The submissions for last week’s theme PATHS:

Dawn Krause


Becky Perkovich


Christopher D. Bennett


Mike Vest


Julie Johnson

Dawn has taken quill in hand again and this is the result:

Paths

Two paths we could go love
Two roads we could follow
One leads us to warmth love
Where hearts don’t feel hallow

Lead me gently my love
Down the road we travel
Strengthen ties that bind love
Never to unravel

We could part the road love
For one taken before
Nursing broken hearts love
Forever close that door

That’s not what I want love
That distance from your heart
Hold me in your arms love
Even when we’re apart

The Random Generator has been fired up and spit out a high quality theme for this week:

I don’t think this theme needs a definition, so I’ll just leave you to it!

There were numerous submissions for last week’s theme REFLECTIONS. I know that more than a few of these weren’t actually taken last week, but I will let it slide this time…

So without further adieu, REFLECTIONS:

Julie Johnson of The Joy is in the Journey
I consider Friday to be a good day to check this website for Photo Fridays!


Mike Vest of Waxen Media
Mondays are a great day to check this website as Mike posts pictures from his “peeps” for this project then.


Scott Krause


Christopher D. Bennett


Dawn Krause of Impassioned Versifier


Becky Perkovich


Carla Stensland A


Carla Stensland B

The Random Generator has been generating and generating and generating and it spit out this week’s theme:

This might be another one of my favorite themes on the list. After all, everybody walks their own path, so I’m assuming there should be some great submissions again next week.

“DOWN GOES NATURE! DOWN GOES NATURE! DOWN GOES NATURE!”
-The voice of Howard Cosell inside my head

At exactly 10 PM on July 29. 2010, I popped the top on two bottles of Virgil’s Micro-brewed Root Beer and Dawn and I celebrated the end of Hedgegeddon. We had just dumped the final body of my fallen enemies into the burn pile at Scottie D.’s Mom’s place. It was over. Mankind was victorious!

It wasn’t easy though. Nature put up a good fight. I have complete and utter respect for nature, but on this front, I was the victor.

It took quite the effort though:

• 3 spades were broken
• 1 shovel met its demise
• 2 pairs of gloves were destroyed
• I was forced to bring a hat out of retirement
• 3 different trucks were used
• 2 sets of chains
• 7 different people helped in the process
• 2 different neighbors stopped by to say that it looked like “hard work”

Thanks to the following people for helping me win my ultimate battle with nature:

• Scottie D.
• Jason
• Derrick
• Dawn
• Willy
• Becky
• Jesse

We took a few pictures of the ceremonial removing of the final hedge. Scottie D. was there at the beginning and there at the end, so he gets a very special thanks. Plus he even cut down a bonus bush after we removed the final hedge.

The Last Hedge


The Path of Destruction


Dead Hedge Waiting to be Removed


The Last Hedge


Scottie D. and I with the Last Hedge


The Same


The Beginning of the End


The Battle is Almost Won


A Matter of Time…


Down Goes Nature! Down Goes Nature!


Mission Accomplished


Present Arms


Scott claimed that he would be able to cut down this bush in under 1 minute. I pulled out the old Gra Lab Enlarger Timer and timed him.


I haven’t seen a wife prouder of her husband since Jen and Derrick when he took down the Gunderburger.


He didn’t quite make his 1 minute goal, but Scott definitely took this bush down in under 3 minutes.


Doing a little cleanup.

Now that the destruction part of my backyard plan has been completed (for now… I’m looking at you currant bushes) I will be diving head first into my fence building plan.

I smell a fence building party on the horizon!

The submissions for last week’s theme DEPTH OF FIELD:

Christopher D. Bennett


Becky Perkovich


Dawn Krause


Julie Johnson


Mike Vest

Remember that the theme for this week is:

I will repeat that I think that this might be my favorite theme of the 52 programmed into the Random Theme Generator.

The submissions for last week’s theme – STILL LIFE:

Dawn Krause


Christopher D. Bennett


Mike Vest


Becky Perkovich A


Becky Perkovich B

Dawn’s Weekly Poem:

Still Life

In this still life
No one to understand
In this still life
No one to hold your hand

In this still life
We walk the road alone
In this still life
We walk to dust and bone

Our broken foundation
In this still life
Searching for salvation
In this still life

The Random Generator has been randomizing and randomizing and it spit out the theme for this week:

Another interesting theme. Hopefully the upcoming holiday weekend doesn’t discourage too many contributors.

I had my, what could theoretically become, annual Birthday Barbecue on Saturday.  I would like to thank all of the people that attended and made the evening special:

• Bardole, Shannon
• Bennett, Charlotte
• Cousin, Amy
• Daniel, Jeffrey
• Degeneffe, Austin
• Degeneffe, Melissa
• Degeneffe, Scott
• Dill, Colby
• Dill, Dan
• Dill, DJ
• Gorshe, Derrick
• Gorshe, Jen
• Henning, Monica
• Howard, Jesse
• Howard, Kalista
• Howard, Kelly
• Howard, Saydie
• Howard, Taylan
• Hugen, Todd
• Janson, Jay
• Jauhari, Andree
• Jenson, Terra
• Johnstone, Jack
• Johnstone, Jason
• Junck, Sara
• Kahler, Logan
• Kahler, Russ
• Kewer, Jeff
• Krause, Dawn
• McAlpine, Willy
• Nitchals, Peggy
• Parsaei, Nader
• Perkovich, Becky
• Roberts, Lori
• Roberts, Steve
• Runestad, Anders
• Stensland, Carla
• Stensland, Johnathan
• Wever, Ada
• Wever, Amanda
• Wever, Greg
• Yin, Amy

Next year, I will move the barbecue back to its traditional spot of the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  Feel free to circle the date May 28 on your 2011 calendar that you have yet to purchase. It will perhaps be an even smaller and more intimate gathering.  I might start instituting a survivor type invitation policy similar to the fashion of invites that Jay uses for Symposium.

Special thanks need to be extended to the following people:

Sara for taking the pictures for the invitations.

Sara for providing the s’mores goodies.

Jay for making three desserts: chocolate raspberry cookies, key lime bars and apple crisp.

Steve for providing homemade salsa and chips.

Becky for making a pasta salad.

Scott and Melissa for bringing a banana creme pie.

Shannon for baking a fresh rhubarb pie with rhubarb picked from my personal rhubarb patch.

Johnathan for bringing over cornhole.

Logan and Russ for running the grill.

Mom for baking a cake and creating a watermelon fruit thing.

Derrick for being the fire-starter.

Andree for being the best dressed person at the party.

Shannon for opening the party.

Willy for closing the party.

There isn’t any photographic evidence to support that this party existed. I was too busy to touch a camera and Sara didn’t take any pictures this year. Maybe next year I will add “Party Photographer” to the list of Staff positions for this shindig.

If you wish to be hired for this position (no pay, no benefits, possibly a STAFF t-shirt*) simply send the answer to the following question to bennett@photography139.com:

Why would I make an awesome Party Photographer?

I suppose I should start planning Friendsmas now. It can wait a couple of months.

*That is not a joke. There will be staff t-shirts next year.

Here are the submissions for last week’s Random Weekly Photo Experiment – LEADING LINES:

Dawn Krause


Mike Vest


Teresa Kahler


Christopher D. Bennett


Becky Perkovich

Dawn’s Poem

Leading Line

No come-ons were needed
You peeked into my soul
We saw each other clearly
And made each other whole

No empty promises spoken
No need to ask for more
No dangers lurking in the dark
Only what fate had in store

I need a come on now
To let me know it’s fine
A word of reassurance
Or my heart for you will pine

The Random Theme Generator has been generating and generating and it spit out a fascinating theme for this week:

I don’t think this theme needs much of a description. Basically pan the camera and take a picture. Hopefully with a long enough shutter speed to capture the blur. Honestly that is a slightly simplified definition. This technique would usually be used while following a moving object. The idea being that the subject will stay sharp(ish) and the background will be blurred. This way the motion of the object is captured in a still photo.

As always though, interpret the theme any way that you want.

Here are the submissions for last week’s theme, feet. Included is a new first time contributor – Alexis. That is good, because there seemed to be fewer contributors this week. Perhaps the subject matter scared some people away. I know not everybody likes feet. After all, most feet are kind of gross, but some feet are funny. Hopefully most people find these feet to be to their liking. (At least the pictures of the feet.)

Alexis Stensland

Michael Vest

Christopher D. Bennett

Becky Perkovich

Wild

As always, I will be interested to see what people do with this theme.

A couple of late submissions:

Dawn Krause


Justin Whitaker

Teresa is a first time contributor this week. The contributions for last week’s theme – Rule of Thirds:

Teresa Kahler

Christopher D. Bennett

Becky Perkovich

Dawn Krause

Mike Vest

Rule of Thirds

Rule of Thirds

It’s just us three
Same as always
Even with four

We talk we laugh
We cry we smile
We always share

Someday she will
Grow up and leave
Down to two-thirds

Some time with him
And he will fly
One-third alone

Two thirds always
Have one-third watch
Throughout their lives

This week’s theme is an easy one:

Feet

After all, almost everybody has at least one foot and everybody at least knows somebody with a foot.

The submissions for last week’s theme: Symmetry and Patterns.

Becky Perkovich

Michael Vest

Christopher D. Bennett

Dawn Krause

Julie Johnson

Symmetry and Patterns

See the parallels in our lives
Lines drawn in to the sands of time
Running forever side by side
Just like a perfect worded rhyme
From pain to sad to glad and joy
We’re all alike more than we think
Foundations in stone bind our hearts
Just open our minds to that link

The theme for this week is:

Long Exposure

I don’t know if there is a good way to define “long exposure”. This is how I’m going to define it and while it most likely isn’t technically correct, it is good enough for me. The human hand can only remain steady for 1/15 of a second. Therefore a long exposure could be defined as a picture with a shutter speed longer than 1/15 of second.

Of course you can define “Long Exposure” however you want. Maybe you have a pasty friend with a sunburn. Maybe you have a friend that keeps chili in the fridge well past a time when it should have been thrown away.

It will be interesting to see what people decided to do with this theme.