Category Archives: Becky

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Elizabeth, Funk, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Lowell, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Steph, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 440 – ORANGE

February 19, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

ORANGE! The favorite color of some. Some even say it is the new black. Some say that whomever said it was the new pink was seriously deranged. But was all these opinions on ORANGE enough to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out:

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

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Jennie Green – 1 week
3-Amy Peterson – 1 week (2)
4-Deanna McClain – 1 week
5-Johnathan Stensland – 1 week
6-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
7-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks
9-Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
10-Lowell Davis – 6 weeks
11-Michelle Haupt – 6 weeks
12-Alexis Stensland – 6 weeks
13-Brandon Kahler – 7 weeks
14-Scott Degeneffe – 25 weeks
15-Sabas Hernandez – 26 weeks
16-Mike Vest – 31 weeks
17-Sheri Fakhouri – 35 weeks
18-Logan Kahler – 36 weeks (2)
19-Nathanial Brown – 37 weeks
20-Jesse Howard – 37 weeks
21-Tamara Peterson – 40 weeks
22-Mindi Terrell – 52 weeks (2)
23-Linda Bennett – 81 weeks
24-Sarah Toot – 82 weeks
25-Angie DeWaard – 86 weeks
26-Dawn Krause – 90 weeks (2)
27-Kim Barker – 96 weeks
28-Joe Duff – 97 weeks (2)
29-Teresa Kahler – 108 weeks
30-Carla Stensland – 108 weeks
31-Micky Augustin – 110 weeks
32-Andy Sharp – 111 weeks
33-Bill Wentworth – 112 weeks (2)
34-Cathie Morton – 116 weeks
35-Elizabeth Nordeen – 117 weeks
36-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 119 weeks
37-Kio Dettman – 121 weeks

Heading in to this week’s theme, here is what the 2024 Submission Map looks like:

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is starting to spread!

Reminder. Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM next Monday.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.
3. Sometimes, for special people, for special circumstances, we can negotiate something.

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

WPC - WEEK 440 - ORANGE - MICKY AUGUSTIN

Micky Augustin (Ames, Iowa) – 111 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 120 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 97 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Photography 139 Studio – Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 82 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Suzie Brannen (Clive, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Clive, Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Boone, Iowa) – 38 weeks

Lowell Davis (Boone, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 26 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 122 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 87 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 98 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas)

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Missouri Airspace) – 2 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Galveston, Texas)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 36 weeks

Susanna Funk (Pikes Peak, Colorado) – 1 week

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 27 weeks

Jesse Howard (Sacred Heart – Boone, Iowa) – 38 weeks

Jesse Howard (Y Camp – Boone County, Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Logan Kahler (Wal-Mart – Boone, Iowa) – 37 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 109 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Ames, Iowa)

Stephanie Kim (Bed-Stuy – Brooklyn, New York) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 91 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Granger, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa)

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 117 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 118 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas)

Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 41 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 112 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa) – 109 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (New York City, New York) – 83 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York City, New York)

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 32 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 113 weeks

39 participants! That is a great week! Breaks the previous record for participants this year, which was 38! Plus the first submissions this year from Stephanie and Becky!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Colorado
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ New York
+ Texas

Thanks to the travels of Jen, we added Missouri to the list. And Becky’s first submissions of 2024 add Arkansas to the list!

Here is the Year 11 list of states where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each state):

+ Arkansas (2)
+ California (1)
+ Colorado (2)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Iowa (272)
+ Kansas (11)
+ Michigan (2)
+ Minnesota (1)
+ Missouri (1)
+ Nebraska (8)
+ New York (4)
+ Pennsylvania (6)
+ South Dakota (2)
+ Texas (13)

12 states so far! No bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple states:

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX)
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO)
+ Mary Green (MI, IA)
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY)
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN)

Jen has now taken a 2 state lead to be crowned the Queen of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Travel! I’ll keep workshopping that name.

The big milestone this week was Scott joining the Half Year Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good times! Jennie, Amy, and Johnathan couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Their streaks ended before they began!

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:

LEADING LINES – IOWA STATE FAIR PHOTOGRAPHY SALON THEME

LEADING LINES! What a great them for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I’m not explaining themes this year, unless it is something technical, but since this is the special theme category for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon, I thought I would share their explanation for LEADING LINES.

I look forward to your interpretation!

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 LEADING LINES in this place in this place that hopefully is leading somewhere positive next Monday.

Alexis, Anders, Andree, Andy, Baier, Becky, Bill, Birthdays, Brandon, Calendar, Carla, Colleen, Dawn, Derrick, Elainie, Elizabeth, Fran, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Jorge, Kim, Kio, Layla, Logan, Lowell, Michelle, Monica, Nader, Nora, Russ, Russell, Sabas, Sara, Scottie D., Teresa, Vest, Willy

Calendar Favorites

January 10, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Lowell’s birthday so I need to wish him a happy birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOWELL!

If you don’t know, Lowell is not Kim and is not the tall guy.

It is one of my most profoundest birthday wishes that today is a good day.

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This is one of my favorite posts of the year. To share what people said was their favorite calendar image from the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. There is still 1 calendar left to distribute, but I don’t know when that will happen. I got a response back from most people I gave a calendar to. Some people must have just immediately thrown it in the garbage and never given it a second thought. But that’s okay. Maybe opens up new calendar recipients for 2025…*

Some of these picture below are of different people in the same family that got one calendar, in case you are wondering if I gave, say 6 calendars to the Baiers.

Here we go:

FRONT COVER

Brandon Kahler

Nora Yoon

JANUARY

Jay Janson

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Sabas Hernandez

Sara Lockner

FEBRUARY

Jesse Howard

Kevin Krause

Layla Gorshe

Olivia Baier

MARCH

Andree Jauhari

Andy Sharp

Bill Wentworth

J.J. Baier

Kim Barker

Russ Kahler

Scott Degeneffe

Will Baier

Willy McAlpine

APRIL

Colleen Hobe

Joe Duff

Michelle Haupt

Monica Jennings

Teresa Kahler

MAY

Ben Baier

Fran Duncan

Beck Gorshe

Jason Carpenter

JUNE

Carrie Baier

Logan Kahler

Mike Vest

JULY

Jason Baier

Russell Kennerly

AUGUST WAS UNIVERSALLY UNLOVED

SEPTEMBER

Becky Parmelee

Elizabeth Nordeen

OCTOBER

Alexis Stensland

Derrick Gorshe

Jorge Rios

NOVEMBER

Carla Stensland

Elainie Hernandez

Jeanette Duff

Johnathan Stensland

Kio Dettman

Melissa Degeneffe

Nader Parsaei

DECEMBER

Anders Runestad

Dawn Krause

That is it. I’m done writing about the calendar until the next one comes out!

*This is facetious.

Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Becky, Blogging, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Derrick, Elainie, Elizabeth, Ernie, Evie, Faust, Fran, Funk, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kim, Layla, Linda, Logan, Mary, Melissa, Michelle, Mindi, Monica, Nader, Naima, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Steph, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy

The Weekly Photo Challenge Year in Review

January 2, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

As yesterday closed the book on Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, now seems like a good time to review all that happened.

There were 59 different people that submitted photos. Ranging from submitting 1 picture to 124 pictures.

There were 2,311 photos submitted.

The average week was 31.1 participants.

The average week had 44.4 submissions.

The most popular week was Week 422. The theme was #INSTAGOOD. There were 41 participants.

The most popular week by submissions was Week 405. The theme was FLOWER. There were 62 submissions.

3 themes tied for least popular theme by participants. TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES; REFLECTION; and SUNRISE, SUNSET each has only 25 participants.

TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES was the least popular theme by submissions. It received only 30 submissions.

Here is my favorite submission from all 59 different people that submitted and some statistics about each participant.

Heather Courtney
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Pepper Duncan
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Corey Faust
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Adam Gordon
1 week – 2%
3 submissions
No current streak

Harrison Gorshe
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Michelle Haupt
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Stephanie Kim
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Carrie Moellers
1 week – 2%
1 submission
Current Streak: 1 week

Mike Parmelee
1 week – 2%
1 submission
Current Streak: 1 week

Ernie Redd
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Diane Sharp
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Julie Sharp
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current streak

Lori Backous
2 weeks – 4%
3 submissions
No current streak

Melissa Degeneffe
2 weeks – 4%
3 submissions
No current streak

Derrick Gorshe
2 weeks – 4%
2 submissions
No current streak

Layla Gorshe
2 weeks – 4%
2 submissions
No current streak

Sarah Karber
2 weeks – 4%
2 submissions
No current streak

Johnathan Stensland
2 weeks – 4%
2 submissions
No current streak

Nader Parsaei
3 weeks – 6%
3 submissions
No current streak

Myriah Sharp
3 weeks – 6%
5 submissions
No current streaks

Porter Degeneffe
4 weeks – 8%
4 submissions
No current streaks

Evie Gorshe
6 weeks – 12%
6 submissions
No current streak

Amy Peterson
10 weeks – 19%
14 submissions
Current Streak: 1 week

Elainie Stensland
12 weeks – 23%
15 submissions
No current streak

Susanna Funk
14 weeks – 27%
19 submissions
No current streak

Jen Ensley-Gorshe
19 weeks – 37%
22 submissions
No current streak

Becky Parmelee
23 weeks – 44.2%
26 submissions
No current streak

Sheri Fakhouri
29 weeks – 56%
53 submissions
Current streak: 29 weeks

Scott Degeneffe
32 weeks – 62%
46 submissions
Current streak: 19 weeks

Mary Green
32 weeks – 62%
68 submissions
Current streak: 2 weeks

Sara Lockner
33 weeks – 63%
39 submissions
Current streak: 1 week

Willy McAlpine
34 weeks – 65%
37 submissions
No current streak

Suzie Brannen
35 weeks – 67%
50 submissions
No current streak

Alexis Stensland
35 weeks – 67%
72 submissions
No current streak

Sabas Hernandez
43 weeks – 83%
43 submissions
Current streak: 20 weeks

Monica Jennings
43 weeks – 83%
60 submissions
No current streak

Mindi Terrell
46 weeks – 88%
124 submissions
Current streak: 46 weeks

Nathanial Brown
47 weeks – 90%
77 submissions
Current streak: 31 weeks

Jesse Howard
49 weeks – 94%
62 submissions
Current streaks: 31 weeks

Mike Vest
50 weeks – 96%
50 submissions
Current streaks: 25 weeks

Brandon Kahler
51 weeks – 98%
55 submissions
Current streak: 1 week

Logan Kahler
51 weeks – 98%
81 submissions
Current streak: 30 weeks

Tamara Peterson
51 weeks – 98%
56 submissions
Current streak: 34 weeks

Micky Augustin
52 weeks – 100%
55 submissions
Current streak: 104 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley
52 weeks – 100%
55 submissions
Current streak: 113 weeks

Kim Barker
52 weeks – 100%
60 submissions
Current streak: 90 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett
52 weeks – 100%
52 submissions
Current streak: 537 weeks

Linda Bennett
52 weeks – 100%
91 submissions
Current streak: 75 weeks

Kio Dettman
52 weeks – 100%
107 submissions
Current streak: 115 weeks

Angie DeWaard
52 weeks – 100%
59 submissions
Current streak: 80 weeks

Joe Duff
52 weeks – 100%
71 submissions
Current streak: 91 weeks

Teresa Kahler
52 weeks – 100%
111 submissions
Current streak: 102 weeks

Dawn Krause
52 weeks – 100%
89 submissions
Current streak: 84 weeks

Cathie Morton
52 weeks – 100%
58 submissions
Current streak: 110 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen
52 weeks – 100%
72 submissions
Current streak: 111 weeks

Andy Sharp
52 weeks – 100%
72 submissions
Current streak: 105 weeks

Carla Stensland
52 weeks – 100%
90 submissions
Current streak: 102 weeks

Sarah Toot
52 weeks – 100%
96 submissions
Current streak: 76 weeks

Bill Wentworth
52 weeks – 100%
54 submissions
Current streak: 106 weeks

Here are a few quick stats from last year:

+ 44 different participants
+ 1811 photos submitted
+ Least popular theme for participation was ROCK with 16 participants
+ Most popular theme for participation was SELF-PORTRAIT with 31 participants
+ Least popular theme for submissions was ROCK with 20 submissions
+ Most popular theme for submission was LINES with 51 submissions
+ The average week had 24.6 participants
+ The average week had 34.8 submissions

To put in perspective compared to last year:

+ 15 more different participants.
+ 500 more submissions.
+ The most popular theme had 10 more participants.
+ The most popular theme by submissions has 11 more submissions.
+ The average participation was up almost 7 participants per week.
+ The average submissions was up nearly 10 per week.

Hopefully Year 11 has a similar amount of growth!

9 Emotions Project, Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Mom, Monica, Naima, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Street Photography, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 425 – SIGNS

November 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

NOTE: – THIS IS ONE OF TWO POSTS WHERE YOU CAN SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS.

THANKS TO ANDY AND JOE WHO MADE SEVERAL STRONG SUGGESTIONS IN LAST MONDAY’S (ACTUALLY TUESDAY’S) COMMENTS SECTION!

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Thank you to everybody that has helped me with Naima’s passing either through helping with her remains to bringing me food to offering to talk or offering to attend a service or to just having kind words or to posting your own pictures of Naima. It all has been helpful.

I had Naima’s remains cremated and I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do with the ashes yet. But I’ll figure that out in due course.

Below is sort of the THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT image I made of Naima for one of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes in Year 7.

WEEK 243 - EMOTIONS - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

Don’t think this will be the last time I share a story about Naima, but I do want to share a story about when I told my 85 year-old neighbor Stan about Naima passing. She was in many ways also his dog. Back when he and his wife were in better health, they would make special trips to Ames to buy Naima treats.

Stan had a dog well before I moved in and he has never really got over that dog’s passing. He has told me before and he told me that again.

He told me that he will miss her. That she was the best dog that loved everybody and didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Of course all of that is true.

Because he doesn’t move very well any more, he kept dog treats for her on his window ledge so if he saw her out he didn’t have to go inside to get her treats.

Stan’s wife has dementia and I’ve had the same conversation with her about Naima in the past couple of years at least 50 times. She always would say that Naima is the most beautiful dog she’s ever seen. She is the most beautiful color. She wished all dogs were that color.

Stan was the first person to ask me if I was getting another dog. Which I suppose I will. I guess it isn’t a shocker that Stan was the first person to ask. Naima was his dog as well and he will miss not having a dog too.

I told him I thought I would, but it wouldn’t be anytime soon. There was a 5 year gap between Karma and Naima. There were a lot of reasons for that gap. Most of those reasons aren’t around any more.

He told me okay, he would get rid of Naima’s treats cause he didn’t think they would still be good by the time I got another dog. I told him that was okay. Maybe early next year would be the right time.

The conversation did check off another box of closure for me. A bigger box than you would probably expect.

+++++++

SIGNS! They are everywhere if you open your eyes! But did many people find SIGNS to photography to make SIGNS a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 29, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Amy Peterson – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 3 weeks
3-Alexis Stensland – 3 weeks
4-Scott Degeneffe – 10 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 11 weeks
6-Willy McAlpine – 11 weeks
7-Mike Vest – 17 weeks
8-Sheri Fakhouri – 20 weeks (2)
9-Logan Kahler – 21 weeks
10-Nathanial Brown – 22 weeks
11-Jesse Howard – 22 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 25 weeks
13-Mindi Terrell – 37 weeks (2)
14-Brandon Kahler – 61 weeks
15-Linda Bennett – 66 weeks (2)
16-Sarah Toot – 67 weeks
17-Angie DeWaard – 71 weeks
18-Dawn Krause – 75 weeks
19-Kim Barker – 81 weeks
20-Joe Duff – 82 weeks
21-Teresa Kahler – 93 weeks
22-Carla Stensland – 93 weeks
23-Micky Augustin – 95 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 96 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 97 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 101 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 102 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 104 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 106 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:

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa)- 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Julie Sharp (Whatcha’ Smokin’ – Luther, Iowa)- 1 week

Mary Green (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa)

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Kansas City, Missouri) – 11 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Kansas City, Missouri)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Spain) – 12 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Spain)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 22 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Lake City, Iowa) – 23 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Boone, Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa) – 23 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 26 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)- 38 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Linda Bennett (Poconos, Pennsylvania) – 67 weeks

Linda Bennett (New York City, New York)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 68 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 72 weeks

Dawn Krause (Ames, Iowa) – 76 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 82 weeks

Joe Duff (Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, Texas) – 83 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Webster City, Iowa) – 94 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 94 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 96 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 97 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 98 weeks

Cathie Morton (Anaheim, California) – 102 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 103 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 105 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 107 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Webster City, Iowa) – 529 weeks

35 participants! That is a great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Iowa
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ New York
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Alto del Perdon – Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France
+ Vienna, Austria
+ Munich, Germany
+ Rome, Italy
+ Cannes, France
+ Koper, Slovenia

The major milestone reached this week was Tamara hitting the Half Year Streak Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Amy couldn’t build on her submission from last week.

FOOD – SUGGESTED BY ANDY SHARP

FULL DISCLOSURE: Andy didn’t exactly suggest FOOD. He suggested like 10 different versions of FOOD and I just combined them all into FOOD.

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

But what is a FOOD image? Simply enough, it is a picture of FOOD. Or a picture of a place that serves FOOD. Or a picture of something that is involved in the preparation of FOOD. You won’t be judge on the quality of FOOD you photograph. Or judged at all for that matter.

While considering possible FOOD to photograph, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will create a fascinating image!

Part of the secret of success is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.
-Mark Twain

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 FOOD in this place that definitely eats next Monday.

Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Derrick, Elainie, Elizabeth, Fran, Funk, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC- WEEK 422 – #INSTAGOOD

October 16, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

NOTE: – AT THE END OF THE MONTH I WILL BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS. START THINKING OF THEMES YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR NEXT YEAR.

+++++++

Today is Becky’s birthday, so I must wisher her a happy birthday.

Happy birthday Becky!

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you can handle!

+++++++

#INSTAGOOD! A simple theme. Only asking people to submit the best picture they took this week. But did a bunch of people pick a best picture to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out! It will be exciting to see the best picture that people took last week!

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

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Myriah Sharp – 2 weeks
3-Elainie Stensland – 2 weeks
4-Scott Degeneffe – 7 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 8 weeks
6-Willy McAlpine – 8 weeks
7-Mike Vest – 14 weeks
8-Sheri Fakhouri – 17 weeks (3)
9-Monica Jennings – 18 weeks
10-Logan Kahler – 18 weeks
11-Nathanial Brown – 19 weeks
12-Jesse Howard – 19 weeks (2)
13-Tamara Peterson – 22 weeks
14-Mindi Terrell – 34 weeks (3)
15-Brandon Kahler – 58 weeks
16-Linda Bennett – 63 weeks (3)
17-Sarah Toot – 64 weeks
18-Angie DeWaard – 68 weeks
19-Dawn Krause – 72 weeks
20-Kim Barker – 78 weeks
21-Joe Duff – 79 weeks
22-Teresa Kahler – 90 weeks (2)
23-Carla Stensland – 90 weeks
24-Micky Augustin – 92 weeks
25-Andy Sharp – 93 weeks
26-Bill Wentworth – 94 weeks
27-Cathie Morton – 98 weeks
28-Elizabeth Nordeen – 99 weeks (2)
29-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 101 weeks
30-Kio Dettman – 103 weeks (3)

The third week of each month I like to share a map of all the state that have had pictures taken in that were submitted for this calendar year. Well, I checked my calendar and this is the third Monday of the month. Here is the map, heading into this week:

That is a lot of states filled in. In fact, going into this week, there are only 12 states that haven’t been visited and photographed by somebody that submits here. I don’t think there is any chance we will fill in the entire map this year, but we sure have gotten a lot closer than I ever would have guessed!

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:

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 93 weeks

Lori Backous (Iowa) – 1 week

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 102 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 79 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 64 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Texas) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Faribault County, Minnesota) – 20 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 104 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 80 weeks

Pepper Duncan (Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Santa Fe, New Mexico) – 1 week

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 18 weeks

Susanna Funk (Iowa) – 1 week

Derrick Gorshe (New Mexico) – 1 week

Evie Gorshe (New Mexico) – 1 week

Layla Gorshe (New Mexico) – 1 week

Mary Green (Lake Christian Home – Holt, Michigan) – 1 week

Elainie Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Eldon, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Logan Kahler (Ada Haydn Park – Ames, Iowa) – 19 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 91 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Willy McAlpine (Nerja Beach – Spain) – 9 weeks

Cathie Morton (Cumming, Iowa) – 99 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Kansas) – 100 weeks

Amy Peterson (Iowa) – 1 week

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 94 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Des Moines, Iowa) – 1 week

Carla Stensland (Highway 330 – Iowa) – 91 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Sarah Toot (Kilmaine Saints band at Finola’s Bar – Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 65 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 95 weeks

41 participants! I think that is a new record!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Minnesota
+ New Mexico
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Thanks to the Gorshe trip to New Mexico, we have added another state to our list.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

39 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

This is the list of states currently missing:
+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Indiana
+ Maine
+ Massachusetts
+ Mississippi
+ Rhode Island
+ Virginia
+ West Virginia

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

The big, huge, monster milestone this week is Elizabeth joining the Triple Digit Club! WooHoo!

The other big milestone was the first ever submission from Pepper Duncan. I know it was a bit of a accidental Snapchat fluke that lead to the submission, but maybe it is the beginning of big things in the future.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and flowers. Myriah’s 2 week streak came to an end.

VINTAGE – Suggested by Sarah Toot

VINGTAGE! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a VINTAGE image? It is simply a picture where the subject of a major compositional element is something that is VINTAGE. So what is VINTAGE? Is it just a nice way to say old?

Yes and no.

Old but not that old. But not new. Generally speaking to be considered VINTAGE, it should be no older than 100 years old. But not newer than 20 years old. Older than 100 years is an antique. Newer than 20 years old and looks old… well that is just retro.

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

It is easily overlooked that what is now called vintage was once brand new.
-Tony Visconti

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 VINTAGE in this place that is ran by somebody that is considered VINTAGE these days next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Art, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Ernie, Funk, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Road Trip, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Street Photography, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 418 – SKY

September 18, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

SKY! A great theme, but was it the limit for the amount of people that would participate this week? You will have to keep scrolling to find out:

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, September 4, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
3-Susanna Funk – 2 weeks
4-Scott Degeneffe – 3 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
6-Willy McAlpine – 4 weeks
7-Mary Green – 6 weeks (2)
8-Sara Lockner – 6 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 10 weeks
10-Sheri Fakhouri – 13 weeks
11-Monica Jennings – 14 weeks (2)
12-Logan Kahler – 14 weeks
13-Nathanial Brown – 15 weeks
14-Jesse Howard – 15 weeks
15-Tamara Peterson – 18 weeks
16-Alexis Stensland – 23 weeks
17-Mindi Terrell – 30 weeks (3)
18-Brandon Kahler – 54 weeks
19-Linda Bennett – 59 weeks
20-Sarah Toot – 60 weeks
21-Angie DeWaard – 64 weeks
22-Dawn Krause – 68 weeks
23-Kim Barker – 74 weeks
24-Joe Duff – 75 weeks
25-Teresa Kahler – 86 weeks (2)
26-Carla Stensland – 86 weeks
27-Micky Augustin – 88 weeks
28-Andy Sharp – 89 weeks
29-Bill Wentworth – 90 weeks
30-Cathie Morton – 94 weeks
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 95 weeks
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 97 weeks (2)
33-Kio Dettman – 99 weeks (2)

Heading into this week, this is the current map of states where submissions have come from:

Getting pretty full!

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:

Joe Duff (Texas) – 76 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 91 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone County, Iowa) – 100 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone County, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Boone County, Iowa) – 60 weeks

Linda Bennett (Boone, Iowa)

Mary Green (Cleveland, Ohio) – 7 weeks

Mary Green (Cleveland, Ohio)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Vienna, Austria) – 69 weeks

Dawn Krause (Munich, Germany)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa)

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) 14 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Oskaloosa, Iowa) – 15 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa) – 31 weeks

Mindi Terrell (West Des Moines, Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 96 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Britt, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 89 weeks

Susanna Funk (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Susanna Funk (Iowa)

Ernie Redd (Kentucky) – 1 week

Kim Barker (Estes Park, Colorado) – 75 weeks

Kim Barker (Estes Park, Colorado)

Willy McAlpine (Sahagun, Spain) – 5 weeks

Amy Peterson (Washington D.C.) – 1 week

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 87 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Spencer, Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Logan Kahler (Stratford, Iowa) – 15 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 90 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 95 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 55 weeks

Carla Stensland (Lake Okoboji, Iowa) – 87 weeks

Carla Stensland (Clay County Fair – Spencer, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Arnold’s Park, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Des Moines, Iowa) – 98 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 61 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 11 weeks

35 participants! That is a great week! Thanks to Ernie’s first ever submission, we get to add Kentucky to the submission map!!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Austria
+ Colorado
+ Germany
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ Ohio
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

37 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 70% of the way there!

The current states missing are:

+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Hawaii
+ Indiana
+ Maine
+ Massachusetts
+ Mississippi
+ New Mexico
+ Rhode Island
+ Virginia
+ West Virginia

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

I took my picture about 140 miles from my front door, but still in Iowa. I continue not to contribute.

The big… huge… gargantuan milestone reached this week is Kio is the first person to ever hit the Triple Digit Club! WooHoo!!

But it wasn’t all good news. Sara’s streak ends at 6 and Suzie couldn’t build her streak to 2.

BLACK & WHITE

BLACK & WHITE! If you know me at all, you know that this is my absolutely favorite theme!

What is a BLACK & WHTIE image? Bro! It is a BLACK & WHITE picture. Period. End of story.

But just a reminder. BLACK & WHITE photography is all about tones and textures. Remember that and you will do great.

While thinking on possible subjects for your BLACK & WHITE submission, meditate on the following quote and I no doubt you will take a great picture:

To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul.
-Andri Cauldwell

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 BLACK & WHITE in this place that behind the scenes is all monochrome I should next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 415 – SHADOW

August 28, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It is the last collection of submissions 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 10 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 starts 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 you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

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 for 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.

Do I have to wait until Monday morning to submit?

Absolutely not! In fact I appreciate the submissions that make it to me by Sunday evening. Makes the job of putting this together on Monday morning much easier!

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 widest 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. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that.

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

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

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SHADOW! A great theme, but did inspire people to lurk in the dark or come out into the light of participation? You’ll have to keep streaming to find out!

I do want to say that hope at least somebody appreciates my submission this week. I was pretty close to kicked out of a museum for taking it.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 21, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
2-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
3-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
4-Nader Parsaei – 1 week
5-Mary Green – 3 weeks (2)
6-Sara Lockner – 3 weeks (3
7-Mike Vest – 7 weeks
8-Sheri Fakhouri – 10 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 11 weeks
10-Logan Kahler – 11 weeks (2)
11-Nathanial Brown – 12 weeks
12-Jesse Howard – 12 weeks
13-Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks
14-Alexis Stensland – 20 weeks
15-Mindi Terrell – 27 weeks (3)
16-Brandon Kahler – 51 weeks
17-Linda Bennett – 56 weeks (2)
18-Sarah Toot – 57 weeks (2)
19-Angie DeWaard – 61 weeks
20-Dawn Krause – 65 weeks (2)
21-Kim Barker – 71 weeks
22-Joe Duff – 72 weeks (2)
23-Teresa Kahler – 83 weeks (3)
24-Carla Stensland – 83 weeks (3)
25-Micky Augustin – 85 weeks
26-Andy Sharp – 86 weeks
27-Bill Wentworth – 87 weeks
28-Cathie Morton – 91 weeks
29-Elizabeth Nordeen – 92 weeks
30-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 94 weeks
31-Kio Dettman – 96 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 (Boone, Iowa) – 97 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 93 weeks

Cathie Morton (Water Works Park – Des Moines, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 88 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 87 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 86 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 84 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 84 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Dallas, Texas) – 73 weeks

Joe Duff (Dallas, Texas)

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 72 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Sarah Toot (East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 58 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 57 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 28 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 16 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Logan Kahler (Guthrie Center, Iowa)

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 11 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mary Green (Camp Wyoming – Wyoming, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Becky Parmelee (King Author Flour & Bakery – Norwich, Vermont) – 2 weeks

Becky Parmelee (West Lebanon, New Hampshire)

Becky Parmelee (Atlanta, Georgia)

Sabas Hernandez (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Cleveland, Ohio) – 2 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Scott Degeneffe (Dickcissel Park – Boone, Iowa) – 1 week

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Christopher D. Bennett (Union Station – Omaha, Nebraska)

34 participants! That is a pretty great week! And pictures were taken from all over the country this week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Georgia
+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ Ohio
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Vermont

Thanks to Becky’s recent travels, 2 more states have been filled in on the map. New Hampshire and Vermont. WooHoo!

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

35 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 70% of the way there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture 156 miles from my front door. In a state where a regular contributor resides. I continue not to contribute.

The big milestone this week is Brandon joining THE YEAR LONG STREAK CLUB! WooHoo! Congratulations Brandon!

But it wasn’t all good news! Nader could not build on their submissions last week and their streaks are over before the began.

NATURE

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

But what exactly is a NATURE photo? “Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures.”

That encompasses a lot of the world. So what isn’t NATURE? Humans and anything created by humans. Although those elements can be included in a NATURE photo. But they aren’t the main subject matter.

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

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
-Khalil Gibran

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 NATURE in this place that shows mine next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Art, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nader, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Sheri, State Fair, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 414 – ART

August 21, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m leaving for Omaha later than I anticipated, so I did have time to get this post out on time.

ART! A great theme! But did it make a large number of people feel ARTistic enough to submit? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, August 14, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Mary Green – 2 weeks
2-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
3-Mike Vest – 6 weeks
4-Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks
5-Sheri Fakhouri – 9 weeks (2)
6-Monica Jennings – 10 weeks
7-Logan Kahler – 10 weeks
8-Nathanial Brown – 11 weeks
9-Jesse Howard – 11 weeks
10-Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
11-Alexis Stensland – 19 weeks
12-Mindi Terrell – 26 weeks (3)
13-Brandon Kahler – 50 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 55 weeks (2)
15-Sarah Toot – 56 weeks
16-Angie DeWaard – 60 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 64 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 70 weeks
19-Joe Duff – 71 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 82 weeks (3)
21-Carla Stensland – 82 weeks
22-Micky Augustin – 84 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 85 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 86 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 90 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 91 weeks (2)
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 93 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 95 weeks (2)

Here is a look at the updated THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE SUBMISSION MAP:

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:

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 86 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Becky Parmelee (?????) – 1 week

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 87 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Carla Stensland (Spirit Lake, Iowa) – 83 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 91 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Des Moines, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 92 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 12 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 72 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa) – 71 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 96 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Ann Arbor, Michigan) – 56 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Logan Kahler (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 11 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Mary Green (Elkader, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mary Green (Elkader, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 85 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 11 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nader Parsaei (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 1 week

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 57 weeks

Sarah Toot (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 94 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa State Fair – Des Moines, Iowa) – 83 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Des Moines, Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (McHose Park – Boone, Iowa) – 1 week

32 participants this week! That is a great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Michigan
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

33 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 60% of the way there!

This is the list of current missing states:
+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Indiana
+ Kentucky
+ Maine
+ Massachussetts
+ Mississippi
+ New Hampshire
+ New Mexico
+ Rhode Island
+ Vermont
+ Virginia
+ West Virginia

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The big accomplish week this week was Sheri joining the Double Digits Streak Club! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Suzie’s 7 week streak came crashing to a halt. The humanity!

SHADOW

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

But what exactly is a SHADOW photo? Simply put it is a picture where a SHADOW plays a major compositional element.

While considering a possible subject for your SHADOW picture meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a fascinating interpretation.

To light a candle is to cast a shadow.
-Ursula K. Le Guin

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 SHADOW in this place that is a candle in my life next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Automobiles, Becky, Bill, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Flowers, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Photoshop, Pufferbilly Days, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Sheri, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 412 – SELF-PORTRAIT

August 7, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

SELF-PORTRAIT! Maybe not the most artistic theme, but on the other hand, it is a chance for some of you to introduce yourself to the rest of you. But did a bunch of people do that? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, July 31, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
2-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
3-Scott Degeneffe – 4 weeks
4-Mike Vest – 4 weeks
5-Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks
6-Sabas Hernandez – 5 weeks
7-Sheri Fakhouri – 7 weeks (2)
8-Monica Jennings – 8 weeks
9-Logan Kahler – 8 weeks
10-Nathanial Brown – 9 weeks
11-Jesse Howard – 9 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 12 weeks
13-Alexis Stensland – 17 weeks (3)
14-Mindi Terrell – 24 weeks (3)
15-Brandon Kahler – 49 weeks
16-Linda Bennett – 53 weeks
17-Sarah Toot – 54 weeks (2)
18-Angie DeWaard – 58 weeks
19-Dawn Krause – 62 weeks
20-Kim Barker – 68 weeks
21-Joe Duff – 69 weeks
22-Teresa Kahler – 80 weeks (2)
23-Carla Stensland – 80 weeks
24-Micky Augustin – 82 weeks
25-Andy Sharp – 83 weeks
26-Bill Wentworth – 84 weeks
27-Cathie Morton – 88 weeks
28-Elizabeth Nordeen – 89 weeks
29-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 91 weeks
30-Kio Dettman – 93 weeks (3)

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:

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Washington D.C.) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Altoona, Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Washington D.C.) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (The Outlets at Orange – Orange County, California) – 6 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)- 10 weeks

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 18 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 54 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Sedgefield Country Club – Greensboro, South Carolina) – 55 weeks

Sarah Toot (Sedgefield Country Club – Greensboro, South Carolina)

Angie DeWaard (Nebraska – probably) – 59 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Fort Madison, Iowa) – 69 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 70 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Gretna, Nebraska) – 81 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Gretna, Nebraska)

Carla Stensland (Don Williams Lake – Ogden, Iowa) – 81 weeks

Carla Stensland (Room M4470B, Converse, 4th Floor, Friley Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA)

Micky Augustin (Undisclosed Location – Iowa) – 83 weeks

Andy Sharp (Las Vegas, Nevada) – 84 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 85 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 89 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 90 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Lake Okoboji United Methodist Camp – Spirit Lake, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 94 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 516 weeks

32 submissions this week! That is a pretty great week! Plus, thanks to Sarah Toot, we’ve now added South Carolina to the map! WooHoo!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ South Carolina
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

33 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 60% of the way there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 1 mile from my front door, so I continue not to contribute.

Both Nathanial and Jesse joined the Double Digit Streak Club. WooHoo! But it wasn’t all good news. Scottie D.’s streak came crashing to a halt at 4 weeks. The humanity!

NEGATIVE – SUGGESTED BY ANGIE DEWAARD

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

But what exactly is a NEGATIVE photo? NEGATIVE might be an abstract theme that might be hard to wrap your mind around at first. But there are multiple types of NEGATIVE. There are simply bad things or things you don’t like. In the theme reveal picture there are dead sunflowers, which is a NEGATIVE. Plus, I inverted the colors so it looks like an old school NEGATIVE. You know a film NEGATIVE. So you could just edit a photo so that colors are inverse. That would be a NEGATIVE. So it could be something that is a NEGATIVE in your life. Like bad weather or work. Or it can simply mean rejecting something. A disagreement. Or in science (and electricity) there is also NEGATIVE. I think once you put your mind to it, you will come up with something that is NEGATIVE. Maybe some of you still have physical film NEGATIVE(s).

While considering possible subjects for your NEGATIVE picture meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with an interesting picture:

It’s as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative – whichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.
-Sylvia Plath

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 NEGATIVE in this place that started with a pile of negatives next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Naima, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Street Photography, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 411 – LIQUID

July 31, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

LIQUID. You are mostly LIQUID. I’m mostly LIQUID. But did LIQUID get the creative juices of a bunch of people flowing this week? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, July 24, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Evie Gorshe – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner- 1 week
4-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
5-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
6-Scott Degeneffe – 3 weeks
7-Mike Vest – 3 weeks
8-Mary Green – 3 weeks
9-Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks
10-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
11-Sheri Fakhouri – 6 weeks (3)
12-Monica Jennings – 7 weeks
13-Logan Kahler – 7 weeks (2)
14-Nathanial Brown – 8 weeks (2)
15-Jesse Howard – 8 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 11 weeks
17-Alexis Stensland – 16 weeks (2)
18-Mindi Terrell – 23 weeks (2)
19-Brandon Kahler – 48 weeks
20-Linda Bennett – 52 weeks
21-Sarah Toot – 53 weeks (3)
22-Angie DeWaard – 57 weeks
23-Dawn Krause – 61 weeks
24-Kim Barker – 67 weeks
25-Joe Duff – 68 weeks
26-Teresa Kahler – 79 weeks (2)
27-Carla Stensland – 79 weeks
28-Micky Augustin – 81 weeks
29-Andy Sharp – 82 weeks
30-Bill Wentworth – 83 weeks
31-Cathie Morton – 87 weeks
32-Elizabeth Nordeen – 88 weeks
33-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 90 weeks
34-Kio Dettman – 92 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 (Boone, Iowa) – 93 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Des Moines, Iowa) – 91 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 89 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 88 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 84 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 83 weeks

Micky Augustin (Moscow, Iowa) – 82 weeks

Carla Stensland (Eureka Springs, Arkansas) – 80 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 80 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 69 weeks

Kim Barker (Dallas Center, Iowa) – 68 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 62 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Between Cambridge and Huxley, Iowa) – 58 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 53 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Sedgefield Country Club Golf Course – Greensboro, North Carolina) – 54 weeks

Sarah Toot (Sedgefield Country Club Golf Course – Greensboro, North Carolina)

Brandon Kahler (Story City, Iowa) – 49 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa) – 24 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa)

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Alexis Stensland (east Des Moines, Iowa)

Alexis Stensland (Swaledale, Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Guthrie Center, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Monica Jennings (Des Moines, Iowa) – 8 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 7 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Near Boone, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Ledges State Park – Iowa) – 3 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 2 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Madrid, Iowa)

31 participants! That is a pretty significant dip from recent weeks and the 35 of last week, but still a pretty great week of participation! Getting near that 30 participant average!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ North Carolina
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

32 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 60% of the way there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 15 miles from my front door. I continue not to help expand the map.

There were no huge milestones reached this week. But on the other hand there were a ton of streaks snapped. Oh, that is a bad thing. Jen, Evie, and Sara all turned out to be one and done. Mary had 3 week steak go belly up. Oh, the humanity!

SELF-PORTRAIT

SELF-PORTRAIT! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I know what a few of you are thinking. You hate SELF-PORTRAITS or the cellular phone derivative the selfie. This is either because you don’t know you are a total smoke show and don’t like having your picture taken or you know that you are a total smoke show and don’t like sharing your smoke-showness with the rest of the world. Keep that smoke-showitude to yourself. Or you are in the witness relocation program and are worried that if your smoke-showness gets out in the world the mafia hitmen or whomever will come and extinguish your smoke show forever.

These are the only 3 possible reasons. However, if you are one of these people, I have good news for you! A SELF-PORTAIT doesn’t just have to be the standard selfie, where you are standing next to your friend, dog, or significant other. Where you hold your phone out in front of you and take a snap. That certainly works and I wouldn’t poo poo that one bit.

However, a SELF-PORTRAIT might not include your face at all. It might be a picture of your hands or your ear or whatever body part. It might not even include you at all. You could take a picture of another person taking a SELF-PORTRAIT. Just please don’t take a picture of you in your bathroom mirror with your dirty toilet in the background. Or do, I won’t judge. I might mail you some toilet cleaner, but I won’t judge.

You’ll figure it out.

While considering possible ways to do your SELF-PORTRAIT, meditate on this following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with an interesting image:

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.

But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line.

It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us.

Now I know that sorta singles women out, but I think parts of it Ken speak a bit to men who sometimes wonder if they are Kenough. I’m here to tell you brother, you are Kenough.

And for the record, if there are any women out there that have seen the BARBIE movie and need some of the intricacies of it (like the 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY parody opening) mansplained to you, I’ve got your back. I’ve been told I’m pretty good at mansplaining. I think that was a compliment. Don’t tell me if it is not.

Sorry, were you talking? I was just thinking about Matchbox 20 and how they are my jam.

And I’m a little bit angry, well. This ain’t over, no, not here. Not while I still need you around. You don’t owe me, we might change, yeah. Yeah, we just might feel good I wanna push you around. Well, I will, well, I will. I wanna push you down. Well, I will, well, I will. I wanna take you for granted.

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 SELF-PORTAIT in this place that is a millions of lines of code to make one giant selfie next Monday.