Milestones & 33 Years in Business 2021
MILESTONE CELEBRATION HONORING - "Diana Dyer" with "Diana Dyer Photography" llc was a success celebrating the past and moving forward for the future! This took place back in June of 2021! I felt honored to have such amazing friends, colleagues and family their to support me and my business. Thank you everyone!!
I am not sure what the future in moving forward will bring in my business but I am excited to see where this leads me...
Diana Dyer's Personal Journey
I received her first camera at nine years old in 1968. I always had a camera in hand at ball games, etc. My first wedding assignment was in 1983 for my brother Bobby and sister-in-law Debbie. My first family portrait session was in 1984 for Ozell and Waymond Dyer on a white wall in their trailer with a sheet background. I Started as a professional photographer and business owner January 1989, which also included my first in-home studio in my one-car garage.
I worked at JC Penny, Mike Hawthorn Photography, Glamour Shots & Olan Mills to try and find the right calling for what I was looking for in my photography. There were many challenges along the way in my journey and times when I wanted to give it all up, feeling alone in my choice of career.
But the year 2005 brought many blessings for my business. My daughter-in-law wanted to learn photography and I desperately wanted to develop my skills on the computer. We shared our knowledge with each other and helped each other to get started with the next leg of our journey. I also discovered the Indianapolis Professional Photographers Guild in 2005, which was a real blessing for me to find mentors, friends, education and so much more to help grow to where I am today with my journey. I was elected for the IPPG board in 2019 & 2020 served two years and for 2022 I now serve on the IPPG board as the Director at large!
I also started a 56-product line of greeting cards and stationery in 2005 along with 10 consignment shops, one storefront, one art gallery, and five exhibit booths, where I displayed my work in 10 locations and 26 competitions including my portrait photography.
In 2007, I decided to focus on portrait photography full time again and in 2015, began volunteering with nilmdts “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” a remembrance photography organization for parents and families suffering the loss of a baby and provides a free gift of professional portraiture. I also serve for her church as a member of the Impact Team for Emmanuel Banta Campus as a Professional Photographer.
Over the years, I have received many awards including a Mayor’s award, numerous ribbons, plaques, a medallion, a crystal trophy, a golf club trophy, and five featured images in different places. I have also had the opportunity to photograph several special VIP sessions including: Tamika Catchings, a professional basketball player with a fundraiser for Wernle Children’s Home, Joe Thiesman, a professional football player with a fundraiser for Wernle Children’s Home, Doctor Clara Stokes, national speaker for helping troubled teens across the country; Flashes of Hope with Mark Watson for Riley Children’s Hospital, fundraiser for the first soldier that lost his life in the Iraq War in 2003, Jesse Hauling, the tallest woman in the world (Sandy Allen at 7’and 7 1/4 inches tall) who passed away in 2008, the oldest woman in the world (Edna Parker) age 115 who passed away in 2008 and Nellie, a grandmother age 86 that had never had a professional portrait taken in her life, who has also passed away.
I still have every negative, slide, CD, dvd, etc, in her files ever taken since I was 9 years old. As a professional photographer only, I have photographed over 1000 portrait sessions, 100 weddings, 70 events, and 10+ fundraisers.
I have received my education with approximately 45 seminars, webinars, zoom meetings, classes in person, workshops etc. My schooling began in 1989. One of my goals was to become a Certified Professional Photographer through Professional Photographers of America. It has taken three years, but I was able to pass the written test and finally passed with flying colors my image submission! My second goal is to seek my Masters in Photography through PPA in which I am already on my way.
MILESTONES ALONG THE WAY
David, my Big overgrown teddy bear with a Big heart and 48 years together, has been my rock! With 43 years of marriage plus 5 dating, he has supported me every way possible to see that I could follow my dream in my journey... 381 David! You will always be appreciated. He had me at hello...
Cindy, has been my best friend since 1980 (43) years and counting! Cindy and I share secrets and they never get abused. She has been there as my friend & when my business was established in 1989. Cindy has been there through good times and bad on my journey with no questions asked!! She is the best, when it comes to multitasking in business and became my associate, assistant & secretary. To this day, I can call her and say (I need this) and she’s on it even living 3000 miles away in Oregon. We may only see each other once a year, if that but we talk almost everyday when we are able. She always holds me accountable for my actions. She has my back no matter which path I choose to take even if she did not agree with me… Now, we are celebrating this once in a lifetime friendship that some people would never get the privilege to experience. We have planned a trip out west and will be enjoying nature and photographing the whole way. We are both excited for this adventure that is a long overdue… Also Cindy has been a 6 generation & longest client for 41 years of photographing her family from: 3 weddings, 5 seniors, 3 graduations, 5 newborns, 2 dance recitals, 1 football, 1 baseball, 1 grandma age 86 that never had her portrait taken professionally, 1 mother portrait, several family portraits and counting… I just recently realized this milestone was there. Love all of you... Just to add a little note here, our daughters Michelle and Stacey have now been best friends for 41 years and counting! They are four days apart born in 1981.
Tara, my daughter-in-law, had an interest in photography and I desperately needed knowledge of the computer/photoshop/light room, so we agreed In the year 2000, that we could share/trade off my knowledge in photography for her knowledge of computers. To this day, we still share our knowledge when in need of a helping hand. Wow, what a blessing for us both!
Cynthia, was there when I needed a BIG boost to get up to date with some things. I was kind of stuck in the 90’s and I felt she would be the one to help me get out of the ole days and bring in some new. She is now one of my associates that I have had the pleasure to work with in Large Events, Weddings and more. We keep each other held accountable for our actions as we grow. We both are volunteers with “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” (NILMDTS) helping families cope with the loss of a child by giving them a special gifted portrait of their child. The company had a request to photograph a 5 year old that was ready to be taken off of life support at Riley Hospital. NILMDTS only photographs newborns. With the loss of two children myself and two grandchildren from my daughter, I understood what the family was going through and wanted to go ahead with their request on my own. I called Cynthia and asked her if she would accept this with me to make sure this family had a gift portrait to remember her by and she didn’t hesitate to take on this opportunity with me. She made sure our paperwork was ready and we spent the day at the hospital waiting on life support to be taken off this child. We were there to help in the grieving process of the child's family and comfort them anyway we could. The family appreciated everything we had done for them. That makes it all worth it for us both to know we had a hand in helping this family get through these tough challenges. I do feel very blessed to have met Cynthia in my journey…
Nancy, is one of my mentors along the way that inspired me to go after my dream in this journey! She gave me the tools in creating Portraiture that helped me see another side in how I photographed portraits. She inspired my vision in creating the artistic side for competition and to go after being a “Certified Professional Photographer”. I just recently accomplished this for 2021 after 3 years. Now, I plan to go after my “Masters” which I'm already in the process of doing. When I felt like a failure as I failed the written test more than once, Nancy was the first to tell me “NEVER GIVE UP, YOU CAN DO THIS” and I hold on to those words today!! It is a privilege to have Nancy in my life…
Lois, is a one of a kind friend. I will never forget the day I needed help in one of our Winona educational classes with a computer program that was not cooperating on a download I needed. Not feeling real good anyway, I knew it was going to set me back from the class and I would have to struggle to catch up. I was ready to give up and walk out of class getting myself all upset and wanting to cry. I had asked 3 students for their help and understood they had to keep up with what was going on too but it made me feel alone at that moment and not part of the class like nobody cared I was there. Lois knew I was upset and offered her help. Together we were able to figure out the problem. Lois touched my heart at that moment. I felt so blessed to have crossed paths with her…
Sarah, is an extraordinary kind of person that will go that extra mile to help where she is needed. She is volunteering her time serving as president for our IPPG Family. Her hands are full in representing our group in every way possible. Much respect is given and well deserved! Way to go Sarah!! Wish you luck as you move forward!!
Ardath, I had the pleasure of working on our image submissions for our cpp. “WE DID IT, WE PASSED”!!! Yay… So great to share this special project with her and get to know her better…
Mike Hawthorne, gave me the opportunity to work for him as a Wedding photographer in 1990. Mike also other photographers working for him besides myself. I had started my own business as “Memories by Diana” in 1989. The education Mike gave me back then, is a huge part of how I photograph my weddings today. Yes, the Technology has changed a little bit and I had to adjust with today's photography world but I never forgot his teachings from back then. Mike was a big part of my journey as I moved forward. I could never be more grateful for Mike being a part of it all...
Elsie, was there when I was a child and received my first camera at age 9. We may not get to see each other like we would like too but we both know how much our friendship means all these years. She was one of my childhood besties back then. Elsie and I spent many days at the ballpark where I taught the word “CHEESE”!!! I still have some of those pictures along with every negative I have ever taken. Elsie has also always supported me in my journey…
IPPG: If you get the chance please check out my book of my journey I’ve taken since 1989. I felt like a failure at one point in the 90’s and felt all alone. Researching for other photographers and not having the confidence it took to be successful was a huge issue for me and I felt like the little guy all the time as I watched other photographers grow that started around the same time I did. What I realize today, is all I needed to do was give one of my peers a call and change all of that. Even though the 90’s were some of my best years given to my clients. Now 32 years later, the feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming at this moment in my career. I still have dreams to look forward to and will eventually get there but no matter what “I will never give up on my dream and keep moving forward”! I am proof it can happen for you if you want it bad enough. I tell people it’s in my blood and won’t let me stop. I never thought I would get to this point in having so much confidence in myself and feeling successful today. I no longer feel like the little guy…
One of my BIGGEST turning points in my journey was accomplished in 2005 as I discovered IPPG. There, one of the first things I learned was to keep the same Company name and use your own name if available, so that I did and changed to “Diana Dyer Photography”. I found other photographers that were feeling like I did all those years and needed help in growing their business. The growing education that I received with this group has helped make me the photographer I am today. I now have many photographer friends/peers that we have each other's back if needed. I can’t say I ever had that in the 90’s. Learning together with everyone and getting all the education possible along the way has been the BEST parts of my journey as I continue to move forward with my IPPG family... I served at Treasurer from 2019-2020 and now serve IPPG as Director at Large for 2022 and moving into 2023!.
I do want to recognize: Cynthia, Todd, Tim, Linda, and I wanted to try something new with a small photography group called “Moving Forward”. Cynthia asked me what I thought about starting this small group to see where it would take us all and asked if we could use “Moving Forward”, I had used in a blog I had and I said “Let’s do it”! Our small associate group we shared together went for about a year but everyone seemed to be moving forward pretty quick in their business and we ended up having to part our own ways. Such an amazing friendship with peers we had together.
Family/Clients, my family has been my life and supported me in every way. I am deeply honored to have them in my life…
Let’s not forget my clients that have cheered me on for success throughout the years! I can’t even tell you how much I appreciated each and everyone of them. I loved being their photographer and part of their family. To this day, I have clients from the 90’s still calling me for their photography needs… Love my job, career, and clients.
*I want to thank everyone for being here tonight and helping me get to a good place in my journey. Thank you for helping us celebrate 32 years in Photography and still counting! I can’t wait to see what the future holds!!!
Diana Dyer Photography
dianadyerphotography@gmail.com
8527 Stoddard Lane
Indianapolis In. 46217
317-366-1284
CAPTURING YOUR JOURNEY, ONE MOMENT AT A TIME, SINCE 1989!