It is time to reveal the June image for the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:
JUNE
TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7M4
LENS: SIGMA 150-600 f/5-6.3 DG DN
FOCAL LENGTH: 395mm (but image is cropped)
APERTURE: f/11
SHUTTER: 1/160
ISO: 800
DATE TAKEN: April 8, 2024
I drove in a caravan with the Gorshes all the way to Indiana to take this picture. It isn’t the picture that was taken farthest from my home to be included in this calendar. That was the February image that was taken in New Orleans, but it is the farthest I traveled specifically to take a certain picture. And the gap between that and 2nd place this year is pretty considerable. I drove to Mines of Spain to photograph the Horseshoe Canyon. That is probably second. But those pictures didn’t make it to the calendar. Sorry for the spoiler.
When the eclipse is happening, you kind of forget everything you had planned and you have to balance between actually experiencing the total solar eclipse and photographing the total solar eclipse. It isn’t an easy balance. I can’t tell you anything about the technical settings because everything is such a blur. A rush to experience it. To get the shot. Don’t blow the shot. Then it is over. And you can’t believe how quickly it is over.
I selected this image for June because traditionally I always put a black and white image in June because June is the month of my Dad’s birth. Now he didn’t shoot only black & white, but I always associate his photography with black and white because of the black and white darkroom and the black and white postcards. However, this picture technically isn’t black and white. It is actually a color image that doesn’t have any color in it.
Everyone knows that black and white photography is my first and greatest love in photography, but there is not a single pure black and white image in the calendar in 2025. Because of that I put the closest thing I had to a black and white image in June.
Here are the people that selected this as their favorite 2025 Photography 139 Calendar image:
Alexis
Beckham
J.J.
I look forward to revealing the July image tomorrow!
+++++++
As yesterday closed the book on Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, now seems like a good time to review all that happened.
There were 56 different people that submitted photos. Ranging from submitting 1 picture to 97 pictures.
There were 2,466 photos submitted.
The average week had 36.4 participants.
The average week had 46.5 submissions.
The most popular week was Week 446. The theme was #INSTAGOOD. There were 42 participants.
The most popular week by submissions was Week 456. The theme was ANYTHING BUT A CAT. There were 60 submissions.
The least popular week by participants was Week 479. The theme was GAMES. There were 31 participants.
The least popular week by submissions was Week 483. The theme was REFLECTION. There were 38 submissions.
Here is my favorite submission from all 56 different people that submitted and some statistics about each participant.
DON’T READ INTO THIS THAT I THINK THIS IS YOUR BEST PICTURE OR THE BEST USE OF COMPOSITION OR BEST USE OF TECHNICAL SKILLS. ALSO DON’T THINK I SPENT HOURS EXAMINING EACH IMAGE. IT IS JUST MY FAVORITE THAT I SAW WHEN GIVING THEM A QUICK ONCE OVER.
Derrick Gorshe
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No Current Streak
Submitted from: Ohio
Myriah Sharp
1 week – 2%
2 submissions
No Current Streak
Submitted from: Hawaii
Jason Stensland
1 week – 2%
2 submissions
No Current Streak
Submitted from: South Dakota
Jennie Green
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No Current Streak
Submitted from: California
Fran Duncan
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No Current Streak
Submitted from: Wisconsin
Bunny
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No Current Streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Beckham Gorshe
1 week – 2%
1 submission
No current Streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Layla Gorshe
2 weeks – 4%
2 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa and Ohio
Click for Layla’s Submissions
Nader Parsaei
2 weeks – 4%
3 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Nader’s Submissions
Evie Gorshe
3 weeks – 6%
3 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Evie’s Submissions
Susanna Funk
3 weeks – 6%
3 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa and Colorado
Click for Funk’s Submissions
Kyle Sharp
4 weeks – 8%
6 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, and Colorado
Click for Kyle’s Submissions
Tim Panages
5 weeks – 9%
7 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Tim’s Submissions
Stephanie Kim
6 weeks – 11%
6 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: New York
Click for Steph’s Submissions
Amy Peterson
11 weeks – 21%
16 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Amy’s Submissions
Elainie Hernandez
17 weeks – 34%
18 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Elainie’s Submissions
Becky Parmelee
20 weeks – 38%
22 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, and New York
Click for Becky’s Submissions
Deb Powers
21 weeks – 40%
39 submissions
19 week streak
Submitted from: Montana and Iowa
Click for Deb’s Submissions
Johnathan Stensland
21 weeks – 40%
22 submissions
1 week streak
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Johnathan’s Submissions
Jen Ensley-Gorshe
24 weeks – 46%
27 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa, Colorado, Missouri, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Florida, Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Washington.
Click for Jen’s Submissions
Adam Gordon
31 weeks – 58%
54 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, and Canada
Click for Adam’s Submissions
Mary Green
36 weeks – 68%
64 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Puerto Rico
Click for Mary’s submissions
Alexis Stensland
41 weeks – 77%
60 submissions
Current Streak: 2 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Alexis’ submissions
Michelle Haupt
40 weeks – 75%
40 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, and Michigan
Click for Michelle’s submissions
Monica Jennings
42 weeks – 79%
48 submissions
Current Streak: 1 week
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Monica’s submissions
Deanna McClain
43 weeks – 81%
45 submissions
Current streak – 1 week
Submitted from: Iowa and Minnesota
Click for Deanna’s submissions
Sara Lockner
42 weeks – 79%
42 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa, Bahamas, Minnesota, and Florida
Click for Sara’s submissions
Willy McAlpine
46 weeks – 87%
48 submissions
Current Streak: 25 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Willy’s submissions
Jesse Howard
46 weeks – 87%
53 submissions
No current streak
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Florida, Minnesota, Aruba, and Curacao
Click for Jesse’s submissions
Suzie Brannen
48 weeks – 91%
65 submissions
Current Streak
Submitted from: Iowa and Maryland
Click for Suzie’s submissions
Sabas Hernandez
49 weeks – 92%
55 submissions
Current Streat: 1 week
Submitted from: Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Click for Sabas’ submissions
Mike Vest
52 weeks – 96%
54 submissions
Current Streak: 33 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas
Click for Vest’s submissions
Lowell Davis
53 weeks – 100%
69 submissions
Current Streak: 53 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas
Click for Lowell’s submissions
Brandon Kahler
53 weeks – 100%
56 submissions
Current Streak: 54 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa and Minnesota
Click for Brandon’s submissions
Scott Degeneffe
53 weeks – 100%
65 submissions
Current Streak: 72 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Florida, Utah, Colorado, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
Click for Scott’s submissions
Sheri Fakhouri
53 weeks – 100%
73 submissions
Current Streak: 82 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Nebraska, and Georgia
Click for Sheri’s submissions
Logan Kahler
53 weeks – 100%
78 submissions
Current Streak: 83 streaks
Submitted from: Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri
Click for Logan’s submissions
Nathanial Brown
53 weeks – 100%
62 submissions
Current Streak: 84 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, South Dakota, Georgia, Tennessee, Ireland, North Ireland, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York and Missouri
Click for Nathanial’s submissions
Tamara Peterson
53 weeks – 100%
56 submissions
Current Streak: 95 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa and Minnesota
Click for Tamara’s submissions
Mindi Terrell
53 weeks – 100%
97 submissions
Current Streak: 99 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Mindi’s submissions
Linda Bennett
53 weeks – 100%
78 submissions
Current Streak: 128 weeks
Submitted from: Kansas, Iowa, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Missouri
Click for Linda’s submissions
Sarah Toot
53 weeks – 100%
66 submissions
Current Streak: 129 weeks
Submitted from: Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Kansas, and Missouri
Click for Sarah’s submissions
Angie DeWaard
53 weeks – 100%
67 submissions
Current Streak: 132 weeks
Submitted: Iowa, Illinois, Scotland, England, Minnesota, and Florida
Click for Angie’s submissions
Dawn Krause
53 weeks – 100%
74 submissions
Current Streak: 137 weeks
Submitted from Iowa and Illinois
Click for Dawn’s submissions
Kim Barker
53 weeks – 100%
63 submissions
Current Streak: 143 weeks
Submitted: Iowa, Colorado, and Louisiana
Click for Kim’s submissions
Joe Duff
53 weeks – 100&
80 submissions
Current Streak: 144 weeks
Submitted from: Texas and New York
Click for Joe’s submissions
Teresa Kahler
53 weeks – 100%
88 submissions
Current Streak: 155 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa and Nebraska
Click for Teresa’s submissions
Carla Stensland
53 weeks
86 submissions
Current Streak: 155 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado
Click for Carla’s submissions
Micky Augustin
53 weeks – 100%
Submissions: 43
Current Streak: 157 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Illinois, Florida, Alaska, and Arizona
Click for Micky’s submissions
Andy Sharp
53 weeks – 100%
Submissions: 71
Current Streak: 158 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and South Dakota
Click for Andy’s submissions
Bill Wentworth
53 weeks – 100%
Submissions: 57
Current Streak: 159 weeks
Submitted from: Nebraska, Missouri, and Florida
Click for Bill’s submissions
Cathie Morton
53 weeks – 100%
Submissions: 62
Current Streak: 163 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Florida, Bahamas, Missouri, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah
Click for Cathie’s submissions
Elizabeth Nordeen
53 weeks – 100%
62 submissions
Current Streak: 164 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa and Ohio
Click for Elizabeth’s submissions
Shannon Bardole-Foley
53 weeks – 100%
57 submissions
Current Streak: 166 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Missouri, Mexico, and Texas
Click for Shannon’s submissions
Kio Dettman
53 weeks – 100%
81 submissions
Current Streak: 168 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa
Click for Kio’s submissions
Christopher D. Bennett
53 weeks – 100%
53 submissions
Current Streak: 590 weeks
Submitted from: Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana
But as they say, it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. There were 6 participants from Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE that never got hit by the old inspo to submit once this year.
+ Lori Backous
+ Melissa Degeneffe
+ Porter Degeneffe
+ Corey Faust
+ Sarah Karber
+ Ernie Reddd
Maybe in Year 12 they will get that creative photography hankering again. Here is hoping!
In Year 11 I tracked the states pictures were submitted from closer than in the past. In the end, we had submissions from:
+ 39 states
+ 1 U.S. District
+ 1 U.S. Territory
+ 7 Foreign Countries
Here is a look at the final Year 11 THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE UNITED STATES CONQUEST MAP:
39 STATES!
Rather than listing all the states that had pictures taken from them, here are the 11 states that weren’t reached:
+ Alabama
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Idaho
+ Maine
+ Massachusetts
+ New Hampshire
+ North Dakota
+ Oregon
+ Rhode Island
+ South Carolina
The 10 Most Popular States to Submit from:
10. Minnesota – 15
9. Florida – 16
8. Arkansas – 20.5
7. New York – 23
6. Missouri – 28.5
5. Pennsylvania – 42
4. Nebraska – 61
3. Kansas – 72
2. Texas – 79
1. Iowa – 1967
The 5 People that Submitted from the Most Locations:
5. Cathie Morton – 9
5. Scott Degeneffe – 9
4. Sarah Toot – 10
3. Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 13
2. Nathanial Brown – 15
1. Andy Sharp – 16
There were submissions from 7 foreign countries (depending on how countries are defined), here is a look at the world map:
There were a few world travelers and I know that there will be at least a few world travelers in Year 12. So maybe that map will be even more filled in after Year 12.
Finally, a look back at where we’ve been.
Here are a few quick stats from Year 9:
+ 44 different participants
+ 1811 photos submitted
+ Least popular theme for participation was ROCK with 16 participants
+ Most popular theme for participation was SELF-PORTRAIT with 31 participants
+ Least popular theme for submissions was ROCK with 20 submissions
+ Most popular theme for submission was LINES with 51 submissions
+ The average week had 24.6 participants
+ The average week had 34.8 submissions
The same stats from Year 10:
+ 59 different participants
+ 2311 photos submitted
+ Least popular theme for participation was a tie with TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES; REFLECTION; and SUNRISE, SUNSET each having 25 participants
+ Most popular them for participation was #INSTAGOOD with 41 participants
+ Least popular them for submissions was TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES with 30 submissions
+ The most popular them for submissions was FLOWER with 62 submissions
+ The average week had 31.1 participants
+ The average week had 44.4 submissions
Comparing Year 11 to Year 10:
+ 3 less different participants
+ 155 more submissions
+ The most popular theme had 1 more participant
+ The most popular theme had 2 less submissions
+ The average participation was up 5.3 participants per week
+ The average submissions was up 2.1 submissions per week.
Year 11 had a slight upward trend, but it was probably unrealistic to expect a giant jump like there was in Year 10. Hopefully Year 12 continues to trend upward!
I look forward to seeing all the submissions in Year 12!