It is Halloween! So happy Halloween everybody. On Halloween, I like to release my Candy Power Rankings. It is a definitive list of the 10 best candy bars on the market.

So without furth adieu…

CANDY BAR POWER RANKINGS
10. Caramel M&M’s
9. Baby Ruth
8. Payday
7. Heath
6. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
5. Twix Caramel
4. Snickers
3. Peanut M&M’s
2. Take 5
1. Whatchamacallit

Please respect my decision. There will be no interviews at this time.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

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

The short answer is, “no”. Some people think that there is a limit of one submission per person because I only present one submission a week, personally. I have the other 6 days to post my photography. So one is more than enough image from me.

However, the longer answer is, 3 would be a good guide to limit yourself to submit. Some people refer to this as The Kio Dettman Rule. Even though it isn’t a rule, but much over 3 begins to start to overwhelm the submissions of the others in the community. Also, if you are submitting multiple submissions, think about your submissions. Are they unique? Are they of wholly different subjects? Is each submission saying something unique? The goal is NOT to take as many picture for the theme as possible. The goal is to take the best picture for the theme you can, during the week.

The three photo suggestion would better be referred to as The Kio Dettman Suggestion or The Kio Dettman Best Practice.

The long answer is, there isn’t a limit, but 3 is a good rule of thumb. If I start to average about 30 participants a week, I will consider putting a limit of 1 per participant, to help manage my workload, but we are a long ways from averaging 30 participants a week. Although we did hit 30 participants last week, so maybe a hard limit of 1 per person is on the horizon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

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

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

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

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

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

I accept suggestions this Monday and next Monday, BUT only in the comments section of this post and next Monday’s post. Don’t email your suggestions to me. Don’t text them to me. Don’t Snapchat them to me. Don’t send them to me via United States Postal Service. Don’t call me with them. Don’t stop me in the grocery store with them. They can ONLY be submitted in the Comments section.

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REMINDER: This is repetitive since you just read the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ, but this is one of two weeks you can suggest themes for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. The one and only way to do that is to leave your suggestions in the COMMENTS section of this post. Do not email them to me or text them to me. The suggestions have to be left in the COMMENTS section of this post!

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

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (6)
3-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
4-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
5-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
6-Mike Vest – 2 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
8-Sara Lockner – 5 weeks
9-Suzie Brannen – 9 weeks
10-Brandon Kahler – 10 weeks
11-Linda Bennett – 13 weeks (2)
12-Sarah Toot – 14 weeks
13-Monica Jennings – 15 weeks
14-Angie DeWaard – 18 weeks
15-Dawn Krause – 22 weeks (2)
16-Kim Barker – 28 weeks
17-Joe Duff – 30 weeks (2)
18-Logan Kahler – 31 weeks (4)
19-Teresa Kahler – 40 weeks (2)
20-Tamara Peterson – 40 weeks
21-Carla Stensland – 40 weeks (3)
22-Michelle Haupt – 41 weeks
23-Micky Augustin – 42 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 43 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 44 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 48 weeks (2)
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 49 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 51 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 54 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:

Joe Duff – 31 weeks

Kio Dettman – 55 weeks

Kio Dettman

Kio Dettman

Kio Dettman

Linda Bennett – 14 weeks

Linda Bennett

Mary Green – 2 weeks

Mary Green

Mary Green

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 52 weeks

Sarah Toot – 15 weeks

Sarah Toot

Sarah Toot

Angie DeWaard – 19 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 45 weeks

Andy Sharp – 44 weeks

Micky Augustin – 43 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 50 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Logan Kahler – 32 weeks

Logan Kahler

Jesse Howard – 4 weeks

Kim Barker – 29 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 41 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Carla Stensland – 41 weeks

Carla Stensland

Carla Stensland

Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks

Suzie Brannen – 10 weeks

Dawn Krause – 23 weeks

Dawn Krause

Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks

Cathie Morton – 49 weeks

Cathie Morton

Brandon Kahler – 11 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 42 weeks

Monica Jennings – 16 weeks

Monica Jennings

Sara Lockner – 6 weeks

26 participants! A good week, but a pretty big fall from last week. I guess not everybody has ART in their life and that makes me sad.

There were submissions this week from (mostly assumptions here) Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

I took my picture about 1 mile from my house.

There were a couple big accomplishments this week. Suzie joined the double digit streak club! Shannon reached a year straight of submissions. Only the second person to ever do that! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Jen couldn’t extend her streak to 2 weeks. Willy and Vest’s 2 week streaks are gone. But most tragically… Tamara’s 40 week streak is over. By far the longest streak to be snapped. But I won’t be sad that it is over. I choose to be happy that it happened.

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:

DECORATION

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

But what exactly is a DECORATION photo? A DECORATION image is simply a picture of a DECORATION or a picture where a DECORATION plays a heavy element in the composition. Seeing how today is Halloween, there are a ton of DECORATION(s) out there for you to photograph. Just for an example.

While considering possible subjects for your DECORATION picture, mediate on the following quote:

Like a rhyme with no reason
In an unfinished song
There was no harmony, life meant nothin’ to me until you came along
And you brought out the colors
What a gentle surprise
Now I’m able to see all the things life can be, shinin’ soft in your eyes

And you decorated my life
Created a world
Where dreams are a part
And you decorated my life
By paintin’ your love
All over my heart
You decorated my life
-Kenny Rogers

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.

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 your idea of DECORATION in this place that is filled with everything that has decorated my life next Monday.