Category Archives: Blogging

Image Creator Powered by DALL-E

April 15, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

As you may have notice, I have been playing with Artificial Intelligence a bit lately. First with ChatGPT and then with DALL-E. Don’t know what DALL-E is, don’t worry, I had ChatGPT write a blog post explaining it to you:
Sure, I’d be happy to explain DALL-E, an image creator developed by OpenAI.

DALL-E is an artificial intelligence system that can create original images from textual descriptions. The name “DALL-E” is a play on the name of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali and the Pixar character WALL-E.

DALL-E is based on the GPT-3 language model and a computer vision model, which work together to generate images from textual prompts. The system can create a wide range of images, from realistic objects and scenes to surreal and fantastical creations.

To use DALL-E, a user enters a textual prompt describing the image they want to generate. For example, the user could enter “an armchair shaped like an avocado.” DALL-E then uses its language model to understand the prompt and generate a corresponding image.

One of the key innovations of DALL-E is its ability to generate images that go beyond the literal interpretation of the textual prompt. For example, if the user enters “a snail made of harp strings,” DALL-E might create an image of a snail with a shell made of harp strings, or it might create an image of a snail playing a harp made of harp strings.

DALL-E can also generate images that incorporate multiple objects or concepts in a single image. For example, if the user enters “a cat sitting on a hot air balloon floating in space,” DALL-E might create an image of a cat sitting on a hot air balloon with a view of space in the background.

DALL-E has a wide range of potential applications, from creating visual representations of text for people with visual impairments to generating images for use in advertising and marketing. However, as with any AI system, there are also potential ethical concerns around the use of DALL-E, particularly around issues of bias and control over the images that are generated.

Overall, DALL-E represents an exciting development in the field of artificial intelligence and has the potential to revolutionize the way we create and interact with visual media.

Here are some of the first images I made:

Some of my inputs:

“A giant alligator fighting a giant robot wearing a gorilla suit, digital art”
“A robot wearing a gorilla suit”
“A robot with a old time movie camera for a head standing over a small town”
“A black and white train holding a camera, digital art”
“A robot, part train, part 35mm camera, black and white, digital art”
“Man with a fierce beard, drinking a root beer from a glass bottle, with a golden retriever by his side, sitting on a throne, in the background, a giant alligator is fighting a giant robot in a small town, digital art”
“A chubby man with a fierce beard and a white fedora, on the open road, reading a map, digital art”

It is an interesting toy to play with, until it becomes sentient and takes over the world and enslaves humanity. Oh well, I’d like to say we had a good run, but we really didn’t.

Blogging, Flowers, Macro

What Did I Ever Come Here For

March 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I’ve been gone for so long
And how I missed you
My heart was aching for home
And then one night as I lay down
Somewhere far from you
I dreamt that I heard you call my name
But my mind was playing games

I knew right then that I’d return
To where I was before
And I was so tired of being away
That I just couldn’t stay anymore
What did I ever come here for?
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers. ChatGPT agrees and I had it write me a poem about it:

Sure! Here’s a poem about how Thursdays are the best days for flowers:

On Thursdays, flowers bloom with grace
Their petals soft, their colors bright
They sway in gentle winds that chase
The darkness of the night

With fragrant scents that fill the air
They lift our spirits high
And bring to us a sense of care
That money can’t buy

For Thursdays are the best of days
To bring these flowers near
To place them in a vase with praise
And let their beauty steer

Our thoughts to lighter, brighter things
And fill our hearts with cheer
For Thursdays are the days of kings
And flowers reign so dear
-ChatGPT

What should I have ChatGPT do next?

This collection of flower pictures was taken on September 17, 2022 in my yard.

The other day I ran into my flower guy, Mike Salama of Salama Greenhouse, and it was a definite reminder that flowertography season is almost upon us again. It is still probably over a month before I plant anything, but it could be sooner. Probably the perfect project to tackle when I get back from Chicago in late April.

Blogging, Flowers

I’ll Still Be There

March 23, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

I’ve been playing with ChatGPT a little lately. If you don’t know, ChatGPT is “s a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations and much more with a chatbot. The language model can answer questions, and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, and code.”

The other day I decided to ask it about this website. Here is its response:

I mean, I would rate it at about 70% accurate. The name definitely does not come from my first camera. My first camera was definitely not a Canon. Canon? Ew. Gross! The name comes from Psalm 139. My first camera was a Minolta. I’m also not a member of the Iowa Professional Photographers Association, at least not to my knowledge. I also haven’t won Best in Show at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. I have won a class and I have gotten all four pictures displayed.

I won’t argue with the rest of it. I might have to play with ChatGPT a little more. Maybe some day I will have it write an entire journal entry.

+++++++

There never was a better love
To see the light of day
If only just to lift you up
And rise above the grey

It breaks my heart, but now you know
That the broken binds are an open door
And if it all disappears
I promise you I’ll still be there
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers. This collection of flowers is from my yard and were taken on September 17, 2022.

There are starting to be signs of plant life in my yard. It is only a matter of time before 2023 flowertography season is upon us!

9 Emotions Project, Aaron, Alexis, Angie, Baby Got Rack, Bethany, Black & White, Blogging, Boone County Fair, Formal Portrait, Kanoa, Kio, Kupono, Mary, Mom, Road Trip, Saydie, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Town Sign Project, Travel

An Artist’s Notebook Post #4757

March 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

It has been 6,052 days since August 9, 2006. 16 years. 6 months. 24 days. Since I first posted something in this little experiment known as “An Artist’s Notebook”. 145,2485 hours. 8,714,800 minutes. 522,892,800 seconds. Which is to say, it has been a minute.

There are some very important people in my life that I didn’t even know 16 years, 6 months, 24 days ago. There are people that I thought were important in my life that have come and gone in that 864 weeks and 4 days. It has been a journey. Some good. Some bad. Some of it ugly, I’m sure.

6,052 days ago I started this journal with the following 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 4,756 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) 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.

4,757 posts. We’ve been through some stuff. I hope to keep going through some stuff for many, many, many more posts. 4,757 posts and I feel like I’m just getting warmed up.

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 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #4500 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Macro – 495 (NR)
9. Teresa – 525 (#9 – +70)
8. Carla – 530 (#8 – +54)
7. Shannon – 539 (#6 – +39)
6. Road Trip – 569 (#7 – +92)
5. Art – 622 (#5 – +116)
4. Jesse – 630 (#4 – +51)
3. Animals – 735 (#3 – +37)
2. Flowers – 881 (#2 – +62)
1. Black and White – 992 (#1 – +74)

Dropped from the rankings was WPC – Submissions

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 389 (NR)
9. Nature – 437 (#9 – +41)
8. Formal Portrait – 447 (#10 – +66)
7. WPC – Submissions – 493 (#6 – +38)
6. Macro – 495 (#7 – +54)
5. Road Trip – 569 (#5 – +92)
4. Art – 622 (#4 – +116)
3. Animals – 735 (#3 – +37)
2. Flowers – 881 (#2 – +62)
1. Black & White – 992 (#1 – +74)

Dropped from the rankings is PORTRAIT. I’m trying to eliminate it as a category, so it should eventually drop to zero.

NAIMA and CANDID PORTRAIT have a shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post #5,000.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Willy – 318 (NR)
9. Logan – 329 (NR)
8. Derrick – 330 (#7 – +10)
7. Kim – 342 (#8 – +45)
6. Jay – 348 (#6 – +11)
5. Mom – 458 – (#5 – +5)
4. Teresa – 525 (#4 – +70)
3. Carla – 530 (#3 – +54)
2. Shannon – 539 (#2 – +39)
1. Jesse – 630 (#1 – +51)

Dropping from the rankings was Jen and Vest.

Micky, Vest, and Jen have the best shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post #5,000.

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.

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 200 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #200 probably needs to be purged.

THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

#100. Kelly – 71 (NR)
#99. Commercial – 72 (#97 – +1)
#98. Self-Portrait Project – 73 (NR)
#97. Andree – 75 (#94 – 0)
#96. Flat Earth Joe – 75 (NR)
#95. Lowell – 79 (#93 – +2)
#94. Photo Journal – 79 (#92 – 0)
#93. Suzie – 80 (NR)
#92. Pastor Sarah – 86 (#95 – +12)
#91. Becca – 87 (NR)

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

Jaycees, Vacation, Mark, Life, and Birthdays.

Now something I should explain is that I used to put Flat Earth Joe and Joe Duff under the same Category of simply “Joe” out of laziness, but in the last 250 posts, I split them.

Of these categories, I think Pastor Sarah and Suzie have the best chance to climb out of this list. Since I’m not doing the Self-Portrait Project his year, it could fall out of the Top 100. And I’m not sure what part of my life Flat Earth Joe will have in the future. He has taken a hard turn down the path of terrible decision making and has been in jail for over a month now. I hope he gets sorted at some point in the future. But quite frankly, I can’t make a prediction on his future. I can barely make a prediction on my future. So it is hard to say what will happen to that category. As for the category of Andree, I talk to Andree regularly, but he rarely makes an appearance on this website.

The categories that are closest to falling into the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 are Faust, Birthdays, and Joe Duff. But I think at least Birthdays and Joe Duff are pretty safe. I talk to Faust now and again, but he rarely makes an appearance on the website. I still someday need to go visit the Godzilla statue in his town. But I also need to visit Nate and Bethany and Becca and Bill and Sarah and well it is quite a list. When I think about it, I have to sit down on the couch and watch another episode of THE LAST OF US.

That categories that are closest to cracking into the Top 100 are Mark, Layla, and Vacation. But since Mark isn’t really part of my life anymore, I don’t see that busting through. I also can’t see a vacation on my horizon any time soon. But I like Layla’s odds. A lot of spunk in that one.

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

10. Las Vegas – 2023 – 42,941 Views

9. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 – 47,269 Views

8. Jayton Poole – 2022 – 47,464 Views

7. 9 Emotions Project – 51,763 Views

6. Miami Beach – 2022 – 53,087

5. Christopher D. Bennett – 112,907 Views

4. Selfie Project -2022 – 162,595 Views

3. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 184,949 Views

2. Town Sign Project – 201,352 Views

1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 223,723 Views

At post 4,500 these were the 10 Most Popular Galleries:

10. Iowa
9. 9 Emotions Project
8. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 8
7. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9
6. Selfie Project – 2022
5. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020
4. Christopher D. Bennett
3. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images
2. Selfie Project – 2021
1. Town Sign Project

The galleries that are right outside the Top 10 that have a shot at cracking the Top 10 in Post 5,000 are:
+ Drone
+ Daisies
+ FatMumSlim 2022

But considering I’m done with the FatMumSlim project, I don’t know that its gallery will maintain any popularity. I only know one person that definitely loves my daisy pictures, but I don’t think they poke around my website much these days. However, perhaps the Era of Rodan139 is nearly upon us. I could live with that.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

10. Dexter, Iowa – 1,964 views

9. Badger, Iowa – 1,967 views

8. Selfie with Mom – 1,993 views

7. Coon Rapids, Iowa – 2,146 views

6. Moingona, Iowa – 2,190 views

5. Prego Alexis – 2,415

4. Saydie and Kyle – 3,231 views

3. Baby Got Rack at Boone County Fair – 4,423 views

2. Miami – 6,039 views

1. Selfie at Bellevue – 6,864 views

That selfie at Bellevue was the most popular picture on my website at Post 4,500 as well.

The final statistic I want to share with everybody before riding off into the sunset and not boring you with these statistics for another 250 posts is the 5 people with the highest Photography Subscriber Loyalty Scores.

1. Kio Dettman – 100%
2. Aaron Barnett – 99.7%
2. Angie DeWaard – 99.7%
2. Mary Green – 99.7%
5. Joe Duff – 99.5%

There are a lot of people in the 90% range that could break into this list next time. Jeanette, Jesse, Sarah, Logan, Tamara, Frank, Michelle, and Andy.

To be honest, I don’t know how this number is figured. I believe it is the percentage of emails from the subscriber list that you open within the first 24 hours of getting an email from me, but I really don’t know if we are being honest. But thanks for doing what it is you are doing!

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

I think that is enough for now. We’ll check in again in another 243 posts.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Blogging, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Derrick, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Jodie Cue, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Postcard, Railroad, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Slice of Life, Steph, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

Weekly Photo Challenge Year 9 Review

January 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Thought I would take a quick look back at Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Here are a few quick stats:

+ 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

If you want to look back at all 1811 images that were submitted this year, click on the link below:

Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9

Michelle once told me that her kids think that THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is a contest and they always ask her if she “won” this week. It isn’t a contest and I’m not really sure art should compete against other art (yes I run and enter photo contests), but I thought I would share my favorite picture from all 44 participants this year:

Robyn Augustin
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Tim Cuculic
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Jodie Cue
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Brooklyn Erb
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Derrick Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Steve Martin
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 2
Current Streak: 0

Myriah Sharp
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Stephanie Kim
Weeks Participated: 2 – 4%
Submissions: 2
Current Streak: 0

Lori Backous
Weeks Participated: 3 – 6%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Gorshe Twins
Weeks Participated: 3 – 6%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Layla Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 8 – 15%
Submissions: 8
Current Streak: 0

Sarah Karber
Weeks Participated: 10 weeks 19%
Submissions: 10
Current Streak: 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 16 weeks – 31%
Submissions: 17
Current Streak: 0

Evie Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 18 weeks – 35%
Submissions: 18
Current Streak: 0

Mike Vest
Weeks Participated: 19 weeks – 37%
Submissions: 19
Current Streak: 0

Willy McAlpine
Weeks Participated: 21 weeks – 40%
Submissions: 23
Current Streak: 7

Sabas Hernandez
Weeks Participated: 23 – 44%
Submissions: 23
Current Streak: 3

Brandon Kahler
Weeks Participated: 24 weeks – 46%
Submissions: 24
Current Streak: 20

Sarah Toot
Weeks Participated: 24 – 46%
Submissions: 37
Current Streak: 24 weeks

Mary Green
Weeks Participated: 26 – 50%
Submissions: 66
Current Streak: 1

Sara Lockner
Weeks Participated: 32 – 62%
Submissions: 43
Current Streak: 1

Becky Parmelee
Weeks Participated: 32 – 62%
Submissions: 36
Current Streak: 3

Suzie Brannen
Weeks Participated: 35 weeks – 67%
Submissions: 38
Current Streak: 0

Angie DeWaard
Weeks Participated: 36 – 69%
Submissions: 44
Current Streak: 28

Jesse Howard
Weeks Participated: 40 – 77%
Submissions: 46
Current Streak: 1

Linda Bennett
Weeks Participated: 42 – 81%
Submissions: 94
Current Streak: 23

Monica Jennings
Weeks Participated: 44 – 85%
Submissions: 60
Current Streak: 1

Kim Barker
Weeks Participated: 48 – 92%
Submissions: 59
Current Streak: 38

Dawn Krause
Weeks Participated: 48 – 92%
Submissions: 70
Current Streak: 32

Joe Duff
Weeks Participated: 49 – 94%
Submissions: 63
Current Streak: 39

Logan Kahler
Weeks Participated: 49 – 94%
Submissions: 102
Current Streak: 41

Tamara Peterson
Weeks Participated: 50 – 96%
Submissions: 55
Current Streak: 9

Michelle Haupt
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 51
Current Streak: 51

Teresa Kahler
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 106
Current Streak: 50

Carla Stensland
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 93
Current Streak: 50

Micky Augustin
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 57
Current Streak: 52

Shannon Bardole-Foley
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 53
Current Streak: 61

Christopher D. Bennett
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 52
Current Streak: 485

Kio Dettman
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 156
Current Streak: 63

Cathie Morton
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 56
Current Streak: 58

Elizabeth Nordeen
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 64
Current Streak: 59

Andy Sharp
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 71
Current Streak: 53 weeks

Bill Wentworth
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 54
Current Streak: 54

Don’t think I put a ton of effort into picking my favorite images from each person. But I did put some effort in it.

2022 was a great year for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Hopefully 2023 is even better!

9 Emotions Project, Alexis, Angie, Animals, Black & White, Blogging, Carla, Derrick, Football, Formal Portrait, Frank, Jay, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kalista, Kanoa, Kelly, Kim, Kupono, Michelle, Mom, Nader, Saydie, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Shannon, Still Life, Taylan, Teresa, Town Sign Project, Vest

Four Thousand Five Hundred

June 21, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

It has been 5,795 days since August 9, 2006. 5,795 days since I first took keyboard in hand and started the blog portion of the Photography 139 website. The portion I pompously named “An Artist’s Notebook”. The part I started with the 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”.

Over the years this website has transitioned less from an “idea box” and more into a “show and tell”. I keep my idea box more private these days. I didn’t even publish a picture on “An Artist’s Notebook” for months.

In fact, it wouldn’t be until October 20, 2006 that a blog post included an image. This image to be exact:

It is a picture of “Steve” the Groundhog that lived behind the Computer Mine for years.

While the format and what has posted on An Artist’s Notebook has changed several times over the years, its main goals of “actually writing in it”, “being truthful as possible”, and of course the goal of having produced something worthy as being as “pretentious sounding as An Artist’s Notebook” have remained intact.

On these periodic check-ins I like to overwhelm those that stick around this long with a ton of meaningless statistics. Today’s post should be no different. 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 10 (Most Used) Categories (Rank in Post #4250 & Increase since then):
9. WPC-Submissions – 455 (#9 – +38)
9. Teresa – 455 (NR)
8. Carla – 476 (#7 – +41)
7. Road Trip – 477 (NR)
6. Shannon – 500 (#5 – +42)
5. Art – 506 (#10 – +92)
4. Jesse – 579 (#4 – +50)
3. Animals – 698 (#3 – +33)
2. Flowers – 819 (#2 – +65)
1. Black and White – 918 (#1 – +99)

Top 10 Non Human Categories:
10. Formal Portrait – 381 (NR)
9. Nature – 396 (#9 – +17)
8. Portrait – 435 (#4 – -15)
7. Macro – 441 (#8 – +51)
6. WPC – Submissions – 455 (#5 – +38)
5. Road Trip – 477 (#7 – +83)
4. Art – 506 (#6 – +92)
3. Animals – 698 (#3 – +33)
2. Flowers – 819 (#2 – +65)
1. Black and White – 918 (#1 – +99)

Top 10 Human Categories:
10. Jen – 286 (#9 – +9)
9. Vest – 294 (#10 – +20
8. Kim – 297 (NR)
7. Derrick – 320 (#7 – +9)
6. Jay – 337 (#6 – +8)
5. Mom – 453 (#4 – +31)
4. Teresa – 455 (#5 – +50)
3. Carla – 476 (#3 – +41)
2. Shannon – 500 (#2 – +42)
1. Jesse – 579 (#1 – +50)

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 194 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into my life by birth (Dahlia, Anela) or another way. Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #194 probably needs to be purged.

The Bottom 10 of the Top 100:

#100. Jaycees – 65
#99. Vacation – 67
#98. Mark – 69
#97. Commercial – 72
#95. Pastor Sarah – 74
#95. Life – 74
#94. Andree – 75
#93. Lowell – 77
#92. Photo Journal – 79
#91. Birthdays – 80

Some of these are bound to slip out of the Top 100. For example, there will never be another Jaycees post. Ever. I also apparently don’t take many vacations. Mark, not really part of my life any more. Life, is a broad category that I’ve tried to eliminate over the years. Photo Journal, a project I have completed, so there will never be another post on that. Birthdays, I currently don’t wish people “happy birthday”, but maybe I will again someday.

So what has a shot at cracking the Top 100? These are the 5 that are the closest.

+ Self-Portrait Project
+ Dae Hee
+ Kelly
+ Layla
+ FNSC

So, you might be wondering, how do you improve your Photography 139 score?

The easiest way is simple. Participate in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. You don’t even have to be around me and most people will tell you that being around me isn’t all that great. I mean look at Shannon. She is still #2 on the Big Board and I haven’t seen her in person since October 22, 2021. It can be done!

Other ways to increase your score:
+ Act as a Photo Assistant
+ Show up in THE SELFIE PROJECT
+ Go on TOWN SIGN PROJECT road trips with me… that one to Scott County is going to be epic!
+ An underated way is to assist with the FatMumSlim Photo a Day Project.
+ Doesn’t hurt to be related to me, but most of those slots are taken.
+ Doesn’t hurt to work with me, go to the same church as me, or otherwise engage me socially.

That is probably enough Category nonsense. I bet at least Joe is still here with me though.

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

10. Iowa – 35,595 Views

9. 9 Emotions Project – 69,259 Views

8. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 8 – 74,730 Views

7. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 9 – 77,929 Views

6. SELFIE PROJECT – 2022 – 84,763 Views

5. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 – 95,358 Views

4. Christopher D. Bennett – 104,433 Views

3. Town Sign Project – Auxiliary Images – 108,873 Views

2. Selfie Project – 2021 – 120,185 Views

1. Town Sign Project – 176,664 Views

At post 4,250 these were the 5 most popular galleries:
5. Gorshe Family
4. Town Sign Project
3. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 8
2. Selfie Project – 2021
1. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

10. Coon Rapids, Iowa – 2,319 Views

9. Carla and Teresa – 2,379 Views

8. Dexter, Iowa – 2,426 Views

7. Scranton, Iowa – 2,484 Views

6. Moingona, Iowa – 2,770 Views

5. The Howards – 2,842 Views

4. Miami – 2,920 Views

3. Alexis Pregnant – 3,458 Views

2. Me and Mom – 4,134 Views

1. Bellevue – 14,629 Views

Top 5 Photography 139 Loyalty Scores
5. Frank Meiners – 97.0%
4. Michelle Haupt – 98.6%
3. Angie DeWaard – 99.5%
2. Joe Duff – 99.7%
1. Mary Green – 100.0%

People right outside the Top 5:
+ Linda Bennett
+ Tamara Peterson
+ Jeannette Duff

To be honest, I don’t know how this number is figured. I believe it is the percentage of emails from the subscriber list that you open within the first 24 hours of getting an email from me, but but I really don’t know if we are being honest. But thanks for doing what it is you are doing!

I think that is enough. Here is to the next 4,500 posts!

Andy, Becky, Bill, Blogging, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 338 – HOBBIES

March 7, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

As many of you know, I was having difficulties with the email subscription service last week. In particular, it wasn’t working with Gmail email accounts. That should be fixed, but another question I get, is how do I prevent the emails from going to “Promotions” instead of my primary Inbox in Gmail. Here are the instructions for preventing that from happening:

One of the simplest ways to move an email is to left-click and hold on the email and drag it from the promotions tab over to the Primary tab. Releasing the mouse will drop the email into the primary tab. After it is dropped, Gmail will ask if you wish to make the change permanent.

Hope that helps some of you!

+++++++

HOBBIES has proven to be a very popular theme.

As of 10:59 AM on Monday, March 7, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Lori Backous – 1 week
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week
+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week
+ Jesse Howard – 1 week
+ Linda Bennett – 2 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 2 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 2 weeks
+ Mike Vest – 2 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 6 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 6 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 6 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 6 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 7 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 8 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 9 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 10 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 14 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 15 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 17 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 20 weeks

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:

Kim Barker – 1 week

Monica Henning – 1 week

Becky Parmelee – 1 week

Becky Parmelee

Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks

a>
Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard – 2 weeks

Linda Bennett – 3 weeks

Linda Bennett

Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks

Logan Kahler – 3 weeks

Logan Kahler

Dawn Krause – 3 weeks

Mike Vest – 3 weeks

Joe Duff – 7 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 7 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Tamara Peterson – 7 weeks

Carla Stensland – 7 weeks

Carla Stensland

Michelle Haupt – 8 weeks

Micky Augustin – 9 weeks

Andy Sharp – 10 weeks

Andy Sharp

Bill Wentworth – 11 weeks

Cathie Raley – 15 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 16 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 18 weeks

Kio Dettman – 21 weeks

Kio Dettman

Christopher D. Bennett – 440 weeks

38 submissions from 24 participants! The 38 is a new record for this year and 24 participants is also a new high for the year! Both are certainly all-time records as well.

Only 2 streaks were snapped. Lori and Jen both couldn’t extend their streaks to two. Maybe next week?

Congrats to Andy for extending his streak to double digits! WooHoo!

Here are the current top streaks:

1. Kio – 21 weeks
2. Shannon – 18 weeks
3. Elizabeth – 16 weeks
4. Cathie – 15 weeks
5. Bill – 11 weeks

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:

GOVERNMENT

GOVERNMENT! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a GOVERNMENT image? A GOVERNMENT image is anything that involves a GOVERNMENT. There are all types of GOVERNMENT. There is the federal GOVERNMENT. A state GOVERNMENT. A county GOVERNMENT. A local GOVERNMENT. Churches have GOVERNMENT bodies. Every business has some kind of GOVERNMENT. A GOVERNMENT image could be anything that deals with a GOVERNMENT. A public park. GOVERNMENT. The road you drove on to get to that public park. GOVERNMENT. Public school. GOVERNMENT. If you work for the GOVERNMENT, you are the GOVERNMENT. The military, the police, fire department. All GOVERNMENT. Public library. GOVERNMENT. There are so many possibilities!

When considering subjects for your GOVERNMENT image, meditate on the following quote:

“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
-Winston Churchill

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.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of GOVERNMENT in this place that is ruled with an iron fist by me next Monday.

Alexis, Angie, Bill, Blogging, Carla, Derrick, Evie, Jason, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Russ, Sara, Shannon, Sheri, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy

Journal Entry #4,250

October 17, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

Can you believe that this is the 4,250th post in this crazy little thing called “An Artist’s Notebook’. 4,250 posts! It has been 5,549 days since I took keyboard in hand on August 9, 2006 and typed these words:

So here is the first journal entry.

The name of that first journal entry was “First Journal Entry”. I really started out with a bang!

What was that first journal entry?

A set of goals:

+ To write in this journal. Mission accomplished.
+ To be truthful. I’m sure there are some that would disagree, but I’m calling that mission accomplished.
+ To record my achievements and failures in the world of art. Mission accomplished.
+ To produce something that makes me “worthy” of having a pretentious sounding journal title like: “An Artist’s Notebook. Jury might still be out on that one.

In that first entry I also wrote about attending the Photography Salon Reception with Sara. I go on to complain about the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest and tell a tale about how Jay convinced me to enter the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest that year.

That was it. A simple beginning for a simple man. 5,549 days ago.

When I hit these milestones, I like to check in on a few statistics, to see how things are trending. I like statistics cause they seem to bring order to chaos. It is like the saying goes: “There are three types of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics.”

Here are some damn lying statistics.

I use “Categories” to help organize this blog. There are 194 of them and the 100 most used Categories can be found on the sidebar of every page on this website. The 100th most used Category is a 3 way tie amongst “Jaycees”, “Vacation”, and “DaeHee”. I’ve use those 3 Categories 65 times each. The 2 Categories that have the greatest shot at breaking into the Top 100 are “Kelly” at 61 current uses and “Town Sign Project” at 59 current uses.

These are the 10 Most Used Categories (Post 4000 Rank and entries):

10. Art – 408 (NR)
9. WPC – Submissions – 417 (8 – 381)
8. Mom – 422 (10 – 363)
7. Carla – 435 (7 – 391)
6. Portrait – 450 (5 -472)
5. Shannon – 458 (6 – 421)
4. Jesse – 529 (4 – 495)
3. Animals – 665 (3 – 620)
2. Flowers – 754 (2 – 693)
1. Black and White – 819 (1 – 698)

These are the 10 Most Used Not a Person Categories:

10. Photoshop – 368 (8 – 327)
9. Nature – 379 (6 – 349)
8. Macro – 390 (7 – 332)
7. Road Trip – 394 (9 – 326)
6. Art – 408 (10 – 314)
5. WPC – Submissions – 417 (5 – 381)
4. Portrait – 450 – (4 – 472)
3. Animals – 665 – (3 – 620_
2. Flowers – 754 – (2 – 693)
1. Black and White – 819 (1 – 698)

There are the 10 Most Used Person Categories (Post 4000 Rank and entries):

10. Vest – 274 (9 – 258)
9. Jen – 277 (10 – 254)
8. Willy – 278 (8 – 268)
7. Derrick – 311 (7 – 295)
6. Jay – 329 (6 – 320)
5. Teresa – 405 (4 – 364)
4. Mom – 422 (5 – 363)
3. Carla – 435 (3 – 391)
2. Shannon – 458 (2 – 421)
1. Jesse – 529 (1 – 495)

The Non Person Categories most likely to break into the Top Ten are “Naima” at 323, “Formal Portrait” at 320, and “Candid Portrait” at 303.

The Person Categories that are most likely to break into the Top Ten are “Kim” at 263, “Logan” at 248, “Sara” and “Micky” both at 239.

After 750 posts, “Photography”, “Friends”, and “Life” were my three most used Categories. I’ve since tried to de-centralize those Categories and they have fallen. I’m trying to do the same with “Portrait”, so It should eventually fall out of the Top Ten as well.

After 1,000 posts, “Jay”, Jesse”, and “Shannon” were the most used Person Categories.

After 1,500 posts, “Jesse”, “Jay”, and “Shannon” were the most used Person Categories”.

After 2,500 posts, “Jesse, “Teresa”, and “Shannon” were the most used Person Categories. It was the same after 3000 posts.

After 4,000 posts, Top 3 had changed to “Jesse”, “Shannon”, and “Carla”. I’ll be curious to see where these number are in another 250 posts.

If you are wondering how to increase your Category usage, it is simple. Submit to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Be a photo assistant. Show up in THE SELFIE PROJECT. Go on road trips with me. It doesn’t hurt to be related to me either.

But this is a photography online journal, so let’s look at what are the most popular images and galleries on my website?

Most Popular Photography 139 Galleries of the last 365 days:

#10 Weekly Photo Challenge – HOF – 25,192 Views

#9 Daisies 26,286 Views

#8 Christopher D. Bennett 31,665 Views

#7 9 Emotions Project 49,215 Views

#6 Iowa 59,724 Views

#5 Gorshe Family 60,179 Views

#4 Town Sign Project 72,850 Views

#3 Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 8 82,681 Views

#2 Selfie Project – 2021 128,029 Views

#1 Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 236,976 Views

At post 4,000 The most popular album was “WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 7”. #2. Was “Christopher D. Bennett”. #3. was “9 Emotions Project”. I’m impressed with the sustained popularity of THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT. I haven’t taken a new picture for it in years. Although I do want to fire it up again.

#10. Maven’s Gift Table – 2,013 Views

#9. Moingona Town Sign – 2,029 Views

#8. Alexis Cheering at the 2010 Iowa State Fair – 2,177 Views

#7. Mom’s Retirement Party – 2,669 Views

#6. Mom and I at John Wayne Birthplace Museum – 3,716 Views

#5. Andrea, Josh, and Kids at Youth Group Fundraiser – 2010 – 4,221 Views

#4. Alexis Pregnant with Anela – 5,485 Views

#3. Selfie in Ackley – 6,369 Views

#2. Selfie in Front Yard – 6,587 Views

#1. Alexis Pregnant with Anela – 10.355 Views

That picture of Alexis was also #1 at the 4,000 Post Mark, but the other 9 Pictures are completely different. Last time #2 was a picture of Taylan and #3 was a picture of me and Scottie D. at the Pufferbilly Days Parade.

That leads us to my most popular individual posts.

#10. TOWN SIGN PROJECT: HAMILTON COUNTY – 21 Comments

#10. POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT – MAMIE DOUD EISENHOWER BIRTHPLACE – 21 Comments

#10. TOWN SIGN PROJECT: DALLAS COUNTY – 21 Comments

#7. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 43 – SUNRISE/SUNSET 22 Comments

#7. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 9 – FOOD – 22 Comments

#7. POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT – SOME CHURCHES – 22 Comments

#3. THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE – ROUND TWO – 24 Comments

#3. TENDERLOIN APPRECIATION SOCIETY – WORKING AT HOME – 24 Comments

#3. CARROLL COUNTY AND CRAWFORD COUNTY AUXILIARY IMAGES – 24 Comments

#3.WPC – WEEK 283 – WIND – 24 Comments

#2. LIPTON CUP OF ZINNIA – 32 Comments

#1. TOWN SIGN PROJECT: JASPER COUNTY – 37 Comments

I have to confess that I haven’t been very good about responding to comments left on my blog lately. I swear that I will get better at this again.

The final statistic I want to share are who my most loyal email subscribers. Loyalty isn’t probably the most accurate term, but it is all I have.

Top Five Most Loyal Photography 139 Subscribers

5. Jeanette Duff – 96.4%
4. Angie DeWaard – 98.5%
2. Michelle Haupt – 99.7%
2. Joe Duff – 99.7%
1. Kio Dettman – 100%

Jeanette, Angie, and Kio are new to the Top 5. They replaced Corey, Sara, and Shannon.

Linda and Tamara are the two most likely to break into the Top 5 in the next 250 posts.

We’ll have to check in on these statistics again in another 250 posts!

9 Emotions Project, Alexis, Animals, Art, Baier, Black & White, Blogging, Carla, Cousin Amy, Derrick, Drone, Elainie, Elizabeth, Faust, Flowers, Football, Formal Portrait, History, Iowa State, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Jorge, Logan, Macro, Michelle, Mom, Nature, Photoshop, Politics, Road Trip, Sara, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Taylan, Teresa, Vest, Willy

Post #4,000

January 19, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

August 9, 2006. That was the date where I first took keyboard in hand and began typing out the blog that I entitled “An Artist’s Notebook”. I entitled that first post “First Journal Entry”. The categories for that first post were “Blogging”, “Contests”, “Jay”, and “Sara”.

This is the first paragraph I posted:

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”.

Then it goes on to talk about how I attended the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Reception with Sara to see what two pictures had been accepted for display that year. Then I would go on to talk about how Jay had talked me into entering the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

The last line of the entry was simply:

I don’t want to mail it in.

While I was actually referencing the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest, it is my hope that I also didn’t choose to “mail it in” as it pertains to “An Artist’s Notebook”.

It has been 5,276 days since that first post. 5,276 days to reach this day and the 4,000th post in this blog, or “online journal” like I sometimes call it when I don’t like calling it a blog. It is hard to believe I have made it this far, for this long.

It hasn’t been necessarily smooth sailing the whole time. My website has been through a couple different servers. I have been through a couple different hosts for the blog part of the website. I have been through 4 (I think) different image hosting options in those 5,275 days. That jumping around for image hosting solutions did cause the problem that images from my posts from the first few years of this website’s existence have had to be “restored” slowly over time. So far I have semi-successfully restored all the entries though June of 2010. Which means, I still have a full year’s worth of entries left to restore. Somewhere in 2011, was when I fully made the move to my current SmugMug image hosting solution. I have unfortunately lost a few images, probably forever, mostly old phone pictures, but those old posts are as complete as they will ever be.

When I hit these milestones, I like to publish a lot of fairly meaningless stats. This one will be no different. So, here are the “An Artist’s Notebook” categories that I have used the most often:

Top 10 An Artist’s Notebook Categories

#1. Black & White – 698 Entries

#2. Flowers – 693 Entries

#3. Animals – 620 Entries

#4. Jesse – 495 Entries

#5. Portrait – 472 Entries

#6. Shannon – 421 Entries

#7. Carla – 391 Entries

#8. WPC – Submissions – 381 Entries

#9. Teresa – 364 Entries

#10. Mom – 363 Entries

Top Ten An Artist’s Notebook People Categories

#1. Jesse – 495 Entries

#2. Shannon – 421 Entries

#3. Carla – 391 Entries

#4. Teresa – 364 Entries

#5. Mom – 363 Entries

#6. Jay – 320 Entries

#7. Derrick – 295 Entries

#8. Willy – 268 Entries

#9. Vest – 258 Entries

#10. Jen – 254 Entries

Top Ten Non-People An Artist’s Notebook Categories

#1. Black & White – 698 Entries

#2. Flowers – 693 Entries

#3. Animals – 620 Entries

#4. Portrait – 472 Entries

#5. WPC – Submissions – 381 Entries

#6. Nature – 349 Entries

#7. Macro – 332 Entries

#8. Photoshop – 327 Entries

#9. Road Trip – 326 Entries

#10. Art – 314 Entries

People often ask what is the best way to improve their Photography 139 Category Score. The easiest way is to submit pictures to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. But posing for and assisting me with photo project or photo adventures is also a very good way.

What people have a shot at cracking the Top Ten by the time we hit Post #5,000? Kim, Sara, Logan, and Micky all have a shot. But 1,000 posts is a long ways away. So anybody has a shot!

But what are the Ten Most Popular Photo Galleries in Photography 139 history? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that question. I can only process stats up to 365 days ago. However, I can tell you the Ten Most Popular Photo Galleries of the last 365 Days are.

Click on the image to peruse that gallery.

Top Ten Most Popular Photography 139 Galleries (by view) of the Last 365 Days

WEEK 209 - ARCHITECTURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

#1. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 7 – 57697 Views

#2. Christopher D. Bennett – 41080 Views

#3. 9 Emotions Project – 36972 Views

#4. Taylan Howard – 2020 – 34075 Views

#5. Daisies – 26800 Views

#6. Drone – 24659 Views

#7. Weekly Photo Challenge – HOF – 24603 Views

#8. Family Happenings – 18,231 Views

#9. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 – 17057 Views

#10. Black Lives Matter – Boone – 2020 – 16160 Views

The Ten Most Popular Photography 139 Images of the Last 365 Days (by Views)

#1. 7254 Views

#2. 3153 Views

#3. 2460 Views (Photo by Logan Kahler)

#4. 2228 Views

#5. 2127 Views

#6. 2111 Views

#7. 1971 Views

#8. 1916 Views

#9. 1891 Views

#10. 1830 Views

Now the secret to the popularity of some of these images is that they are cover photos for albums, but shhhh… don’t tell anybody!

Another category of meaningless statistics, I’d like to share is what have been the most popular posts since the inception of “An Artist’s Notebook”. Although it might not be the most accurate way to judge such things, the only statistic I can use to judge this is “Comments” left on each post. That doesn’t mean emails or text messages or comments I received in person. These are comments that were left in the Comments section of each post.

Most Popular An Artist’s Notebook Entries (by Comments)

#1. The People’s Choice Round Two – 24 Comments

#2. Weekly Photo Challenge – Week 9 – Food – 22 Comments

#2. Weekly Photo Challenge – Week 43 – Sunrise/Sunset – 22 Comments

#4. Town Sign Project: Hamilton County – 21 Comments

#4. Town Sign Project: Dallas County – 21 Comments

#6. Postcard Recreation Project: Some Churches – 20 Comments

#6. Rodan139: Swede Valley Lutheran Church – 20 Comments

#8. Will History Blame Me… – 19 Comments

#9. Yo, Ya Just Get in that, You Get in that Head Space, Ya Know – 15 Comments

#9. You Can Call it a Comeback – 15 Comments

#9. Wild Goose Chase – 15 Comments

#9. Sorry Not Sorry – 15 Comments

One thing to note is that each “An Artist’s Notebook” entry has its Comments section close 30 days after being posted. Some of those still have a chance to grow, but most have been locked into place forever.

The last statistic I want to share before closing out Post #4,000 is kind of a loyalty score. To even be considered for this list, you first have to have a Photography 139 Email Subscription. The following is a statistic based on “loyalty” for lack of a better term to that service.

Top Five Most Loyal Photography 139 Subscribers

1. Michelle Haupt – 99%
2. Joe Duff – 97%
3. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 94%
4. Sara Lockner – 90%
5. Corey Faust – 89%

Thanks to everybody that has supported this adventure for 14 years, 5 months, and now 10 days!

Blogging, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Dallas County

December 23, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 21 Comments

The April image for the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar is a butterfly perched on a zinnia in my Mom’s yard. It was taken on August 16, 2020.

Here are some details of the photo:

DETAILS

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M2
LENS: FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro
FOCAL LENGTH: 50mm
APERTURE: f/5
EXPOSURE: 1/80
ISO: 100
LATITUDE: 42.05623
LONGITUDE: -93.87505

+++++++

I recently added a photo map to my THE TOWN SIGNS PROJECT album. It looks like this:

This map shows the physical locations of where the town signs I have photographed. In the album, you can scroll in and out and click on the markers to see the pictures.

If you want to see it in the flesh, so to speak, click on the link below:

TOWN SIGN PROJECT

I also recently made a trip around Dallas County to get pictures of the few towns out there that I didn’t have a sign to represent. Unfortunately, most of my time was spent looking around suburbs looking for a sign of some kind. I tried to put as little effort into the suburbs as possible, because I view this as a small town project. That being said, it took a little time to even find anything. I know the signs I have here that represent Urbandale and Waukee are not the best they have to offer, but at the same time, do I lose any sleep about it? Nope, half a bottle of Nyquil takes care of that.

Here is the updated Iowa Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

Here are the town signs of Dallas County (population data from 2010, so probably extremely inaccurate for this county):

West Des Moines, Iowa
The City of West Des Moines
Population: 56,609

Urbandale, Iowa
Welcome to… Uniquely Urbandale… Urbandale
Population: 39,463

Clive, Iowa
District by Nature
Population: 15,447

Waukee, Iowa
The Key to Good Living
Population:13,790

Grimes, Iowa
Grimes
Population: 8,246

Perry, Iowa
Make Yourself at Home!
Population 7,702

Adel, Iowa
Growing with Pride – Home of United Brick & Tile
Population 3,682

Dallas Center, Iowa
Est. 1869
Population: 3,682

Granger, Iowa
Welcome to Granger
Population: 1,244

De Soto, Iowa
Welcome to De Soto, Iowa
Population: 1,050

Woodward, Iowa
Welcome to Woodward
Population: 1,024

Van Meter, Iowa
tradition with a vision
Population: 1,016

Redfield, Iowa
Redfield
Population: 835

Dexter, Iowa
The Original One Horse Town
Population: 611

Minburn, Iowa
A Small Town with a Big Heart
Population: 365

Linden, Iowa
Pride of (Some Cat) Country
Population: 199

Dawson, Iowa
Welcome to Dawson
Population: 131

Bouton, Iowa
Est. 1881
Population: 129

So which town sign wins Best in Show, for Dallas County? I think this one is a no-brainer. It is Dexter:

Dexter, even has a couple of other great town signs as well:

Either one by themselves would be a strong contender for Best in Show for Dallas County. I’d also give surprisingly good marks to Redfield and Linden and Minburn. Minburn, mostly because of the weird bench that is behind their sign, but isn’t pictured. But runner-up in Dallas County is very clearly Granger for the use of the “hot” and “cold” water towers in their sign.

Which one is the worst? I’m going to put aside the suburbs for a moment, because I believe they probably have a better sign out there that I just didn’t care to spend hours in suburban hell looking for them. Maybe some day in the future. But the second worst is the blandness of Dallas Center, but the worst is Adel for putting an advertisement for a business on their town sign. I’m guessing that business probably built that sign, but still… gross.

So 6 counties in, I’m going to up the Bennett Power Rankings to a Top Ten.

Bennett Town Sign Power Rankings

#10. Collins

#9. Sheldahl

#8. Badger

#7. Granger

#6. Scranton

#5. Boone

#4. Dexter

#3. Farnhamville

#2. Pilot Mound

#1. Moingona

These are how I feel at this time, but it is possible that 5 minutes from now, I would rank these completely differently.

The good news is that I have a couple of volunteers for certain counties. So in the future, these road trips won’t be solo. I mean many of them will, but not all of them. Polk County should be next, but I really need a pep talk to head back in to suburbia.

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