it just seemed like it couldn’t happen soon enough! But then in rolled Omarr, Tonantzin and Zenen… followed shortly by Amy and Melissa. Slowly but surely the whirlwind of creative energy started up… clothes were flying as we fitted the men for their statue costumes. Once that was done, the sisters were out in the parking lot adding finishing spray-paint touches to the starched clothes which Karma then finished. Then the sisters (aka makeup artists extraordinaires) and I soon had the men lined up in another room and were making the transition come to life. We coated their faces first with gray, then with a darker color to shadow, and white goop to highlight; those of us doing the makeup had our hands and wrists covered in it. Amy and Melissa were so expert at applying the makeup, and also extremely patient with me as they instructed me in the ways of costume makeup (I jumped in because it looked like so much fun, plus time was of the essence)! It took almost an hour and half and 4 sets of hands to transform 3 men into statues. It was so much fun!!!

There is no way we would have accomplished this shoot without the help of our volunteers: Amy, Melissa, Karma, Omarr, and Zenen, and even Tonantzin and Sada for their moral support and snake-holding ability. We hope the effect will be mesmerizing, however we are true believers that the process is just as satisfying, if not sometimes more, than the outcome itself. It was a lot of fun having an extended team of snake-charmers around and we’re so appreciative that they endured more than 5 hours of “All the Pretty Snakes…” up close and in person!

Medusa and her village

Thanks to my two good gearhead friends for loaning their precious gears to me! I feel like I am an alien touching and playing those with digital toys since I shoot with film cameras most of the time.

Yea, I know I am vain… which photographer isn’t anyway?

But I would be much prouder to see myself holding a classic film camera.

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5 Exposure HDR. Click image for full size.

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Rest In Pieces