and hotter than… well, you know. That pretty much sums up our Summer here in Des Moines. We had a brief thunderstorm Saturday morning, with maybe a half an inch or so of rain falling in a very short span of time, and that was the first rain we had in. a. very. long. time. The sound of the thunder and the flashes of lightning were such a welcome sound and sight.
Typically, mid summer in Iowa the grass is a bright shade of green, the flower beds are bursting with color and blooms… (these pics were taken mostly in Des Moines Water Works Park, professionally maintained and manicured flower beds). Most of the grass in Iowa has gone dormant, dry brown patches are the new norm, and many flower beds outside of area homes do not look nearly as nice as these.
The day I was at the park snapping these photos, and trying to get good style shots of our newest quilt, it was 98 degrees, and the humidity was incredibly HIGH.
It’s been hard to enjoy typical summer activities like bicycling, sightseeing, going to the park, etc., because it is just difficult to remain outdoors for any period of time. Thankfully Saturday’s thunderstorm brought a little relief, and my sweetie and I were able to take the bicycles out for a ride Sunday afternoon–a very welcome break and a wonderful diversion.
I love the shot of that pink zinnia, one of my favorites, but the colors and the sunlight are just so rich. The bumblebees and dragonflies were busy that day, and not minding the heat nearly as much as I was…
See the eye of this bumblebee? Wild, huh? It’s amazing what you can do with a point and shoot camera when you put in a little effort.
As I said, my main reason for being out and about that day was to snap pics of our newest quilt for the new pattern cover. I received a lot of strange looks as I carried two quilts around in nearly 100 degree weather! This shot shows the Des Moines River in the background.
Hard to get a good quality, true color shot in such bright sunlight, but when the sky doesn’t provide you with cloud cover, you gotta do what you gotta do… (and Photoshop helps!)
Question for you quilters out there: Do you take your photos inside or outside? Do you wait for the perfect weather conditions to come around to take your pictures?
made by a brunnette 
Good question. If I’m just taking a quick photo of a block, I’ll just use my camera phone. Usually inside. But my sweetie is the photographer of the family, so if I ask him to photograph a quilt or basically anything, he’ll take it outside with his fancy camera and photograph it. It has to be the “magic hour,” as he calls it. That’s either around sunrise or before sunset, or anytime it’s overcast.
Nice pictures! I usually take them pics inside,but I love how the quilts look like outside and would take them outside weather (and helpers) permitting.
Anita–welcome back! 😉 Yes, it does often require helpers to photograph outside, doesn’t it? I often don’t have mine as he travels for work a lot.
Beautiful pictures! Needless to say, I am super excited about your new pattern. Your quilt is gorgeous!!! Pictures??? Mine stink inside or outdoors…haha. I’m trying to be a little more creative with picture taking 😉
Beautiful photos. I’m sure you are getting tired of hot and dry. We are lucky here compared to you. As for photos, funny you should ask because I just wrote in my post today that I tried inside last night and then outside on the deck this morning. The second ones were better, but still do not show the great colors of the fabric in real life!
Congratulations again on pattern number two!!
I so learned the difference in taking the pictures outside versus inside. They look so much better outside with the natural light than inside with the artificial light. Plus using great scenery can’t be beat. As for needing the help, I round a way around that. Now I go to the local park where there are baseball backdrop walls…a few clothespins and I’ve got my “helper”. Works well.
I usually end up taking inside pictures, so I don’t forget to document the project before I give it away. The Des Moines river backdrop is a clever idea for highlighting your new quilt pattern!
those zinnias are beautiful! It’s a summer like this that I’m glad I live in the PNW. It’s not as hot here!
I admit, I love hot summers. Dry summers? Not so much…The flowers are beautiful. =)
I take pictures of my quilts outside. Even in the dead of winter with snow on the ground. =) It never occurred to me to go to different places and take pictures of my quilts. With all the parks around here, I should consider doing that, or even using my neighbors pretty landscaped yard.