Category Archives: Brooke

The Mine: An American Workplace

I recently had a sale in the Photography 139 Gallery. Thanks to Amy for purchasing 16 pictures from the gallery.



16 pictures! Suck on that Vincent van Gogh!

I don’t mention it very often, but almost every picture is for sale in the Photography 139 Gallery. Prices are only a hair above cost and you can buy things besides prints. You can buy key tags, cups. cards, coasters, ceramic tiles, ornaments, and whole bunch of other stuff.

If you are ever interested, you can check out the gallery here:

Photography 139 Gallery

Then click on “Buy Photos” that is above the picture on the right.

I’ not saying go buy some photos, but I don’t mention that it is something you can do very often.

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20 work from home days in the book. This week I found myself, not exactly fantasizing, but thinking about future vacations. I’m at a point where when we got the okay to go back to the office, I want to take the next 3 weeks off. I’m not sure they’d let me, but I’m ready. Ready for what, I have no clue.

My listening habits were the same this week. I’m up to Track #748 on the Master Playlist.

Track #748 is “You’re the Best Around” by Joe Esposito. Otherwise known as the montage song during the tournament scene of THE KARATE KID. A true banger if there ever was one.

I have eliminated a few songs from the Master Playlist. Either the recording quality wasn’t good enough, or it turns out, I don’t really like the song that much:

“Tell Me Lies” – Fleetwood Mac
“Hold On Loosely” – .38 Special
“Sister Christian” – Night Ranger
“Demons” – Imagine Dragons
“Roots” – Imagine Dragons
“And We Danced” – Macklemore

I don’t know that I’ve discovered any more positives with social distancing life, but I did discover that none of my smoke detectors work. Something I wouldn’t have discovered if I was working on so many cleaning projects. A new one arrived today and if I like it, I’ll buy a second one for the basement. Although I don’t know what the criteria would be for smoke detector that I don’t like would be.

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The show I have been binge watching while social distancing is THE OFFICE. I watched the show from its inception, but stopped during the writer’s strike and never got back to it.

I have officially completed all 9 seasons and somewhere during the middle of the 9th season it dawned on me, why deep inside I decided to start back up on this show. It isn’t because it is great, but it is great. I think I was drawn to it because… I’m starting to miss my co-workers.

I thought I would share a few images of my co-workers. Every year I am charged with taking the Computer Mine Holiday Card photos.

It secretly is one of my favorite secondary responsibilities I have. I even enjoy hearing the exact people give me the exact same complaint about “why can’t they just use last year’s photo”.

Here are some pictures from last year’s photo shoots of people that either subscribe to this here blog or appear in it somewhat frequently:


2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

2019  Computer Mine Holiday Card

I’ll see you guys again. Sometime soon!

You’re So Vain, You Probably Think this Post is About You

This is the final post of the 2017 backlog.

I usually get tapped with taking the pictures for the day job’s holiday card.

My co-workers range from putting in a ton of effort in getting ready for their portrait to just showing up and saying “let’s get this done” to complaining incessantly about it.

I, for the most part, enjoy the exercise, even though these are little more than glorified mugshots that take up about 1 square centimeter on a card that I’m not certain many of our customers even look at.

I’m going to share the pictures of co-workers that are also subscribers to this here blog. Maybe a couple more that I just enjoy.


Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

Computer Mine Holiday Card - 2017

I don’t Photoshop these. I just turn them over to the powers that be. Okay, I might have Photoshopped Jorge’s picture a hair because I kept being told that his eyes are too small. Dude has small eyes. Why you pickin’ on him?

These aren’t the pictures used on the holiday card. They aren’t even the best pictures from their shoots. Tey are just pictures that I liked.

An Artist’s Notebook will probably take Sundays off for the time being. I think we all need the break.

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 99 – YELLOW

YELLOW really got the old creative juices flowing. I’d reckon that there is close to a record number of submissions this week.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see this week’s submissions. Here they are:


WEEK 99 - YELLOW - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - BROOKE MILLIGAN 1
Brooke Milligan 1

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - BROOKE MILLIGAN 2
Brooke Milligan 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - KIM BARKER 2
Kim Barker 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - SHANNON BARDOLE
Shannon Bardole

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - LOGAN KAHLER 1
Logan Kahler 1

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - LOGAN KAHLER 2
Logan Kahler 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - LOGAN KAHLER 3
Logan Kahler 3

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - MICKY AUGUSTIN 1
Micky Augustin 1

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - MICKY AUGUSTIN 2
Micky Augustin 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - TERESA KAHLER 1
Teresa Kahler 1

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - TERESA KAHLER 2
Teresa Kahler 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - TERESA KAHLER 3
Teresa Kahler 3

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - TERESA KAHLER 4
Teresa Kahler 4

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - BILL WENTWORTH 1
Bill Wentworth 1

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - BILL WENTWORTH 2
Bill Wentworth 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - CATHIE RALEY 1
Cathie Raley 1

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - CATHIE RALEY 2
Cathie Raley 2

WEEK 99 - YELLOW - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett

What an incredible week of submissions!

I wish I could tell you the remaining themes are as easily accessible as YELLOW and SKY, but they aren’t. There are some challenging ones in there. But I know you guys are up to the challenge!

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:


WEEK 100 - COLD
COLD!

COLD! What a great theme! I don’t think I need to explain COLD. It is a temperature that we haven’t felt much of lately here in the middle of the Cyclone State. But it is more than just a temperature. People can be COLD. Actions can be COLD. Feel free to define COLD any way you see fit!

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

Sometimes people send me descriptions of their photos. I’ve never done anything with that information in the past. However, if you send me a description in the future, I will add it to your image in the Weekly Photo Challenge Gallery that houses all the submissions.

**************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very frigid Monday!

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 98 – SKY

SKY really did trigger the creative juices of many a person. A healthy amount of SKY submissions! That included first time participation by Tamara Peterson and the return of Brooke Milligan! They should be inspirations for those of you that are on the fence about whether or not to participate. Go ahead and jump in! The water is fine!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the SKY submissions:


WEEK 98 - SKY - KIM BARKER 1
Kim Barker 1

WEEK 98 - SKY - KIM BARKER 2
Kim Barker 2

WEEK 98 - SKY - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 98 - SKY - SHANNON BARDOLE
Shannon Bardole

WEEK 98 - SKY - TAMARA PETERSON 1
Tamara Peterson 1

WEEK 98 - SKY - TAMARA PETERSON 2
Tamara Peterson 2

WEEK 98 - SKY - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 98 - SKY - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

WEEK 98 - SKY - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim

WEEK 98 - SKY - ANGE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 98 - SKY - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley 1

WEEK 98 - SKY - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley 2

WEEK 98 - SKY - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley 3

WEEK 98 - SKY - BROOKE MILLIGAN
Brooke Milligan

WEEK 98 - SKY - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth

WEEK 98 - SKY - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

A solid week of submissions!

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:


WEEK 99 - YELLOW
YELLOW!

YELLOW! What a great theme! I don’t even think I need to explain yellow. I will point out for some people out there that gold and yellow are not the same color. I know people in Iowa City don’t understand the difference. Perhaps if they would’ve went to a better school. But I digress. YELLOW! Get off your duff and photograph something that is YELLOW!

As always, I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

Sometimes people send me descriptions of their photos. I’ve never done anything with that information in the past. However, if you send me a description in the future, I will add it to your image in the Weekly Photo Challenge Gallery that houses all the submissions.

**************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very yellow Monday!

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 92 – NATURE

NATURE really sparked something in a lot of people. I think this is the largest group of submissions we’ve had in weeks! Brooke even rejoined us! Welcome back Brooke!

But you don’t want to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You want to see the submission for NATURE:


WEEK 92- NATURE - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett

WEEK 92- NATURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 92- NATURE - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth

WEEK 92- NATURE - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

WEEK 92- NATURE - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim

WEEK 92- NATURE - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 92- NATURE - BROOKE MILLIGAN
Brooke Milligan 1

WEEK 92- NATURE - BROOKE MILLIGAN
Brooke Milligan 2

WEEK 92- NATURE - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley 1

WEEK 92- NATURE - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley 2

WEEK 92 - NATURE - SHANNON BARDOLE
Shannon Bardole

WEEK 92- NATURE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland 1

WEEK 92- NATURE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland 2

WEEK 92- NATURE - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker 1

WEEK 92- NATURE - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker 2

WEEK 92- NATURE - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

What a great week of submission!

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:


WEEK 93 - TIME
TIME!

As it so happens, I’m actually short of TIME to write a description of TIME right now. So the short, short version is that the idea of TIME is to capture a moment or moments in TIME. This should be done with either an extremely short or a long exposure. However, there are obviously other ways to define TIME. Some people think that TIME doesn’t even exist. Feel free to use any definition of TIME that works for you.

Good luck and I can’t wait to see your interpretations of TIME!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

Sometimes people send me descriptions of their photos. I’ve never done anything with that information in the past. However, if you send me a description in the future, I will add it to your image in the Weekly Photo Challenge Gallery that houses all the submissions.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 MISSION DIVISION

For those of you that are observant of my schedule, I will be in Saint Paul on a mission trip next Monday. That doesn’t change the schedule of events. The deadline for inclusion of your submission will still be 11 AM on Monday. At 12:01, next week’s theme will be revealed. I won’t have much access to my email until I return to the Cyclone State on Friday, therefore I won’t reveal the submission until I return or until I feel that I have adequately recovered physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very timely Monday or whenever I release the submissions!

To a Great 2017!

Pretend like I published this on January 1, just like I meant to do.

It is that day at Photography 139 Headquarters where we take down our old Photography 139 Calendar and put it in the trunk with many of the other remnants of our past.


We like to think that 2016 was a successful year for Photography 139 and I’d like to thank everybody that was responsible for making it appear so.

So to my list of email blog subscribers…

Jay Janson
Jason Baier
Shannon Bardole
Scott Degeneffe
Corey Faust
Susanna Funk
Jill Gorshe
Jesse Howard
Sara Lockner
Teresa Kahler
Nader Parsaei
Becky Perkovich
Bernice Verhoorn
Suzie Brannen
Eric Hiatt
Kim Barker
Cousin Amy
Russell Kennerly
Tim Tuck
Tim Tucker’s Lady Friend
Michelle Haupt
Geri Derner
Micky Augustin
Angie DeWaard
Mike Vest
DaeHee Yoon
Monica Henning
Sarah Karber
Carla Stensland
Laura Miller
Joseph Lynch
Jorge Rios
Anders Runestad
Laura Miller
Michael Houlihan
Dawn Krause
Joe Duff
Derrick Gorshe
Dustin Jackson
Bethany Miller
Logan Kahler
Elizabeth Nordeen
Nicole Nickens
Corinna
Jeff Daniel
Stephanie Kim
Bob Person
Melissa Degeneffe
Willy MacAlpine
Janice Peterson
Jessica Potts
Steve Junck
Shawn Lockner
Brooke Milligan
Cathie Raley
Paul Golden
Linda Toot
Jodie Bennett
Dan Pottratz
Alisa Baker
Cassandra Chadwick

Thanks for a great 2016! Of course, I’ll try to do better in 2017. Hopefully our little family will continue to grow in the new year!

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 52 – WILD CARD

As we close the books on the first year of the rebirth of the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, we have not ONE but TWO first time submitees! Welcome aboard Brooke Milligan and Cathie Raley!!!

You know I could talk tommyrot about first time submitees all day, but you want to get to the submissions. So let’s get to it!

Here are the submissions for WILD CARD:


WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - BROOKE MILLIGAN
Brooke Milligan 1

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - BROOKE MILLIGAN
Brooke Milligan 2

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CARLA STENSLAND 1
Carla Stensland 1

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CARLA STENSLAND 2
Carla Stensland 2

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - SHANNON BARDOLE
Shannon Bardole

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - KIM BARKER 1
Kim Barker 1

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - KIM BARKER 2
Kim Barker 2

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CATHIE RALEY 1
Cathie Raley 1

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CATHIE RALEY 2
Cathie Raley 2

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CATHIE RALEY 3
Cathie Raley 3

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CATHIE RALEY 4
Cathie Raley 4

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - CATHIE RALEY 5
Cathie Raley 5

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest 1

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest 2

WEEK 52 - WILD CARD - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

A good, healthy week of submissions!

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:


WEEK 53 - BODY PART
BODY PART!

BODY PART? Yep. BODY PART! This should be easy enough. Just about everybody you know has a body part or two or three or four hundred. Heck! Did you know that more than just humans have body parts? All sorts of animals have body parts! But as always, feel free to define the theme however you see fit!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

We are pleased to announce that Cathie Raley is the latest person to show her taste, class, and sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. The only real thing to tell you about Cathie is that she is a witch. Not a wiccan, but an actual witch. She also helps secure the Photography 139 Footprint in Nevada, Iowa. So if you see Cathie out and about walking the mean streets of Nevada, feel free to give her a knowing glance and if you have time, show her the Super Secret Photography 139 Handshake.

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be an anatomical Monday!