PLAY! Seems like a great theme on the surface. But did PLAY trigger people to PLAY with their cameras? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week
3-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
4-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
6-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
7-Monica Jennings – 3 weeks
8-Nathanial Brown – 4 weeks (2)
9-Mike Vest – 4 weeks
10-Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
11-Brandon Kahler – 24 weeks
12-Linda Bennett – 28 weeks (2)
13-Sarah Toot – 29 weeks
14-Angie DeWaard – 33 weeks (2)
15-Dawn Krause – 37 weeks (3)
16-Kim Barker – 42 weeks
17-Joe Duff – 44 weeks
18-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
19-Teresa Kahler – 55 weeks (3)
20-Carla Stensland – 55 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 57 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 58 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 59 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 63 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 64 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 68 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 (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 45 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 29 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Micky Augustin (Minnesota) – 58 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands) – 30 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 3 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Kansas)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Myriah Sharp (Iowa) – 1 week

29 participants! A great week!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in the state of Minnesota (Micky) and our first submission this year taken outside of the United States (Sarah)! The map is growing!

This week we had submissions from:

+Arkansas
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Texas

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

11 states. Not too bad!

And there is now an Outside of the United States map that includes:

+ British Virgin Islands

For my part, I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door. I’m still not helping grow the map. Next week I am in Nevada for 5 days with layovers in Colorado. While Nevada is on the map already (and about 4 of the regular contributors will also be in Nevada), Colorado isn’t. So I could theoretically try to grow the map on my layover, but I’m sure I can find a better picture in Las Vegas than I can in the Denver airport. Unless I can find the secret room where the illuminati meet.*

There were no major milestones this week. The only blemish was Jen couldn’t extend her streak from 1 to 2.

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:

FRAME

FRAME! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! This is a theme that was suggested by Sarah Toot.

But what is a FRAME picture. It is simply an image where the main subject of your photo is FRAME(d) by something else. In the theme reveal, it is literally a FRAME, but in practice it would more likely be something else. Something else blocking in your main subject to draw attention to it. And your subject doesn’t have to be FRAME(d) on all 4 sides. 3 sides or 2 sides also works. Of course, there is more than one definition of FRAME.

While considering possible subjects for your FRAME submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will do great work!

If the world could remain within a frame like a painting on the wall, I think we’d see the beauty then and stand staring in awe.
-Conor Oberst

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 FRAME in this place that is a frame of my world next Monday.

*Don’t worry, I don’t really believe that nonsense and I won’t be in the Story County Jail anytime soon.