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Post 5,500

Today Bokeh turns 1. So I must wish her a happy birthday!

Bokeh should be home all day, unless we go to the park after I get off work. So you may come over at any time to give her a birthday present!

Can you believe that this is the 5,500th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats.

As always on these posts, I like to start by quoting the very first “An Artist’s Notebook” entry that published on August 9, 2006. That first post that published 6,296 days.

That post that started with these words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 5,500 journal entries. This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 20 MOST USED CATEGORIES (You can click on any category to peruse all the post for each)

  1. BLACK & WHITE – 1,313 (1)
  2. FLOWERS – 1,065 (2)
  3. ART – 936 (3)
  4. ANIMALS – 869 (4)
  5. JESSE – 816 (5)
  6. TERESA – 735 (8)
  7. ROAD TRIP – 702 (7)
  8. MACRO – 702 (6)
  9. CARLA – 680 (10)
  10. FORMAL PORTRAIT – 675 (9)
  11. SHANNON – 657
  12. NATURE – 606
  13. WPC – SUBMISSIONS – 601
  14. STILL LIFE – 591
  15. CANDID PORTRAIT – 539
  16. LOGAN – 494
  17. MOM – 483
  18. KIM – 483
  19. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY – 443
  20. MICKY – 439

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES

  1. BLACK & WHITE – 1,313 (1)
  2. FLOWERS – 1,065 (2)
  3. ART – 936 (3)
  4. ANIMALS – 869 (4)
  5. ROAD TRIP – 702 (6)
  6. MACRO – 702 (5)
  7. FORMAL PORTRAIT – 675 (7)
  8. NATURE – 606 (8)
  9. WPC – SUBMISSIONS – 601 (9)
  10. STILL LIFE – 591
  11. CANDID PORTRAIT – 539 (10)
  12. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY – 443
  13. PHOTOSHOP – 439
  14. HISTORY – 415
  15. SELF-PORTRAIT – 411
  16. NAIMA – 406
  17. CHRISTIANITY – 399
  18. IOWA STATE – 351
  19. WPC – REMINDER – 322
  20. NIGHT – 289

The non-human categories most likely to break into the Top 20 in the next 250 posts are: MUSIC, PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT, RUINS, BOONE FUMC, & TRAVEL

Most like to crack TOP 20 in in the next 2050 posts are: PHOTOSHOP, VEST, WILLY, ANDY, and HISTORY.

THE TOP 20 HUMAN CATEGORIES

  1. JESSE – 816 (1)
  2. TERESA – 735 (2)
  3. CARLA – 680 (3)
  4. SHANNON – 657 (4)
  5. LOGAN – 494 (7)
  6. MOM – 483 (5)
  7. KIM – 483 (6)
  8. MICKY – 439 (8)
  9. VEST – 429 (9)
  10. WILLY – 427 (10)
  11. ANDY – 417
  12. SARA – 387
  13. JAY – 382
  14. DAWN – 380
  15. JEN – 375
  16. CATHIE – 364
  17. DERRICK – 357
  18. TAMARA – 354
  19. ANGIE – 348
  20. MICHELLE – 334

The Human Categories with the best shot of cracking the Top 20 in the next 250 posts are: BILL, MONICA, ELIZABETH, BECKY, and BRANDON.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 208 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but no real reason. Some of those categories probably need to be purged. I do like to cover the Top 10 of the Bottom 100 though.

THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

  1. NATE – 118
  2. RUSSELL – 116
  3. MINDI – 109
  4. PUFFERBILLY DAYS – 105
  5. SHERI – 102
  6. BECCA – 99
  7. MARY – 99
  8. FAUST – 97
  9. PASTOR SARAH – 94
  10. LAYLA – 94

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:

NATHANIAL, COMMERCIAL, HOUSE, WRITING, and TENDERLOINING

The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:

JILL, NATHANIAL, BLOGGING, BETHANY, and TOWN SIGN PROJECT

Although I’m pretty sure NATHANIAL isn’t falling back down any time soon.

The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:

WRITING, HOUSE, COMMERCIAL, ANDREE, and PHOTO JOURNAL.

Although realistically none of them have a great shot at it. I don’t do much COMMERCIAL photography. The Photo Journal is a finished project. I don’t post much writing or about the house. And while I’m still good friends with Dre, I don’t see him much and he doesn’t participate in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

I’m now starting to track what categories have had the greatest gain. These are the ones that have the greatest gain since Post 5,250. It should be noted some of these numbers aren’t from straight games in just the last 250 posts. Some of these are from me back-filling or modifying archived posts. So the gain might not represent a gain from the last 250 but from adding some of these categories to earlier posts.

For example, if somebody participates in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE a couple times, I don’t make a category for them. They have to prove that they are going to stick around. Then when I think they have staying power, I will add a category for them and then go back and add their category to the entries where they submitted. I’m 100% sure only Joe Duff is reading this post still. Hi Joe!

TOP 10 CATEGORIES BY GAIN

  1. STILL LIFE – 104
  2. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY – 104
  3. ART – 96
  4. TERESA – 80
  5. BLACK & WHITE – 67
  6. LOGAN – 66
  7. JESSE – 62
  8. FLOWERS – 58
  9. DEANNA – 51
  10. CARLA – 48

TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES BY GAIN

  1. STILL LIFE – 104
  2. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY – 104
  3. ART – 96
  4. BLACK & WHITE – 67
  5. FLOWERS – 58
  6. BOKEH – 48
  7. ROAD TRIP – 45
  8. SIGN – 43 (New Category)
  9. MACRO – 42
  10. TENDERLOINING – 40

TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES BY GAIN

  1. TERESA – 80
  2. LOGAN – 66
  3. JESSE – 62
  4. DEANNA – 51
  5. CARLA – 48
  6. WILLY – 48
  7. ELIZABETH – 48
  8. BRANDON – 48
  9. SABAS – 46
  10. ANDY – 44
  11. SCOTTIE D. – 44
  12. NATHANIAL – 44

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who. Someday when I finish my INSPO page that tale will be told.

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERIES (SINCE POST 5250)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image


10. 365 DAY PHOTO PROJECT – 2012 – 65,033 VIEWS
Bethany - Jealousy
9. 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT – 84,415 VIEWS

8. 365 DAY PHOTO PROJECT – 2013 – 95,321 VIEWS
Webster County - Fort Dodge
7. TOWN SIGN PROJECT AUXILIARY IMAGES – 95,321 VIEWS
Middletown, Iowa
6. TOWN SIGN PROJECT – 105,271 VIEWS
Tenderloining: Dairy Sweet
5. TENDERLOINING – 117,835 VIEWS
WEEK 26 - PET - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
4. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 3 – 124,025 VIEWS
Christmas 2018
3. LIFE – 130,779 VIEWS
WPC - WEEK 452 - RUINS - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
2. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 11 – 246,400 VIEWS

1. INSTAGRAM – 331,170 VIEWS

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500
Post 4,757
Post 5,005
Post 5,250

I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 250 posts.

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