Category Archives: Angie

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Railroad, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 390 – STORE

March 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

STORE! Everybody goes to them. Maybe not as much as they did before the pandemic, but you still have to go to them, unless you get everything delivered. Which I don’t think any of you do. I don’t have any friends that are that rich. Or do I?

But many people make it to a STORE to take a picture? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Sarah Karber – 2 weeks
5-Mindi Terrell – 2 weeks (2)
6-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
7-Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 6 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 6 weeks (2)
10-Nathanial Brown – 7 weeks (2)
11-Mike Vest – 7 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
13-Brandon Kahler – 27 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 31 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 32 weeks (3)
16-Angie DeWaard – 36 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 40 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 45 weeks (2)
19-Joe Duff – 47 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 4 8weeks
21-Teresa Kahler – 58 weeks
22-Carla Stensland – 58 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 60 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 61 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 62 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 66 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 67 weeks (2)
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 69 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 71 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 18 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 28 weeks

Linda Bennett (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York) – 33 weeks

Sarah Toot (New Jersey)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 48 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 49 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Illinois) – 62 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 63 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nassau Bahamas) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 494 weeks

27 participants this week. That is a great week. A slight dip from the last couple of weeks. Maybe there aren’t as many slaves to consumerism out there as I had thought. Which is a good thing… we’ll count it as a good thing.

The good news is that there were 3 new states added to the map this week! New York (Sarah Toot), New Jersey (Sarah Toot again), and Illinois (Andy). That means that all the states that surround Iowa have had a submission taken in them except for South Dakota. But I’m sure we’ll get there. I see you South Dakota.

Also, Cathie added our 2nd submission taken from outside the United States with Nassau Bahamas.

There were submission this week taken in the following locations:

+ Arkansas
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Nassau Bahamas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

16 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is now:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 2.5 miles from my front door. I know. Big time traveler this guy!

I think this map might grow again next week. A little birdie tells me that a certain regular contributor is going to Arizona this week and maybe Mexico, if they have the guts.

There were no big time milestones this week. Unfortunately there was a bit of a blood bath on the streaks front though. Jen and Mary couldn’t extend their submission last week into a streak. Sarah Karber’s streak went down in flames after 2 weeks. Willy’s 3 week is now as existent as his desire to show up for work.

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

SUNRISE, SUNSET

SUNRISE, SUNSET! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

It has been a few years since I’ve used SUNRISE, SUNSET for a theme. I was told it wasn’t a fair theme because people with children could not do it. I don’t know I bought it, but I don’t know. Maybe it is true. Either way, I put the theme on the sidelines.

I brought it back this year because it is the Special Theme Class for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Rather than writing up my own description, I thought I should just lift it straight from the Iowa State Fair.

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

Next year’s theme is a bright one that our world literally revolves around. The Sun is something that we as photographers like to photograph quite often, because it offers a multitude of creativity. In fact, we call the sunset the golden hours because of opportunities it presents to capture the perfect photograph.

Your assignment, however, is to not just shoot the sun, but to shoot it in a way that we have never seen before. While the sun must be the main subject, it shouldn’t be the only subject of your photograph. Ask yourself, what is making the Sun so interesting in the moment? What can you do to photograph the Sun to tell a story of what is happening in that moment?

This assignment will also give you the opportunity to play with shadows and light and all the many colors that the sunrises or sunsets can provide. Look for the dramatic contrasts that can occur when the Sun is providing the light for your photographs.

I’ll just add a couple more things.

#1. Putting objects between you and the sunset can make or break a SUNRISE, SUNSET picture. Choose wisely.
#2. A SUNRISE, SUNSET picture doesn’t have to be of the sun. Maybe for the Iowa State Fair, but not for our purposes. You can also turn around take a picture that is lit by a SUNRISE or SUNSET. A reflection of a SUNRISE or SUNSET can make a fantastic picture.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of SUNRISE, SUNSET in this place that is still in its sunrise phase next Monday.

9 Emotions Project, Aaron, Alexis, Angie, Baby Got Rack, Bethany, Black & White, Blogging, Boone County Fair, Formal Portrait, Kanoa, Kio, Kupono, Mary, Mom, Road Trip, Saydie, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Town Sign Project, Travel

An Artist’s Notebook Post #4757

March 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It has been 6,052 days since August 9, 2006. 16 years. 6 months. 24 days. Since I first posted something in this little experiment known as “An Artist’s Notebook”. 145,2485 hours. 8,714,800 minutes. 522,892,800 seconds. Which is to say, it has been a minute.

There are some very important people in my life that I didn’t even know 16 years, 6 months, 24 days ago. There are people that I thought were important in my life that have come and gone in that 864 weeks and 4 days. It has been a journey. Some good. Some bad. Some of it ugly, I’m sure.

6,052 days ago I started this journal with the following words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 4,756 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

4,757 posts. We’ve been through some stuff. I hope to keep going through some stuff for many, many, many more posts. 4,757 posts and I feel like I’m just getting warmed up.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #4500 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Macro – 495 (NR)
9. Teresa – 525 (#9 – +70)
8. Carla – 530 (#8 – +54)
7. Shannon – 539 (#6 – +39)
6. Road Trip – 569 (#7 – +92)
5. Art – 622 (#5 – +116)
4. Jesse – 630 (#4 – +51)
3. Animals – 735 (#3 – +37)
2. Flowers – 881 (#2 – +62)
1. Black and White – 992 (#1 – +74)

Dropped from the rankings was WPC – Submissions

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 389 (NR)
9. Nature – 437 (#9 – +41)
8. Formal Portrait – 447 (#10 – +66)
7. WPC – Submissions – 493 (#6 – +38)
6. Macro – 495 (#7 – +54)
5. Road Trip – 569 (#5 – +92)
4. Art – 622 (#4 – +116)
3. Animals – 735 (#3 – +37)
2. Flowers – 881 (#2 – +62)
1. Black & White – 992 (#1 – +74)

Dropped from the rankings is PORTRAIT. I’m trying to eliminate it as a category, so it should eventually drop to zero.

NAIMA and CANDID PORTRAIT have a shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post #5,000.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Willy – 318 (NR)
9. Logan – 329 (NR)
8. Derrick – 330 (#7 – +10)
7. Kim – 342 (#8 – +45)
6. Jay – 348 (#6 – +11)
5. Mom – 458 – (#5 – +5)
4. Teresa – 525 (#4 – +70)
3. Carla – 530 (#3 – +54)
2. Shannon – 539 (#2 – +39)
1. Jesse – 630 (#1 – +51)

Dropping from the rankings was Jen and Vest.

Micky, Vest, and Jen have the best shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post #5,000.

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 200 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #200 probably needs to be purged.

THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

#100. Kelly – 71 (NR)
#99. Commercial – 72 (#97 – +1)
#98. Self-Portrait Project – 73 (NR)
#97. Andree – 75 (#94 – 0)
#96. Flat Earth Joe – 75 (NR)
#95. Lowell – 79 (#93 – +2)
#94. Photo Journal – 79 (#92 – 0)
#93. Suzie – 80 (NR)
#92. Pastor Sarah – 86 (#95 – +12)
#91. Becca – 87 (NR)

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:

Jaycees, Vacation, Mark, Life, and Birthdays.

Now something I should explain is that I used to put Flat Earth Joe and Joe Duff under the same Category of simply “Joe” out of laziness, but in the last 250 posts, I split them.

Of these categories, I think Pastor Sarah and Suzie have the best chance to climb out of this list. Since I’m not doing the Self-Portrait Project his year, it could fall out of the Top 100. And I’m not sure what part of my life Flat Earth Joe will have in the future. He has taken a hard turn down the path of terrible decision making and has been in jail for over a month now. I hope he gets sorted at some point in the future. But quite frankly, I can’t make a prediction on his future. I can barely make a prediction on my future. So it is hard to say what will happen to that category. As for the category of Andree, I talk to Andree regularly, but he rarely makes an appearance on this website.

The categories that are closest to falling into the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 are Faust, Birthdays, and Joe Duff. But I think at least Birthdays and Joe Duff are pretty safe. I talk to Faust now and again, but he rarely makes an appearance on the website. I still someday need to go visit the Godzilla statue in his town. But I also need to visit Nate and Bethany and Becca and Bill and Sarah and well it is quite a list. When I think about it, I have to sit down on the couch and watch another episode of THE LAST OF US.

That categories that are closest to cracking into the Top 100 are Mark, Layla, and Vacation. But since Mark isn’t really part of my life anymore, I don’t see that busting through. I also can’t see a vacation on my horizon any time soon. But I like Layla’s odds. A lot of spunk in that one.

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

10. Las Vegas – 2023 – 42,941 Views

9. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 – 47,269 Views

8. Jayton Poole – 2022 – 47,464 Views

7. 9 Emotions Project – 51,763 Views

6. Miami Beach – 2022 – 53,087

5. Christopher D. Bennett – 112,907 Views

4. Selfie Project -2022 – 162,595 Views

3. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 184,949 Views

2. Town Sign Project – 201,352 Views

1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 223,723 Views

At post 4,500 these were the 10 Most Popular Galleries:

10. Iowa
9. 9 Emotions Project
8. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 8
7. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9
6. Selfie Project – 2022
5. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020
4. Christopher D. Bennett
3. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images
2. Selfie Project – 2021
1. Town Sign Project

The galleries that are right outside the Top 10 that have a shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post 5,000 are:
+ Drone
+ Daisies
+ FatMumSlim 2022

But considering I’m done with the FatMumSlim project, I don’t know that its gallery will maintain any popularity. I only know one person that definitely loves my daisy pictures, but I don’t think they poke around my website much these days. However, perhaps the Era of Rodan139 is nearly upon us. I could live with that.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

10. Dexter, Iowa – 1,964 views

9. Badger, Iowa – 1,967 views

8. Selfie with Mom – 1,993 views

7. Coon Rapids, Iowa – 2,146 views

6. Moingona, Iowa – 2,190 views

5. Prego Alexis – 2,415

4. Saydie and Kyle – 3,231 views

3. Baby Got Rack at Boone County Fair – 4,423 views

2. Miami – 6,039 views

1. Selfie at Bellevue – 6,864 views

That selfie at Bellevue was the most popular picture on my website at Post 4,500 as well.

The final statistic I want to share with everybody before riding off into the sunset and not boring you with these statistics for another 250 posts is the 5 people with the highest Photography Subscriber Loyalty Scores.

1. Kio Dettman – 100%
2. Aaron Barnett – 99.7%
2. Angie DeWaard – 99.7%
2. Mary Green – 99.7%
5. Joe Duff – 99.5%

There are a lot of people in the 90% range that could break into this list next time. Jeanette, Jesse, Sarah, Logan, Tamara, Frank, Michelle, and Andy.

To be honest, I don’t know how this number is figured. I believe it is the percentage of emails from the subscriber list that you open within the first 24 hours of getting an email from me, but I really don’t know if we are being honest. But thanks for doing what it is you are doing!

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500

I think that is enough for now. We’ll check in again in another 243 posts.

Andy, Angie, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Music, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Travel, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 389 – MUSIC

February 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 5 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
No.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that start to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough to me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their largest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

+++++++

MUSIC! Did you know that there are people in the world that don’t like MUSIC? They are called bad people. But were there a lot of good people out there that submitted picture of MUSIC? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Sarah Karber – 1 week
3-Mindi Terrell – 1 week (3)
4-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
5-Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
6-Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks
7-Sabas Hernandez – 5 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 5 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks
10-Nathanial Brown – 6 weeks (3)
11-Mike Vest – 6 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks (2)
13-Brandon Kahler – 26 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 30 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 31 weeks
16-Angie DeWaard – 35 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 39 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 44 weeks
19-Joe Duff – 46 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 47 weeks (3)
21-Teresa Kahler – 57 weeks (2)
22-Carla Stensland – 57 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 59 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 60 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 61 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 64 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 66 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 67 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 69 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada) – 45 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 62 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nevada) – 65 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nevada)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 47 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 31 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 48 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Sarah Karber (Minnesota) – 2 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nevada) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nevada)

Christopher D. Bennett (Nevada)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 6 weeks

30 participants for the 2nd week in a row! I’m pretty excited about that!

I got an email after the books submission that (this is me paraphrasing) that said that they loved the BOOKS theme because after they saw that books that other people owned they felt an instant kinship with some other people. I thought something like that might happen again with MUSIC. I’m not sure it will, but maybe it will.

This week we had our first submission of the year from Mary Green. At least I think. I wouldn’t swear to it in a court of law.

This week we had submissions taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nevada
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

It is weird that my picture and Cathie’s and Elizabeth’s and Kim’s pictures were all taken in Nevada. It is almost like we were all in Las Vegas together for some reason.

This is my first submission taken outside of Iowa this year. My picture was taken 1,441 miles from my front door. By car.

No new states added this week. Here is the current calendar year list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

The Outside of the United State map stays at:

+ British Virgin Islands

But I think one of these maps might extend next week. A little birdie tells me somebody is going on a cruise at the end of this week.

There were no big milestones this week. Except all 3 Sara(h)s did contribute. Which I always like to see.

It wasn’t all sunshine and face melting guitar riffs this week. Three streaks did go poof! Scott’s streak ended before it even became a streak. Becky’s 4 week streak is gone. Sabas’ 5 week streak is also gone.

STORE

STORE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE?

But what is a STORE image? It is simply an image of a STORE or taken inside of a STORE. There are all kinds of STORE(s) out there. From department to convenience to junk to antique to book to music to grocery to dollar to a little kids lemonade stand. Of course, there is more than one definition of the word STORE.

While considering possible subject for your STORE submission, meditate on the following quote and you will no doubt come up with a great idea:

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of STORE in this place that is technically a commerce site next Monday.

Angie, Equipment, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Music, Naima, Nature, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Still Life, Vest, WPC - Reminder

SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports

February 24, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I recently purchase a new lens. The SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS. It filled the most glaring gap in my Sony E Mount lens arsenal. I was badly missing a long telephoto lens. My longest lens before purchasing this was my Tamron 70-180.

Here are the specifications for the latest addition to the family:

LENS CONSTRUCTION: 25 elements in 15 groups
ANGLE OF VIEW: 16.4°-4.1°
NUMBER OF DIAPHRAGM BLADES: 9 (Rounded diaphragm)
MINIMUM APERTURE: F22-29
MINIMUM FOCUSING DISTANCE: 58-280cm / 22.8–110.2in.
MAXIMUM MAGNIFICATION RATIO: 1:2.9　(At a focusing distance of 180mm)
FILTER SIZE: φ95mm

Here are some pictures of the guy:

SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports

Here is a look at the focal length of the lens:

50mm – Equivalent of the human eye

150mm – Shortest focal length of the lens

600mm – Longest focal length of the lens

Here are the first images I took with the new lens:

I look forward to taking this lens out and getting some wildlife images and maybe some sports images at some point in the future!

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is MUSIC:

MUSIC

MUSIC! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a MUSIC photo? A MUSIC photo is simply a photo where a major compositional element involves MUSIC. It could be something that is used in the production of MUSIC. Like sheet MUSIC or a MUSICal instrument or a MUSICian or an 8 Track. Anything the aids in the producing of MUSIC is fair game. Might be a great weekend to make it to a concert.

This is not the first time the theme MUSIC has been used for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Here are a few past submissions to spark your creative ideas:

Mike Vest – Week 305

Shannon Bardole-Foley – Week 305

Angie DeWaard – Week 237

Monica Henning – Week 237

Christopher D. Bennett – Week 237

Sarah Karber – Week 20

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Angie, Becky, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Event, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 388 – FRAME

February 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

FRAME! Seemed like a good challenging theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! But was it popular? Did it fire up the creative juices of many people? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
2-Myriah Sharp – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
4-Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
5-Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks
6-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 4 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 5 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 5 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 25 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 29 weeks
14-Sarah Toot – 30 weeks
15-Angie DeWaard – 34 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 38 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 43 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 45 weeks (2)
19-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
20-Teresa Kahler – 56 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 56 weeks
22-Micky Augustin – 58 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 59 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 60 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 64 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 65 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 68 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Wisconsin) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 1 week

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 61 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 46 weeks

Sarah Karber (Minnesota) – 1 week

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 30 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Florida) – 31 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 16 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 4 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 26 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Oklahoma)

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 5 weeks

30 participants! That is a great week! That is a high for this year! Including submissions from first time participants in Scott Degeneffe and Mindi Terrell. I expect Scott to be something off a one off, but I’m expecting big things in the future from Mindi! Plus we had our first submission this year from Sarah Karber! WooHoo!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in Wisconsin (Scott) and Oklahoma (Nathanial). Nathanial’s one of Nathanial’s pictures was taken in a place that became very famous when it was the site of a very popular Netflix show.

This week we has submissions from:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Oklahoma
+ Nebraska
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

That is a lot of states!

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

13 states. A good start!

The Outside of the United State map stays at:

+ British Virgin Islands

Once again, I didn’t contribute to expanding the map. I took my picture approximately 97 miles from my front door.

The big milestone this week was Brandon. Brandon reached the Half-A-Year Streak Club! Congrats Brandon!

But it wasn’t all good news. 3 streaks bit the dust. Myriah couldn’t extend her streak to 2. Sara Lockner couldn’t extender her streak to 3.
But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

MUSIC

MUSIC! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

While thinking on possible subjects for your MUSIC picture, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with an amazing MUSIC image:

Without music, life would be a mistake.
-Friedrich Nietszche

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of MUSIC in this place that is music to my eyes next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 387 – PLAY

February 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

PLAY! Seems like a great theme on the surface. But did PLAY trigger people to PLAY with their cameras? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week
3-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
4-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
6-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
7-Monica Jennings – 3 weeks
8-Nathanial Brown – 4 weeks (2)
9-Mike Vest – 4 weeks
10-Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
11-Brandon Kahler – 24 weeks
12-Linda Bennett – 28 weeks (2)
13-Sarah Toot – 29 weeks
14-Angie DeWaard – 33 weeks (2)
15-Dawn Krause – 37 weeks (3)
16-Kim Barker – 42 weeks
17-Joe Duff – 44 weeks
18-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
19-Teresa Kahler – 55 weeks (3)
20-Carla Stensland – 55 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 57 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 58 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 59 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 63 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 64 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 68 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 45 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 29 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Micky Augustin (Minnesota) – 58 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands) – 30 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 3 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Kansas)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Myriah Sharp (Iowa) – 1 week

29 participants! A great week!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in the state of Minnesota (Micky) and our first submission this year taken outside of the United States (Sarah)! The map is growing!

This week we had submissions from:

+Arkansas
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Texas

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

11 states. Not too bad!

And there is now an Outside of the United States map that includes:

+ British Virgin Islands

For my part, I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door. I’m still not helping grow the map. Next week I am in Nevada for 5 days with layovers in Colorado. While Nevada is on the map already (and about 4 of the regular contributors will also be in Nevada), Colorado isn’t. So I could theoretically try to grow the map on my layover, but I’m sure I can find a better picture in Las Vegas than I can in the Denver airport. Unless I can find the secret room where the illuminati meet.*

There were no major milestones this week. The only blemish was Jen couldn’t extend her streak from 1 to 2.

FRAME

FRAME! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! This is a theme that was suggested by Sarah Toot.

But what is a FRAME picture. It is simply an image where the main subject of your photo is FRAME(d) by something else. In the theme reveal, it is literally a FRAME, but in practice it would more likely be something else. Something else blocking in your main subject to draw attention to it. And your subject doesn’t have to be FRAME(d) on all 4 sides. 3 sides or 2 sides also works. Of course, there is more than one definition of FRAME.

While considering possible subjects for your FRAME submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will do great work!

If the world could remain within a frame like a painting on the wall, I think we’d see the beauty then and stand staring in awe.
-Conor Oberst

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of FRAME in this place that is a frame of my world next Monday.

*Don’t worry, I don’t really believe that nonsense and I won’t be in the Story County Jail anytime soon.

Andy, Angie, Animals, Becky, Bill, Birthdays, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Jim, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Nora, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 385 – SILENCE

January 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today off by wishing Jim a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Jim! I hope it is filled with all the joy that you desire!

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It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

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It is time to break the SILENCE on whether or not SILENCE was a popular theme. For you to find out, you only have to keep scrolling.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 23, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week (2)
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
3-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
4-Jesse Howard – 1 week
5-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
6-Nathanial Brown – 2 weeks (3)
7-Mary Green – 2 weeks (2)
8-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks
9-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
10-Mike Vest – 3 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 12 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 23 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 26 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 27 weeks
15-Angie DeWaard – 31 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 35 weeks (3)
17-Kim Barker – 41 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 42 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 44 weeks (3)
20-Teresa Kahler – 53 weeks (3)
21-Carla Stensland – 53 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 55 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 56 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 57 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 61 weeks (2)
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 62 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 64 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 66 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 27 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 45 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 28 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Georgia) – 65 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 58 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Cathie Morton (Florida) – 62 weeks

Cathie Morton (Florida)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 43 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 3 weeks

26 participants. Not a particularly popular theme. But not bad. SILENCE only silenced creative juices of a few people.

This week we had submissions taken in:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Georgia is a new addition to the map. Making this year’s list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

That is 10 states. 20% of the map. And I haven’t even contributed to the growth of the map at all!

This week I took my pictures about 2 miles from my front door. But Shannon added Georgia to the map!

It wasn’t all good news though. 3 streaks bit the dust today. Jen couldn’t extender her streak to 2. Mary’s streak is no more at 2. As is Sara’s streak.

BOOKS

BOOKS! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a BOOKS image? Simply put, it is any image where the subject or a major compositional element is a BOOK or BOOKS.

While thinking about possible subjects for your BOOKS image, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.
-Jane Austen

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of BOOKS in this place that likes to pretend to be book smart next Monday.

Amanda, Angie, Birthdays, Brandon, Dahlia, Greyson, Holidays, Jonah Kahler, K.J., Still Life, Teresa

Christmas 2022

January 24, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Need to start today off by wishing Angie a happy birthday:

I don’t know I’ve seen Angie in person in years, so that is a picture of her pitching Little White Lye Soap.

I hope your birthday has all the mirth that you desire!

+++++++

I had a good Christmas. I got up and went to church, cause it was on a Sunday. Then I went over to Teresa’s house for homemade pizza. We probably made too many pizzas, but since some were experimental, that was okay. Then I went out to Carla and Jason’s for a bit to watch ALIEN. Or at least the beginning of ALIEN.

Here are some pictures from Teresa’s:

Some of these pictures were taken by Logan.

I hope your Christmas is one you still remember fondly.

Andy, Angie, Art, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Flowers, Holidays, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 383 – REFLECTION

January 16, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a holiday that celebrates the the great civil rights leader. If you have never had a chance to visit the Civil Rights Museum that is near where he was assassinated in Memphis, I highly recommend it.

I won’t wish you a “Happy” Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but I do hope that you spend some time today learning more about the civil rights struggle in this country. Cause it is very far from over.

+++++++

REFLECTION! A popular photographic technique. But was it a popular WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Mike Vest – 1 week
3-Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
4-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
5-Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
6-Tamara Peterson – 10 weeks
7-Brandon Kahler – 21 weeks
8-Linda Bennett – 24 weeks
9-Sarah Toot – 25 weeks
10-Angie DeWaard – 29 weeks (3)
11-Dawn Krause – 33 weeks
12-Kim Barker – 39 weeks
13-Joe Duff – 40 weeks
14-Logan Kahler – 42 weeks (2)
15-Teresa Kahler – 51 weeks
16-Carla Stensland – 51 weeks (2)
17-Michelle Haupt – 52 weeks
18-Micky Augustin – 53 weeks
19-Andy Sharp – 54 weeks (2)
20-Bill Wentworth – 55 weeks
21-Cathie Morton – 59 weeks
22-Elizabeth Nordeen – 60 weeks
23-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 62 weeks
24-Kio Dettman – 64 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 25 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 1 week

Sarah Toot (Nevada) – 26 weeks

Sarah Toot (Nevada)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 56 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 30 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 55 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 41 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 22 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 1 week

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 2 weeks

25 participants! That is another solid week!

We had submissions taken in:
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Texas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada

Nevada was a new one for this year. Making this year’s list:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Arkansas
+ Texas
+ Pennsylvania
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada

I took my picture in my yard. So once again, I didn’t venture very far.

I’m most excited about a newcomer to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Nathanial Brown! He made his first ever submission! Nathanial is one of the most talented photographers I know. He was a judge the last two Pufferbilly Days Photo Contests and he got 3 photos in the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon.

Remember, you don’t have to be as talented or a professional like Nathanial to participate. Just a love for photography.

There were two huge milestones reached this week. Both Teresa and Carla reached the 52 Week Streak Club! Is it a coincidence that they are sisters? Is it a coincidence that they are my sisters?

But it wasn’t all great news. Suzie couldn’t extender her participation into a 2 week streak. Jesse’s 2 week streak is gone. Sabas’ 4 week streak is gone. Becky’s 4 week streak is gone. And Michelle’s 52 week streak is nothing more than a distant memory.

RED

RED! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a RED image?

A RED image is simply an image where the subject or a major compositional element of the image is the color RED. That is simple enough!

While considering possible subjects for your RED image, meditate on the following quote and I’m sure you will come up with a great image:

Red is the ultimate cure for sadness.
-Bill Blass

I look forward to seeing your interpretation of RED!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of RED in this place that’s favorite shade of RED is cardinal next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Nature, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 382 – TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES

January 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It is time to begin the 10th year of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! I’m pumped! Are you pumped? Of course you are pumped? The theme is clearly called TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES, but I had a few people enter under a completely different theme PLANES, TRAINS, & AUTOMOBILES. I decided to accept their submissions because I am super magnanimous!

But the real question is, was TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 2, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Mary Green – 1 week (2)
2-Jesse Howard – 1 week
3-Monica Jennings – 1 week
4-Sarah Karber – 1 week
5-Sara Lockner – 1 week
6-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
7-Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
8-Willy McAlpine – 7 weeks
9-Tamara Peterson – 9 weeks
10-Brandon Kahler – 20 weeks
11-Linda Bennett – 23 weeks (3)
12-Sarah Toot – 24 weeks
13-Angie DeWaard – 28 weeks (2)
14-Dawn Krause – 32 weeks
15-Kim Barker – 38 weeks
16-Joe Duff – 39 weeks
17-Logan Kahler – 41 weeks
18-Teresa Kahler – 50 weeks (2)
19-Carla Stensland – 50 weeks (2)
20-Michelle Haupt – 51 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 52 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 53 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 54 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 58 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 59 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 61 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 63 weeks (3)
28-Christopher D. Bennett – 485 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

WEEK 382 - TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES - BILL WENTWORTH

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 55 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 40 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 24 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 25 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 29 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 33 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 4 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 1 week

25 participants! A solid but not spectacular start to the new year!

We had submissions from:
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Arkansas
+ Texas
+ Pennsylvania
+ Nebraska

Pictures taken in 6 different states isn’t bad.

My submission for this week was taken about 15 miles from my front door.

Year 9 we finished with submissions taken in the following states:
+ California
+ Nevada
+ Arizona
+ Colorado
+ Texas
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ South Dakota
+ Minnesota
+ Iowa
+ Missouri
+ Arkansas
+ Louisiana
+ Wisconsin
+ Illinois
+ Michigan
+ Indiana
+ Ohio
+ New York
+ Pennsylvania
+ New Jersey
+ Washington D.C.
+ North Carolina
+ Florida
+ Alaska

25 different states. I hope we can beat that this year. Although, I don’t know that I will contribute much. Right now for 2023 I have work trips planned for Las Vegas and Chicago. I’m going to a concert in Omaha. I’m going to visit the triplets in Little Manhattan. I’m sure I will have other trips, but that is what is on the calendar for now.

I rely on my big travelers like Cathie and Sarah and Kim to help fill out the map. No pressure.

We did have many submissions from foreign countries as well. Spain and Mexico and France and a few Caribbean islands come to mind. I plan on tracking that better this year as well.

The big milestone this week was Michelle hitting 52 weeks and joining the 1 Year Streak Club! A big accomplishment! She has said that after hitting one year she would throw in the towel. I guess we’ll wait and see what happens.

It wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. The following streaks went kaput:
+ Mary Green – 1 week
+ Monica Jennings – 1 week
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week
+ Sara Lockner – 1 week
+ Willy McAlpine – 7 weeks

REFLECTION

REFLECTION! What a great theme to kick of Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what in tarnation is a REFLECTION picture. It is simply enough a picture where a major compositional element of the picture is a REFLECTION. Mirrors obviously make great REFLECTIONs. But there are other things that REFLECT(ION) as well. For example water. I nicely waxed floor. Eyes. The list just goes on and on. Also, don’t forget that there is more than one definition of REFLECTION.

While considering possible subjects for your REFLECTION picture reflect on the following quote and I’m sure you will create a magnificent REFLECTION image.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First by reflection, which is noblest. Second, by imitation, which is easiest, and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
-Confucius

I look forward to seeing your interpretation of the theme.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of REFLECTION in this place that holds up a mirror to me next Monday.