It is the last collection of submissions of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE
What skill level photographer can participate?
THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!
Award winning photographers? Really?
Yes. I can think of at least 5 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.
Is this a competition?
No.
Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?
Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that starts to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.
If you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.
If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.
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 for 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. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that.
When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?
I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.
NOTE: WHILE NEXT MONDAY ISN’T A HOLIDAY IT IS THE DAY BEFORE A HOLIDAY, I MIGHT BE BUSY ON THAT DAY AND YOU MIGHT BE BUSY THAT DAY, SO MAKE PLANS FOR SUBMITTING ACCORDINGLY.
‘SCAPE! What a great theme! However did ‘SCAPE inspire a large group of people to get out there and take and submit and image? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, June 12, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):
1-Porter Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Sheri Fakhouri – 1 week (3)
3-Mary Green – 1 week (3)
4-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
5-Nader Parsaei – 1 week
6-Johnathan Stensland – 1 week
7-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
8-Elainie Hernandez – 2 weeks (3)
9-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks
10-Logan Kahler – 2 weeks (2)
11-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks (3)
12-Nathanial Brown – 3 weeks (3)
13-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
14-Sara Lockner – 5 weeks
15-Willy McAlpine – 4 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 6 weeks
17-Mike Vest – 8 weeks
18-Alexis Baugher – 11 week (3)
19-Mindi Terrell – 18 weeks (3)
20-Brandon Kahler – 43 weeks
21-Linda Bennett – 47 weeks (2)
22-Sarah Toot – 48 weeks
23-Angie DeWaard – 52 weeks
24-Dawn Krause – 56 weeks (3)
25-Kim Barker – 62 weeks (2)
26-Joe Duff – 63 weeks
27-Teresa Kahler – 74 weeks (3)
28-Carla Stensland – 74 weeks (3)
29-Micky Augustin – 76 weeks
30-Andy Sharp – 77 weeks
31-Bill Wentworth – 78 weeks
32-Cathie Morton – 82 weeks
33-Elizabeth Nordeen – 83 weeks
34-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 85 weeks
35-Kio Dettman – 87 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:
Kio Dettman (Don Williams Golf Course – Boone County, Iowa) – 88 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 86 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 84 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)
Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 83 weeks
Bill Wentworth (Chalco Park – Omaha, Nebraska) – 79 weeks
Andy Sharp (Gilbert, Iowa) – 78 weeks
Andy Sharp (Gilbert, Iowa)
Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa)
Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 77 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Jordan, Iowa) – 75 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Jordan, Iowa)
Carla Stensland (Rural Boone County, northwest of Ogden, Iowa) – 75 weeks
Carla Stensland (Antiques Iowa – Story City, Iowa)
Carla Stensland (Ledges State Park – Madrid, Iowa)
Joe Duff (Pasadena, Texas) – 64 weeks
Joe Duff (Pasadena, Texas)
Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 63 weeks
Dawn Krause (River Bottom Raceway – Carlisle, Iowa) – 57 weeks
Dawn Krause (River Bottom Raceway – Carlisle, Iowa)
Angie DeWaard (Cold Links Golf Course – Ames, Iowa) – 53 weeks
Sarah Toot (New York City, New York) – 49 weeks
Sarah Toot (New York City, New York)
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 48 weeks
Linda Bennett (Kansas)
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 44 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 19 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)
Alexis Baugher (Nevada, Iowa) – 12 weeks
Alexis Baugher (Swaledale, Iowa)
Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 9 weeks
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 7 weeks
Sara Lockner (Des Moines, Iowa) – 6 weeks
Willy McAlpine (McHose Park – Boone, Iowa) – 5 weeks
Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 4 weeks
Nathanial Brown (Des Moines, Iowa)
Jesse Howard – (Gray’s Lake – Des Moines, Iowa) – 4 weeks
Jesse Howard (High Trestle Trail Bridge – Boone County, Iowa)
Logan Kahler (Huntington Beach, California) – 3 weeks
Logan Kahler (Lawson, Colorado)
Monica Jennings (Papajohn Sculpture Park – Des Moines, Iowa) – 3 weeks
Monica Jennings (Papajohn Sculpture Park – Des Moines, Iowa)
Johnathan Stensland (Iowa) – 2 weeks
Mary Green (Michigan) – 2 weeks
Mary Green (Michigan)
Mary Green (Michigan)
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Becky Parmelee (Between Cambridge and Nevada – Iowa) – 2 weeks
Amy Peterson (California) – 1 week
Scott Degeneffe (Rural Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week
Christopher D. Bennett (High Trestle Trail Bridge – Boone County, Iowa)
33 participants! That is a great week. Only a slight downturn from FLOWER, which remains King of the World! At the very least, FLOWER isn’t the pay $250,000 dollars to get crushed in a submarine that is controlled by a PS2 knock off video game controller of themes. FLOWER is definitely Jack and Fabrizio at the front of the Titanic of themes. But ‘SCAPE is no pay $250,000 to go in a submarine made out of a substance that everybody told you was a bad idea and get crushed of themes. I’m not sure where to place ‘SCAPE. Maybe ‘SCAPE is the “So, you want to go to a real party?” of themes?
There were submissions taken from a wide variety of places this week, which is cool. But no new states, which is to be expected. Cause we are definitely in a place where it is harder to knock off new states. Mostly down to New England and the Southeast. With a couple western states like Idaho and New Mexico hanging out there. Waiting to be plucked.
I know. I know. There aren’t a ton of reasons to go to Idaho (although I believe they have the best Mormons*) or New Mexico (they murdered Billy the Kid), but maybe somebody will happen across those states at some point.
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Michigan
+ Nebraska
+ New York
+ Texas
Here is the current calendar year list for states:
+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Louisiana
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming
29 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over halfway there!
The Outside of the United States map is currently:
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Last week was the first time ever all 5 of my biological nieces and nephews participated in the same week. They weren’t able to back it up a second week as Elainie’s 2 week streak came to end.
Brandon and Elainie weren’t the only peeps to have streaks that Rose wouldn’t move over slightly for them to get up and out of the cold waters of the Atlantic for. Also freezing to death were the streaks of Porter (1) and Nader (1) and Sabas (2) and Suzie (2).
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom and mankind’s arrogance being squished by Nature. Amy had her first submission of the year! That is exciting! WooHoo! Also, Andy reached the Year and Half Streak Club! WooHoo!
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:
RETAIL
RETAIL! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!
An astute observer that has a physical Photography 139 Calendar may notice that this week says MUSIC and not RETAIL. That was a typo that wasn’t caught by my proofreader. Mostly because I didn’t have my proofreader look over the calendar. So don’t take a music picture, unless it is at a music store. This theme was suggested by Elizabeth.
All that is nice, but what is a RETAIL image? Let’s start by defining RETAIL:
the sale of goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale.
A RETAIL image is simply an image that involves the sale of goods to the public. A picture of a store or inside a store or at a market or things that are used purchase things. Simple enough.
While considering possible RETAIL subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote:
Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.
-Will 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. 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 ‘SCAPE in this place that hopefully has a least put a little dent in the landscape of photography next Monday.
* Trust me, this is a joke that only one person will get, which is how I like my jokes. Very inside.