Category Archives: Kim

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 336 – STILL LIFE

February 21, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

STILL LIFE has proven to be a moderately successful theme.

As of 10:59 AM on Monday, February 21, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week
+ Joe Duff – 4 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 4 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 4 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 4 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 5 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 6 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 6 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 6 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 7 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 7 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 8 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 12 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 13 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 15 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 15 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 18 weeks

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

Linda Bennett – 1 week

Linda Bennett

Kio Dettman – 19 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 6 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 16 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 5 weeks

Joe Duff – 5 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp – 8 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 14 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 9 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 8 weeks

Becky Parmelee

Teresa Kahler – 5 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Kim Barker – 16 weeks

Dawn Krause – 1 week

Suzie Brannen – 1 week

Micky Augustin – 7 weeks

Carla Stensland – 5 weeks

Carla Stensland

Logan Kahler – 1 week

Logan Kahler

Cathie Raley – 13 weeks

Monica Henning – 7 weeks

Mike Vest – 1 week

29 submissions from 20 participants! That is a great week! 5 people hopefully started new streaks this week and only Evie and Jesse had their steaks stopped. Evie’s streak stopped at 1 week and Jesse’s streak stopped at 6 weeks. Linda and Suzie were first time participants in this year’s set of 52 themes.

Here are the current top streaks:

1. Kio – 19 weeks
2. Shannon – 16 weeks
2. Kim – 16 weeks
4. Elizabeth – 14 weeks
5. Cathie – 13 weeks

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:

HARMONY

HARMONY! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a HARMONY image? A HARMONY image is simply a picture of at least two things that team up together perfectly. Like peanut butter and jelly. Cardinal and gold. Laurel and Hardy. Colors can also harmonize. I’m not going to go deep into color theory, but here are a few examples of colors that HARMONYze: Orange-Blue, Pink-Green, Orange-Green, Red-Green, Yellow-Purple, Blue-Yellow, Green-Magenta, Red-Cyan. Also, a HARMONY image could also relate to music as HARMONY is a very important part of music.

When considering possible HARMONY subjects, think on the following quote:

Be in harmony, yet be different.
-Confucius

I look forward to seeing the interpretations!

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.

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of HARMONY in this place that is little more than where my differences try to align on Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 335 – BELIEVE

February 19, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m back in the Cyclone State from a whirlwind Computer Mine trip to Pittsburgh. I mostly sat on my couch on Friday night petting Naima, not wanting to move, and catching up on THE PEACEMAKER and THE GILDED AGE. I also watched the new TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. That is an experience that I do not recommend.

Now it is Saturday morning and it is time to share the submissions for BELIEVE. I thought that BELIEVE would be a streak busting abstract concept, but while it wasn’t super popular, many stalwarts had quite a few photographic examples of BELIEVE. I can’t say that I’m pleasantly surprised at how many submissions I got for such an abstract concept. Maybe BELIEVE made me BELIEVE in the rogue group of misfits just a little bit more.

As of 10:59 AM on Monday, February 14, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks: (IF they did not submit a picture by one more tick of the minute hand, then their streak went poof, like my belief in southern hospitality did in a North Carolina airport on Friday. POOF!)

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Dawn Krause – 2 weeks
+ Mike Vest – 2 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 3 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 3 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 3 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 3 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 3 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 4 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 5 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 5 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 5 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 6 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 7 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 11 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 12 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 14 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 14 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 17 weeks

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

Evie Gorshe – 1 Week

Andy Sharp – 7 weeks

Joe Duff – 4 weeks

Micky Augustin – 6 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 4 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Jesse Howard – 6 weeks

Carla Stensland – 4 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 13 weeks

Kim Barker – 15 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 7 weeks

Becky Parmelee

Becky Paremelee

Bill Wentworth – 8 weeks

Cathie Raley – 12 weeks

Kio Dettman – 18 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 5 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 15 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 4 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Monica Henning – 6 weeks

21 submissions from 17 participants, that is a solid week. Only 4 streaks went poof. Jen could build her streak to two. Dawn and Vest both saw 2 week streaks snapped. Logan had a 3 week streak go the way of the dodo bird.

Here is the current top streaks:

1. Kio – 18 weeks
2. Shannon – 15 weeks
2. Kim – 15 weeks
4. Elizabeth – 13 weeks
5. Cathie – 12 weeks.

Also, if you can’t tell from Cathie’s image, she got engaged last weekend. So CONGRATULATIONS CATHIE!!!

STILL LIFE

STILL LIFE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a STILL LIFE image? A STILL LIFE image is simply a picture of an inanimate object or objects. The object can be manmade or it can be from nature. A flower or a plant is a subject for a STILL LIFE image. A dog or a human being is not a subject for a STILL LIFE image. Food is a popular STILL LIFE subject. The great thing about STILL LIFE photography is it allows the photographer to manipulate his subject.

Meditate on the following quote while considering your inanimate subject for you submission from one of the greatest photographers of all-time, Diane Arbus:

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.”

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of STILL LIFE in this place that is little more than my life held still on Monday.

Andy, Automobiles, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 334 – JUNK

February 7, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

JUNK has not proved to be a fairly popular theme.

Heading into the 5th week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, the following streaks were active:

+ Mike Vest – 1 week
+ Dawn Krause – 1 week
+ Joe Duff – 2 weeks
+ Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 2 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 2 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 2 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 2 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 3 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 4 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 4 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
+ Evie Gorshe – 5 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 5 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 6 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 10 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 11 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 13 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 13 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 16 weeks

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

Elizabeth Nordeen – 12 weeks

Andy Sharp – 6 weeks

Joe Duff – 3 weeks

Kio Dettman – 17 weeks

Kio Dettman

Bill Wentworth – 7 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 3 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 4 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 14 weeks

Dawn Krause – 2 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks

Micky Augustin – 5 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week (Assist by Beck)

Logan Kahler – 3 weeks

Carla Stensland – 3 weeks

Cathie Raley – 11 weeks

Mike Vest – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard – 5 weeks

Monica Henning – 5 weeks

Kim Barker – 14 weeks

22 submissions from 21 participants! That is a good week!

Only 2 streaks were broke this week. Layla had a streak of 2 weeks snapped and Evie had a streak of 5 weeks snapped. Their Mom picked up the slack though by hopefully starting out a new streak this week.

The current top streaks:

#1. Kio – 17 weeks
#2. Kim – 14 weeks
#2. Shannon – 14 weeks
#4. Elizabeth – 12 weeks
#5. Cathie – 11 weeks

BELIEVE

BELIEVE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I’m going to be 100% transparent on this theme. It is 100% inspired by TED LASSO. Let’s face it, if you aren’t watching TED LASSO, then you are watching television wrong! You better do something about it. Like start watching TED LASSO!

All of that being said, what is a BELIEVE image. While on the surface, this seems like a very abstract, conceptual streak killing theme, it is really quite simple. All you have to do is take a picture of something you BELIEVE in. BELIEVE in Jesus? Take a picture that reflects your Christian faith. Or whatever religion you practice. BELIEVE in your favorite sports team. Take a picture that reflects your rooting interests. BELIEVE that education is the foundation of a successful life, take a picture of that. BELIEVE in your children? BELIEVE in gravity? BELIEVE the world is flat? If you think about it, you BELIEVE in a lot of things.

While considering the possible subjects for your BELIEVE image, meditate on the following quote from a speech my man Ted Lasso gave in Season 1 Episode 10:

I’ve been hearing this phrase y’all got over here that I ain’t too crazy about. “It’s the hope that kills you.” Y’all know that? I disagree, you know? I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief. Now, where I’m from, we got a saying too. A question, actually. “Do you believe in miracles?”
– Ted Lasso

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of BELIEF in this place that is little more than a collection of my beliefs next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 333 – #LOVE

January 31, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

#LOVE has proven to be a popular theme. Which is good, I’m glad so many people have #LOVE in their lives.

Heading into the 4th week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, these were the current streaks:

+ Logan Kahler – 1 week
+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week
+ Carla Stensland – 1 week
+ Tamara Peterson – 1 week
+ Robyn Augustin – 1 week
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Joe Duff – 1 week
+ Teresa Kahler – 1 week
+ Michelle Haupt – 2 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 3 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 3 weeks
+ Evie Gorshe – 4 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 4 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 5 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 9 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 10 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 12 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 12 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 15 weeks

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

Bill Wentworth – 6 weeks

Carla Stensland – 2 weeks

Kio Dettman – 16 weeks

Kio Dettman

Michelle Haupt – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 2 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Logan Kahler – 2 weeks

Logan Kahler

Kim Barker – 13 weeks

Evie Gorshe – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp – 5 weeks

Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 2 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin – 4 weeks

Joe Duff – 2 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 11 weeks

Jesse Howard – 4 weeks

Mike Vest – 1 week

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 13 weeks

Dawn Krause – 1 week

Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks

Cathie Raley – 10 weeks

Monica Henning – 4 weeks

27 submissions from 22 participants! 22 participants ties last week’s record! WooHoo!

Only 2 streaks were broken. Jen and Robyn could not extend that streak out to two.

The four longest streaks remained intact and Cathie joined the world of double digit streaks.

Here are the top streaks:

#1. Kio – 16 weeks
#2. Kim – 13 weeks
#2. Shannon – 13 weeks
#4. Elizabeth – 11 weeks
#5. Cathie – 10 weeks

JUNK

JUNK! What a great theme for Week 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a JUNK image? Simply put, it is any picture that involves JUNK in the composition. It can be as simple as opening up your JUNK drawer and taking a picture. I have at least 5 JUNK drawers in my house and one more in the office. You could got to a local salvage yard. You could go to a local “antique” store. It could be simply a picture of something you don’t like. There are numerous definitions of JUNK and feel free to explore any of those definitions. I think you know the definition I’m talking about.

While considering your possible subjects for JUNK, consider the following quote from terrible human being Thomas Edison:

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
-Thomas Edison

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of JUNK in this place that is little more than a collection of all my leftovers next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Naima, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 332 – TRIANGLE

January 24, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

So far TRIANGLE has been a fairly popular theme. In fact, it was a record setting theme! More on that later.

Heading into the third week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, these were the current streaks:

* Mike Vest – 1 week
* Michelle Haupt – 1 week
* Monica Henning – 2 weeks
* Micky Augustin – 2 weeks
* Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
* Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
* Andy Sharp – 3 weeks
* Evie Gorshe – 3 weeks
* Bill Wentworth – 4 weeks
* Dawn Krause – 5 weeks
* Cathie Raley – 8 weeks
* Elizabeth Nordeen – 9 weeks
* Kim Barker – 11 weeks
* Shannon Bardole-Foley – 11 weeks
* Kio Dettman – 14 weeks

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

Christopher D. Bennett

Jesse Howard – 3 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 10 weeks

Carla Stensland – 1 week

Kio Dettman – 15 weeks

Kio Dettman

Bill Wentworth – 5 weeks

Layla Gorshe – 1 week

Evie Gorshe – 4 weeks

Kim Barker – 12 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 1 week

Michelle Haupt – 2 weeks

Robyn Augustin – 1 week

Micky Augustin – 3 weeks

Monica Henning – 3 weeks

Monica Henning

Logan Kahler – 1 week

Logan Kahler

Andy Sharp – 4 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 12 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week

Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks

Joe Duff – 1 week

Teresa Kahler – 1 week

Teresa Kahler

Cathie Raley – 9 weeks

Very impressive! 28 submissions from 22 participants! I think the 22 participants might be a new THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE record! Only two streaks were snapped. Mike Vest’s “streak” of 1 week did not extend to 2 weeks. Dawn Krause’s streak of 5 weeks ends at 5.

The three longest streaks remained intact and Elizabeth joined the world of double digit streaks.

Here are the top streaks:

#1. Kio – 15 weeks
#2. Kim – 12 weeks
#2. Shannon – 12 weeks
#4. Elizabeth – 10 weeks

#LOVE

#LOVE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a #LOVE image. What is #LOVE? #LOVE is the most popular hashtag on Instagram. Instagram has more than 1 billion users that use the app every month. It is the second most downloaded free app. The average Instagram user browses images 53 minutes a day. Instagram is used by 25% of smartphone users. The first ever photo posted to Instagram was of a dog (duh!) near a taco stand (double duh!), taken by a Instagram founder. As I write this, #LOVE has been used 2,147,483,647 times on Instagram. That is billion with a b.

Now if you read all that, and you were like, great, but what is a hashtag? Sigh.

A hashtag is a label used on social media sites that makes it easier to find information with a theme or specific content. Hashtags encourage social media users to explore content that catches their eye. Associations can use hashtags to reach their target audience and to help members filter information.

But for our purpose here, you don’t need to worry about a hashtag. The hashtag is merely the inspiration for this week’s theme. When you are considering your subjects, think, would it be something that somebody could hashtag it with LOVE? The subject could be something that you #LOVE, or it could be something that represents #LOVE to you. Whatever trips your heartstrings. I’m not here to judge. Love is love and #LOVE is #LOVE too.

While considering your possible subjects, think on the following quote and I know you will take a great #LOVE image:

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.
-Zora Neale Hurston

I look forward to your interpretations!

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of #LOVE in this place that is little more than a where I put all my loves next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 331 – ROCK

January 17, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

It appears that ROCK was a fairly popular theme. There were a decent amount of submissions.

Heading in to the second week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, these were the current streaks:

* Micky Augustin – 1 week
* Linda Bennett – 1 week
* Monica Henning – 1 week
* Jesse Howard – 1 week
* Logan Kahler – 1 week
* Carla Stensland – 1 week
* Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
* Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks
* Teresa Kahler – 2 weeks
* Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
* Andy Sharp – 2 weeks
* Bill Wentworth – 3 weeks
* Dawn Krause – 4 weeks
* Cathie Raley – 7 weeks
* Elizabeth Nordeen – 8 weeks
* Kim Barker – 10 weeks
* Shannon Bardole-Foley – 10 weeks
* Kio Dettman – 13 weeks
* Tamara Peterson – 13 weeks

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

Kio Dettman (14 weeks)

Kio Dettman

Bill Wentworth (4 weeks)

Christopher D. Bennett

Evie Gorshe (3 weeks)

Elizabeth Nordeen (9 weeks)

Andy Sharp (3 weeks)

Andy Sharp

Michelle Haupt (1 week)

Dawn Krause (5 weeks)

Dawn Krause

Jesse Howard (2 weeks)

Kim Barker (11 weeks)

Cathie Raley (8 weeks)

Micky Augustin (2 weeks)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (11 weeks)

Mike Vest (1 week)

Becky Parmelee – (3 weeks)

Monica Henning (2 weeks)

Monica Henning

20 submissions by 16 participants. Sadly, streaks ended for Linda Bennett, Logan Kahler, Carla Stensland, Layla Gorshe, Teresa Kahler, and Tamara Peterson. Tamara’s streak was all the way up to 13 weeks. That leaves Kio as the sole King of the Streaks at 14. With Shannon and Kim in second at 11 weeks a piece.

TRIANGLE

TRIANGLE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

But what is a TRIANGLE image? It is simply a picture where the subject includes or is a TRIANGLE. Isosceles, equilateral, scalene, obtuse, acute, or right. Doesn’t matter. When you start to look for them, you will realize that TRIANGLE(s) are every where. Commonly used in construction and logos, for example. Heck, sometimes even love has a TRIANGLE.

While considering your possible TRIANGLE subjects, meditate on the following quote:

If triangles had a god, he would have three sides.
-Baron de Montesquieu

I look forward to seeing all your three sided interpretations.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of TRIANGLE in this place that is little more than a love triangle amongst me, myself, and I next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 330 – BLACK + WHITE

January 10, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

As we are about to kickoff the 9th Year of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE (birthed into this world kicking and screaming as the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT) I thought we could look at what we accomplished as a community in Year 8.

+ There were 866 total submissions by 35 different participants. Averaging 16.65 submissions a week.
+ The most popular themes were HOBBIES and FRIENDS. Both had 30 submissions.
+ SYMMETRY + PATTERNS had the most participants with 19.

Here are the individual statistics for the 35 different participants:
+ Christopher D. Bennett – 52 weeks, 52 photos.
+ Kio Dettman – 50 weeks, 119 photos.
+ Micky Augustin – 44 weeks, 53 photos.
+ Tamara Peterson – 44 weeks, 44 photos.
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 42 weeks, 42 photos.
+ Kim Barker – 36 weeks, 43 photos.
+ Carla Stensland – 32 weeks, 73 photos.
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 32 weeks, 40 photos.
+ Michelle Haupt – 28 weeks, 28 photos.
+ Bill Wentworth – 28 weeks, 28 photos.
+ Cathie Raley – 26 weeks, 26 photos.
+ Andy Sharp – 26 weeks, 52 photos.
+ Teresa Kahler – 22 weeks, 42 photos.
+ Joe Duff – 19 weeks, 25 photos.
+ Mike Vest – 16 weeks, 16 photos.
+ Logan Kahler – 14 weeks, 32 photos.
+ Jesse Howard – 14 weeks, 17 photos.
+ Dawn Krause – 14 weeks, 17 photos.
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 12 weeks, 20 photos.
+ Angie DeWaard – 12 weeks, 14 photos.
+ Monica Henning – 11 weeks, 24 photos.
+ Becky Parmelee – 11 weeks, 11 photos.
+ Linda Bennett – 5 weeks, 8 photos.
+ Sara Lockner – 5 weeks, 6 photos.
+ Amy Peterson – 4 weeks, 6 photos.
+ Susanna Funk – 3 weeks, 3 photos.
+ Aaron Barnett – 3 weeks, 3 photos.
+ Lori Backous – 2 weeks, 4 photos.
+ Steve White – 2 weeks, 4 photos.
+ Jodie Cue – 1 week, 3 photos.
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Derrick Gorshe – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Mike Parmelee – 1 week, 1 photo.

Thanks to everybody that participated on any level!

I’ve gotten slightly into Snapchat streaks in the last few weeks and I’m going to carry the idea of streaks over to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Heading into this week, these are the people that have “streaks” of submitting photos for consecutive weeks:

+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week.
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week.
+ Becky Parmelee – 1 week.
+ Mike Parmelee – 1 week.
+ Angie DeWaard – 1 week.
+ Andy Sharp – 1 week.
+ Teresa Kahler – 1 week.
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week.
+ Bill Wentworth – 2 weeks.
+ Joe Duff – 2 weeks.
+ Dawn Krause – 3 weeks.
+ Cathie Raley – 6 weeks.
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 7 weeks.
+ Kim Barker – 9 weeks.
+ Tamara Peterson – 12 weeks.
+ Kio Dettman – 12 weeks.
+ Christopher D. Bennett – 431 weeks.

Okay, in fairness, I run this show and it does bend around my schedule, slightly, so my streak doesn’t really count for much. It will be interesting to see who is able to build on their streak this week and who has their streak snapped.

As we start up Year 9, just a reminder that the picture has to be taken the week of the theme. The picture needs to be taken somewhere between 12:01 PM on the Monday the theme is revealed and 11:00 AM the following Monday, when I click Schedule on this post and head to lunch. This is a get off your butt and TAKE photos challenge. It is NOT a curate your photos challenge.

Photos are not evaluated for quality (at least not by me) to be posted. This challenge is about doing the work. You put in the work, the quality will come. What I am saying is, don’t hold back a submission because you don’t think it is good enough.

There are two ways to submit your photos to me. You can email me at bennett@photography139.com OR you can text them to my phone. Either one is perfectly acceptable.

These are not rules, but I’d say fairplay guidelines:

+ Don’t send me multiple pictures of the same subject in the same week. Send me multiple pictures, sure, but make them unique.
+ Don’t send me multiple pictures and ask me to choose the best one. I won’t do it. Even on a theme that is coming up in a few weeks where there will be for the first time ever a limitation of 1 submission per participant, I still won’t do it.
+ Watch the resolution of the images you submit. The size should be at least 800 pixels for it to look decent on the website.
+ YOU should be the one taking the picture. If a friend of yours takes a picture and you want to submit it for them, that is fine, but they should get the credit for the picture and they should be cool with it being posted.

Enough of that noise. You didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates and the best ways to participate, you came to see the submissions:

Evie Gorshe (2 weeks)

Layla Gorshe (2 weeks)

Kim Barker (10 weeks)

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin (1 week)

Carla Stensland (1 week)

Carla Stensland

Shannon Bardole-Foley (10 weeks)

Bill Wentworth (3 weeks)

Christopher D. Bennett

Tamara Peterson (13 weeks)

Cathie Raley (7 weeks)

Teresa Kahler (2 weeks)

Elizabeth Nordeen (8 weeks)

Elizabeth Nordeen

Linda Bennett (1 week)

Kio Dettman (13 weeks)

Kio Dettman

Dawn Krause (4 weeks)

Jesse Howard (1 week)

Jesse Howard

Logan Kahler (1 week)

Logan Kahler

Andy Sharp (2 weeks)

Andy Sharp

Monica Henning (1 week)

Monica Henning

Becky Parmelee (2 weeks)

29 submissions from 20 participants. That 20 participants is more than any theme had last year! I’m pumped now! That is a great week! Lots of streaks continued. Only the streaks of Mike Parmelee, Angie DeWaard, and Jen Ensley-Gorshe came to an end.

ROCK

ROCK! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a ROCK photo? Well, there are several types of rocks. Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. All you have to do is find a rock you like (I’m partial to igneous) and take a picture of it. And ROCKs have so many uses, they can hold historical markers, they are canvasses for artists, and people build things out of them. Just to name a few. Of course, ROCK can have multiple meanings. There is the type of ROCK that Twisted Sister wants to do. Which isn’t all that different from the kind of ROCK that AC/DC salutes those about to engage in or that Queen wants to do to you. Whatever definition of ROCK you use, it will be the right one for you.

I’d be remiss, if I didn’t point out that ROCK was a theme suggested by Angie. Thanks for the suggestion Angie.

While thinking on your possible subjects for your ROCK picture, think on this following quote from one of my old time favorite movies. INHERIT THE WIND. It is a highly dramatized telling of the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial. One of the lawyers that is prosecuting the teacher on trial for teaching evolution has taken the stand as an expert on The Bible. The lawyer defending the teacher is cross examining him.

Drummond: It’s sad that we don’t all have your positive knowledge of what is right and wrong, Mr. Brady. How old do you think this rock is?

Brady: I am more interested in the “Rock of Ages” than I am in the age of rocks.

Drummond: Dr. Paige of Oberlin College tells me this rock is at least 10 million years old.

Brady: Well, well, Colonel Drummond, you managed to speak here some of that scientific testimony, after all.

Drummond: Look, Mr. Brady. These are the fossil remains of a marine prehistoric creature found in this very county, and which lived here millions of years ago when these very mountain ranges were submerged in water.

Brady: I know. The Bible gives a fine account of the flood. But your Professor’s a little mixed up in his dates. That rock is not more than six thousand years old.

Drummond: How do ya know?

Brady: A fine biblical scholar, Bishop Usher, has determined for us the exact date and hour of the Creation. It occurred in the year 4004 B.C.

Drummond: Well, that’s Bishop Usher’s opinion.

Brady: It’s not an opinion. It’s a literal fact — which the good Bishop arrived at through careful computation of the ages of the prophets, as set down in the Old Testament. In fact, he determined that the Lord began the Creation on the 23rd of October, 4004 B.C. at, uh, 9:00am.

Drummond: [Is] that Eastern Standard Time? Or Rocky Mountain Time? It wasn’t Daylight Saving Time, was it, because the Lord didn’t make the sun until the fourth day.

Brady: That is correct.

Drummond: That first day, what do you think, it was 24 hours long?

Brady: [The] Bible says it was a day.

Drummond: Well, there was no sun out. How do you know how long it was?

Brady: The Bible says it was a day!

Drummond: Well, was it a normal day, a literal day, 24 hour day?

Brady: I don’t know.

Drummond: What do you think?

Brady: I do not think about things that I do not think about.

Now maybe that scene doesn’t have much to do with rocks, but any chance I can even tangentially reference that movie I will. I look forward to seeing your ROCK interpretations.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of ROCK in this place that records my metamorphic change next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Mom, Naima, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 329 – EDUCATION

January 3, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Here we are. The end of Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. There were 866 images submitted this year. Smashing the record set by Year 7, 807. Hopefully we break the record again in Year 9. To have a look at them, click on the link below:

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 8

EDUCATION has proven to be a very popular theme.

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

Elizabeth Nordeen

Layla Gorshe

Evie Gorshe

Bill Wentworth

Becky Parmelee

Tamara Peterson

Mike Parmelee

Christopher D. Bennett

Kim Barker

Angie DeWaard

Andy Sharp

Teresa Kahler

Joe Duff

Dawn Krause

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Kio Dettman

Cathie Raley

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

BLACK + WHITE

BLACK + WHITE! What a great theme to kick off Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

To know me at all, is to know that my first love in photography is always been BLACK + WHITE. But what is BLACK + WHITE photo? Well, the obvious answer is that it simply a picture that is monochrome. Not color. But BLACK + WHITE. However, there are some things to know about taking a good BLACK + WHITE picture. Once you remove color from an image, you can’t rely on color to provide interest. Here are things to think about to make a good BLACK + WHITE image:

+ Shape and Form – The shapes of things will be more dominant.
+ Contrast – Without colors to separate your subjects, you will need the contrast between BLACK + WHITE to separate the objects in the picture.
+ Texture – A good subject in BLACK + WHITE photography will have texture. Texture really pops.

While considering possible subjects for your BLACK + WHITE picture, consider this quote by Ansel Adams:

“Our lives at times seem a study in contrast… love & hate, birth & death, right & wrong… everything seen in absolutes of black & white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth & meaning to the starkness of those extremes.”
-Ansel Adams

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of BLACK + WHITE in this place that is little more than my shades of gray next Monday.

Calendar, Candid Portrait, Commercial, Drone, Elizabeth, Kim, Michelle, Nature, Work

Computer Mine Secret Santa

December 31, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

The December image from the 2022 Photography Calendar is a drone picture of a forest along the banks of the Des Moines River.

I hope people enjoy the calendar this year. I’ve got some positive feedback on it anyways.

+++++++

Several years ago, I used to finish the year with the Proust Questionnaire as a form of reflection on the year past. Well, I think we can all agree that 2021 was a terrible, terrible year. And while even terrible, terrible years do have some positives and are still worthy of reflection, I didn’t feel like doing the entire 31-35 question questionnaire. So I thought maybe just answering the Bernard Pivot Questionnaire would be enough:

1. What is your favorite word? Well… I actually overuse it more than actually enjoy using it.
2. What is your least favorite word? Maybe.
3. What is your favorite drug? The open road.
4. What sound or noise noise do you love? Juicy Wiggle.
5. What sound or noise do you hate? My phone ringing.
6. What is your favorite curse word? Mulkey.
7. Who would you like to see on a new banknote? Ted Lasso – Be curious. Not judgmental.
8. What profession other than your own would you not like to attempt? Most really. Any job with more human contact than mine. It is pretty evident at this point in history that humans suck at the aggregate level.
9. If you were reincarnated as some other plant or animal, what would it be? Golden retriever.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Matthew 25:21.

Maybe next year I’ll bring back the Proust Questionnaire. Maybe.

+++++++

Back a week or so ago, we did a Secret Santa thing at the Computer Mine for hybrid or work in the office full-time. I took some pictures for the Computer Mine social medias. Here are some pictures from the event:

Michelle was my Secret Santa. She got me some sweet Cyclone socks and some of my favorite candies. I was Denise’s Secret Santa. I got her some booze and some peanut butter cups.

Art, Bill, Calendar, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Drone, Elizabeth, Holidays, Iowa State, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Sara, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 328 – HOLIDAYS

December 27, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

The August image of the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is a drone shot of the High Trestle Trail Bridge:

Tomorrow I will share the September image from the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar.

+++++++

HOLIDAYS proved to be fairly popular theme.

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

Dawn Krause

Elizabeth Nordeen

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Kim Barker

Joe Duff

Micky Augustin

Dawn Krause

Carla Stensland

Bill Wentworth

Sara Lockner

Kio Dettman

Jesse Howard

Logan Kahler

Cathie Raley

Elizabeth Nordeen

EDUCATION

EDUCATION! What a great theme to end Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE on!

But what is an EDUCATION image? An EDUCATION photo is a picture of anything that relates to EDUCATION. Kids in school. A picture of school. Degrees. Diplomas. Books. Libraries. But not all EDUCATION happens in a school. I would actually argue that next to no EDUCATION happens in schools, but that is another subject for another time. However, my point is don’t discount other forms of EDUCATION. For example, back in my prime, I used to take fools to school on the basketball court all the time.

As you consider your possible subjects for EDUCATION, mediate on this scene from one of my all-time favorite movies GOOD WILL HUNTING:

CHUCKIE
Yeah, cause I think I had a class
with you.

At this point, several interested parties materialize. Morgan
Billy and Will try, as inconspicuously as possible, to situate
themselves within listening distance. A rather large student
in a HARVARD LACROSSE sweatshirt, CLARK (22) notices Chuckie.
He [Clark] walks over to Skylar and Lydia, nobly hovering
over them as protector. This gets Will, Morgan, and Billy’s
attention.

SKYLAR
What class?

CHUCKIE
Ah, history I think.

SKYLAR
Oh…

CHUCKIE
Yah, it’s not a bad school…

At this point, Clark can’t resist and steps in.

CLARK
What class did you say that was?

CHUCKIE
History.

CLARK
How’d you like that course?

CHUCKIE
Good, it was all right.

CLARK
History? Just “history?” It must
have been a survey course then.

Chuckie nods. Clark notices Chuckie’s clothes. Will and Billy
exchange a look and move subtly closer.

CLARK
Pretty broad. “History of the World?”

CHUCKIE
Hey, come on pal we’re in classes
all day. That’s one thing about
Harvard never seizes to amaze me,
everybody’s talkin’ about school all
the time.

CLARK
Hey, I’m the last guy to want to
talk about school at the bar. But as
long as you’re here I want to “seize”
the opportunity to ask you a question.

Billy shifts his beer into his left hand. Will and Morgan
see this. Morgan rolls his eyes as if to say “not again…”

CLARK
Oh, I’m sure you covered it in your
history class.

Clark looks to see if the girls are impressed. They are not.

When Clark looks back to Chuckie, Skylar turns to Lydia and
rolls her [own] eyes. They laugh. Will sees this and smiles.

CHUCKIE
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t there
much. The class was rather elementary.

CLARK
Elementary? Oh, I don’t doubt that
it was. I remember the class, it was
just between recess and lunch.

Will and Billy come forward, stand behind Chuckie.

CHUCKIE
All right, are we gonna have a
problem?

CLARK
There’s no problem. I was just hoping
you could give me some insight into
the evolution of the market economy
in the early colonies. My contention
is that prior to the Revolutionary
War the economic modalities especially
of the southern colonies could most
aptly be characterized as agrarian
precapitalist and…

Will, who at this point has migrated to Chuckie’s side and
is completely fed-up, includes himself in the conversation.

WILL
Of course that’s your contention.
You’re a first year grad student.
You just finished some Marxian
historian, Pete Garrison prob’ly,
and so naturally that’s what you
believe until next month when you
get to James Lemon and get convinced
that Virginia and Pennsylvania were
strongly entrepreneurial and
capitalist back in 1740. That’ll
last until sometime in your second
year, then you’ll be in here
regurgitating Gordon Wood about the
Pre-revolutionary utopia and the
capital-forming effects of military
mobilization.

CLARK
(taken aback)
Well, as a matter of fact, I won’t,
because Wood drastically
underestimates the impact of–

WILL
“Wood drastically underestimates the
impact of social distinctions
predicated upon wealth, especially
inherited wealth…” You got that
from “Work in Essex County,” Page
421, right? Do you have any thoughts
of your own on the subject or were
you just gonna plagiarize the whole
book for me?

Clark is stunned.

WILL
Look, don’t try to pass yourself off
as some kind of an intellect at the
expense of my friend just to impress
these girls.

Clark is lost now, searching for a graceful exit, any exit.

WILL
The sad thing is, in about 50 years
you might start doin’ some thinkin’
on your own and by then you’ll realize
there are only two certainties in
life.

CLARK
Yeah? What’re those?

WILL
One, don’t do that. Two — you
dropped a hundred and fifty grand on
an education you coulda’ picked up
for a dollar fifty in late charges
at the Public Library.

Will catches Skylar’s eye.

CLARK
But I will have a degree, and you’ll
be serving my kids fries at a drive
through on our way to a skiing trip.

WILL
(smiles)
Maybe. But at least I won’t be unoriginal.
(beat)
And if you got a problem with that,
I guess we can step outside and deal
with it that way.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation next week.

+++++++

Next Monday will mark the beginning of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Here are the 52 themes for next year:

1. Black + White
2. Rock
3. Triangle
4. #love
5. Junk
6. Believe
7. Still Life
8. Harmony
9. Hobbies
10. Government
11. Abstract
12. Shadow
13. Framed
14. Gratitude
15. Orange
16. Letters or Numbers
17. #Instagood
18. Square
19. Slice of Life
20. Hat
21. History
22. Flower
23. Children
24. Service
25. Self-Portrait
26. Entertainment
27. Road Trip
28. Work
29. Wild
30. Odd Camera Angle
31. People
32. Family
33. Animal
34. Weekends
35. Circle
36. Colorful
37. Green
38. Paths
39. Signs
40. Ruins
41. Violet
42. Macro
43. Lines
44. Art
45. Decoration
46. Strong
47. Communication
48. In the Air
49. Street Photography
50. Water
51. Explore
52. Body Part

Now you can start thinking on them, but you can’t start shooting them. Them’s the rules. Speaking of rules…

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of EDUCATION in this place that is little more than result of my misspent learning next Monday.