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Peggy Dyer:
The Chameleon Eye
By CharMaine Beleele
Californian storyteller Linda King Pruitt once said, "Storytelling has become much more to me
than just telling stories from history. It is a path I've chosen that takes me daily on a
journey that I share with children and adults as I reach, teach and touch through the magic
of story." The same is true for Peggy Dyer's storytelling images. Colorado-based photographer
Peggy Dyer blends in whether she is at an East Indian wedding, on a Hawaiian cliff, atop a
Rocky Mountain or in a family's home. She is a chameleon, donning the appropriate personality
to blend into her clients' worlds, observing them as real people, in their truest moments
with her unique style. Her images have taken her on a journey, a lifelong voyage in which
each photograph reaches, teaches and touches the viewer, communicating not only the event
but the emotion of the moment.
Recently Life magazine expressed interest in Peggy's work. "I was contacted by an
editor from Life magazine several months ago. They were looking for interesting
photographs depicting the theme of celebrations." Life was intrigued by the story
of Angelo, who met his girlfriend, Leah, while she worked at Starbucks. Since Starbucks became
a daily part of the couple's romance, "he felt it was only appropriate that he surprise her
with his marriage proposal as he went in for his morning cup." Peggy beamed, "I was there and
documented every moment from the walk through the door, to him falling to his knees and her
exclaiming, 'Yes!' The editors loved the idea because we've all heard of stories about
proposals, but rarely see one captured."
Peggy's vision, "to create artful, unique and powerful images that bring
those fleeting life moments back to the surface, year after year," is clearly reflected in
such works as "Soulful Life Moments." The recognition from Life also validated
Peggy's twelve-year commitment to networking within her community. "The editors of
Life magazine might never have had the opportunity to view my work in the first
place," without her connections to local organizations like Becoming Mothers
(www.becomingmothers.com) and
her friendship with the Adventure Rabbi Jamie Korngold
(www.adventurerabbi.com).
Peggy shares an important lesson, "Make friends with the people in your community."
Another way she has become known in her community is by sharing her talent with local
charities. She has helped raise thousands of dollars for the Boulder County Humane Society.
She also donates portraits to children's charities for use in their annual reports and
presentations. "I feel very blessed to have this talent to share; it gives me such joy
to know that my work is raising money to help the community, especially kids," says Peggy.
"I strive to do more on a national level. Who knows what will be next?" Recently she has
been concentrating her attention on children and lifestyle photography. "I love photographing
kids. It's my passion, it's my calling and it's who I am. I play with them. I allow their
little personalities to unfold during our time together. I've got several clients that I've
been working with for years. It's so amazing to watch these kids grow up." She continues,
"Brendan, whom I first photographed at 5 with a 4 x 5 view camera and all natural window light,
is graduating from high school this year in June. I have an irreplaceable visual story of his
life already, and it's just getting started."
Peggy finds joy in watching moments bloom into images. Her photojournalistic style is designed
to "become almost part of the family instantly and unobtrusively preserve special moments
of the day." She even names her shoots Storytelling Sessions, and in her words, she starts
by "building a rapport with her subjects that leads to candid moments that capture the
essential expression of emotion." Cracking a pixie grin, she shares with WPPI her best
secrets, deceptively simple and charming.
Secret #1: Time. "I spend time getting to know my client, deciding what they want
to convey, a particular place that has meaning, a favorite sport or hobby. Then, during a
session, I am studying their personality and incorporating the pieces into the moment I'm
capturing." She adds, "I've heard from numerous clients that their favorite part of working
with me was that they felt relaxed and comfortable. I work within their comfort zone and get
right up to that line, and we play right to that edge and take it further. Without my
photographs some moments of life would go unseen."
Secret #2: Trained Observation. Henry David Thoreau said, "It's not what you look
at that matters, it's what you see." Beneath her calm exterior breathes intensity and
concentration. Like a cat that is fascinated by movement, she absorbs every bit of sensory
data she can gather. "As an artist, I'm constantly taking in the information, the quality of
the light, the curve of a cheek, the scent in the air gathering up the reserves of my visual
library." How do you train your power of observation? She explained, "You watch, you listen
and you become the information through the camera. I feel my way into the moment and click,
the image is captured." This eye for emotion defines her artistic style. "I capture memories;
my work is creative, highly stylized, edgy and artistic."
Secret #3: Imagination. Imagination is the use of a unique personal vision to "render
moments in a creative, expressive style "that allows clients to relive those memories for
years to come. The imagination that has created the Dyer style was fostered even in her
childhood from age 5. As a child, shopping for a frilly dress with her Nana reveals her
creative side. "I wanted no part of it. All I really wanted was a new notebook and some
crayons. Finally, Nana found a store, and purchased a newsprint tablet and some tiny Snoopy
colored pencils. Even then I was anxious for the blank page, to tell my story in pictures,
words and ideas." The Snoopy pencils transformed into a beloved 35mm camera when she studied
photography in high school. Her imagination on paper was translated to the lens forever.
Inevitably, she graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art in 1993. She immediately embraced
her professional life in photography and began by building her business in commercial work,
but found herself increasingly drawn to portraiture.
Kevin Kubota introduced Peggy to workflow, color management and actions at his Digital
Bootcamp. Peggy says, "Photoshop helps me to achieve an artistic image that can be replicated
and reproduced." She has created a set of customized brushes and a series of original edge
treatments and textures that she applies when it feels right. In addition to applying layers
in Photoshop and adjusting the blending modes, Photoshop allows her, in her words, "to achieve
a more painterly, ethereal look to the images." Once the artwork is complete, she sends the
files to Jeff Jones (www.jeffjones.com),
who creates large exquisite Giclée prints and binds them into hardcover books.
At Digital Bootcamp, she also met inventor Craig Strong, who was just introducing Lensbabies,
his unique version of soft-focus bellows lenses. In fact Peggy nagged him into selling her
pieces to make her own prototype, even though they had not yet hit the market. "I think from
a technical standpoint, my most important lenses are my Lensbabies. For me, it is a natural
extension of my vision of creating memories. When you close your eyes, the memories are soft,
emotive and not always crystal clear. It's not about the focus, it's about the feeling."
Within the pages of her journals, she has written her personal mantra many times, "Don't ever
waste your days not doing what you dream to do." At this moment in her life, Peggy is living
her dream, traveling and photographing weddings, events and everyday life. Her destination
weddings have taken her to Aruba, Hawaii, San Francisco, Florida, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
In between her assignments, she created what is the ultimate vacation shot. The viewer sees
a pair of perfectly relaxed feet, standing but submerged in at least four inches of silky water
and an inch of velvety sand. You can almost see the toes wiggle, and an imaginative point of
view makes it appear that they are the viewer's own toes. "I think that traveling around the
world photographing people's lives is my dream shoot!" says Peggy.
There is no doubt that her three key secrets of time, observation and imagination will unlock
the doors to many more adventures for her. "Lately I've started to shift my focus and narrow
where my talent serves the highest purpose," says Peggy. "I love to teach and inspire people
to be creative and step outside of their comfort zone." If, as Confucius said, "words are the
voice of the heart," then Peggy's images certainly must be the visions of the heart. See them
at www.peggydyer.com.
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