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Time to reveal the December image of the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:


2025 Photography 139 Calendar - December
DECEMBER

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7 IV
LENS: Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro
APERTURE: f/8
SHUTTER: 1/2000
ISO: 100
DATE: April 13, 2024

This picture of a bird soaring through the sky was taken at the Last Chance Cemetery near Chariton, Iowa. I ended up there as I was lunching nearby and saw it on the map and thought Last Chance Cemetery was a peculiar name and I decided to go visit it hoping for some photography opportunities. I had hoped for at the very least, a photogenic sign. However, the cemetery was fairly pedestrian. But while looking towards the heavens I saw a bird flying through a beautiful sky. It was not a wasted trip after all.

Here are the people that chose December as their favorite image:



Johnathan


Sabas

That concludes the calendar images, but tomorrow I will reveal all the images that I considered for the calendar, but decided to leave out for one reason or another.

+++++++

Here we are! Year 12. A far cry from when THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE was birthed violently into this world on January 14, 2010 under the name the Random Weekly Photo Experiment.

These were the two pictures submitted for the first ever theme of USE OF SPACE:


WEEK 1 - USE OF SPACE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 1 - USE OF SPACE - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

Then on January 2, 2012, I put the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT to bed. It had never really grown much in popularity. In the last several weeks of its existence, Vest and I were the only people to submit. It was time to admit it was a failure.

These were the last 2 pictures submitted for the final theme of SELF-PORTRAIT:


WPC - Y2 - WEEK 52 - SELF-PORTRAIT - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest


Christopher D. Bennett

But the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE wouldn’t stay down. There were a few people that lobbied for it to return. In particular I remember Dawn and Angie making a case for its return. I brought it out of mothballs. Knocked the crust out of its eyes. Gave it a new name. THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. It was brought back to life on September 21, 2015. The rest, as they say, is photography community history.

Here are the submissions for that week, for the theme of NIGHT:


Week 1 - Night - Angie DeWaard
Angie DeWaard

Week 1 - Angie DeWaard - Night
Angie DeWaard

Week 1 - Becky Perkovich - Night
Becky Perkovich

Week 1 - Michael Augustin - Night
Michael Augustin

Week 1 - Michelle Haupt - Night
Michelle Haupt

Week 1- Dawn Krause - Night
Dawn Krause

Week 1 - Mike Vest - Night
Mike Vest

Week 1 - Christopher Bennett - Night
Christopher D. Bennett

The original point of the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT was simple. The idea was to take 52 different themes and by merely taking on the challenge of tackling the themes you would improve your photography skills. Either through just the act of practicing the craft or through taking photographs that are outside your comfort zone or area of expertise. You don’t improve by NOT taking pictures and this challenge would force you to touch your camera at least once a week. At the end of the year you would have 52 unique images. Images that you could consider for entering into photo contests if you want.

Sometimes people mistakenly think this is a contest. It is not. Merely a challenge. I’m glad so many people have been up for it!

Here we are now. 11 years of submissions complete. Ready to start the 12th year. I hope you are as excited as I am!

Let us begin, shall we?

MOTION! What a great theme! But how many people got their photography juices in motion? Keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 6, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

1-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
2-Monica Jennings – 1 week
3-Deanna McClain – 1 week
4-Johnathan Stensland – 1 week
5-Alexis Stensland – 2 weeks
6-Suzie Brannen – 14 weeks
*7-Deb Powers – 19 weeks
8-Willy McAlpine – 25 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 33 weeks
10-Lowell Davis – 53 weeks
11-Brandon Kahler – 54 weeks
12-Scott Degeneffe – 72 weeks
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 82 weeks
*14-Logan Kahler – 83 weeks
15-Nathanial Brown – 84 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 95 weeks
*17-Mindi Terrell – 99 weeks
18-Linda Bennett – 128 weeks
19-Sarah Toot – 129 weeks
20-Angie DeWaard – 132 weeks
*21-Dawn Krause – 137 weeks
22-Kim Barker – 143 weeks
*23-Joe Duff – 144 weeks
*24-Teresa Kahler – 155 weeks
*25-Carla Stensland – 155 weeks
26-Micky Augustin – 157 weeks
*27-Andy Sharp – 158 weeks
28-Bill Wentworth – 159 weeks
29-Cathie Morton – 163 weeks
30-Elizabeth Nordeen – 164 weeks
31-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 166 weeks
32-Kio Dettman – 168 weeks

Here is the list of rules for Year 12 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit. If you submit 2 pictures, make sure they are of different subjects.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM Central Time the following Monday. But that is a deadline. Pictures can be submitted as soon as you take them.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.
6. Please include the location of where the picture was taken with your submission.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks or the rules of the challenge or how to submit. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:


WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - ALEXIS STENSLAND
Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 3 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (West Roads Mall – Omaha, Nebraska) – 159 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (West Roads Mall – Omaha, Nebraska)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 133 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 1 week

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 160 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 55 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Ankeny, Iowa) – 156 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 164 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 138 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - DEANNA MCCLAIN
Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 2 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - DEB POWERS
Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 20 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - DEB POWERS
Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 165 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (Texas) – 145 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa) – 144 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Ogden, Iowa) – 169 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 129 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 84 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - LOWELL DAVIS
Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 54 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Story County, Iowa) – 158 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 34 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 100 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - MONICA JENNINGS
Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Ohio) – 85 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SARA LOCKNER
Sara Lockner (Brenton Park – Des Moines, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 130 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SCOTT DEGENEFFE
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 73 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Summerset, Iowa) – 167 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 96 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 156 weeks

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - WILLY MCALPINE
Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 26 weeks

34 participants this week. That is a solid way to start Year 12.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Iowa (32)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Nebraska (3)
+ Ohio (1)
+ Pennsylvania (2)
+ Texas (1)

Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Iowa (32)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Nebraska (3)
+ Ohio (1)
+ Pennsylvania (2)
+ Texas (1)

There were quite a few milestones this week! Willy hit the Half Year Streak Club! Woo! Mindi hit the Triple Digit Streak Club! WooHoo! Sarah hit the 2.5 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! WooHoo! Woo! Carla and Teresa both hit the 3 Year Streak Club! WooHoo WooHoo! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Johnathan couldn’t build on his submission from last week. His streak is over before it began. Suzie’s streak is gone after 14 weeks.

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:


WPC - WEEK 488 - COLORFUL
COLORFUL

COLORFUL! A great theme for Year 12 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIP OF THE WEEK

There are several ways to make colors really pop in a picture, but the easiest by far is to slightly underexpose the image.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see a bunch of COLORFUL submissions in this place that tries to be splashed in saturation next Monday.

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