Category Archives: Linda

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Fran, Jen, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 394 – BLUE

April 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

BLUE! A great theme! Everybody loves the color BLUE. But did a bunch of people love it enough to submit a photo? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
3-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
4-Mary Green – 2 weeks
5-Mindi Terrell – 6 weeks (3)
6-Suzie Brannen – 10 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 10 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 10 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 11 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 11 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 21 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 31 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 35 weeks
14-Sarah Toot – 36 weeks (3)
15-Angie DeWaard – 40 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 44 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 49 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 51 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 52 weeks
20-Teresa Kahler – 62 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 62 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 64 weeks (2)
23-Andy Sharp – 65 weeks (3)
24-Bill Wentworth – 66 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 70 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 71 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 72 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 75 weeks (2)

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:

Porter Degeneffe (Iowa) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas)

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 22 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 36 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Washington D.C.) – 36 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York)

Sarah Toot (New Jersey)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 45 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 52 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 67 weeks

Cathie Morton (Missouri) – 71 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 76 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 498 weeks

First, I have to say I find it interesting that Kio took a picture of grape juice for PURPLE and also one for BLUE. Makes me wonder what… what color does Kio think grape juice is?? Or maybe Kio is color blind. Or slightly color blind. I know a few people who are color blind in the blue range. But on the same side, I’ve never understood how you make red wine out of purple grapes. It is a mystery.

For example, yesterday Fran sent me a chat with a picture of a drink with the question, orange or yellow. It so happened that I was having a little post-church and pre-theater lunch with my sisters and so I showed them the picture. We all came back that the liquid in the glass was clearly yellow.

I sent that message back to Fran and she let me know that she thought it was orange.

Maybe I don’t sit and thing about color that much, but Monica sent me a message a couple weeks back about how she is “fascinated by how people interpret color… is it pink or is it purple!?!”. I hope Monica gets just as a big of a kick at seeing the interpretations of BLUE.

All this to say that if I use grape juice in my picture this week, it is because imitation is the highest form of flattery.

29 participants! Another great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Arkansas
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Missouri
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.

Technically, Washington D.C. isn’t a state, but let’s face it, it should be. Sarah’s picture crosses off another place on the map. I need to make that map someday. Today isn’t that day though.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin

17 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about a mile from my front door.

Porter had his first ever submission. I’m pretty pumped for that. He is the youngest to submit this year and I hope that he continues to submit in the future. Welcome aboard Porter!

The big accomplishment this week was Joe Duff joining the 1 Year Club. WooHoo! Congrats to Joe! Who isn’t too big time to work the night shift. Take notes Suzie.

But unfortunately it was not all good news. Mary’s 2 week streak bit the dust. Jesse’s 10 week streak is only a distant memory now.

Hopefully they get back on that horse again this week.

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:

ODD CAMERA ANGLE

ODD CAMERA ANGLE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is an ODD CAMERA ANGLE photo? Simply put, it a picture taken from an angle that is different than normal. The grand majority of pictures are taken from the eye level of the photographer. This theme challenges you to look down at your subject. Or look up at your subject. Or look at it from an angle where something small looks big and something big looks small. Or try out a Dutch angle. Put yourself on the ground or in a hole or in the air. Just don’t take your picture eye level. That’s all we’re asking here. The world is your oyster. You just have to look at it askew.

While considering possible subject for your submission, meditate on the following quote and you will no doubt come up with a great image:

I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect – they are much more interesting.
-Marc Jacobs

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 ODD CAMERA ANGLE in this place that is more than a little different next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 392 – PURPLE

March 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

PUPRLE! An important color in my life, but did it inspire a ton of submissions? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Mindi Terrell – 4 weeks (3)
2-Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks (2)
3-Jesse Howard – 8 weeks
4-Monica Jennings – 8 weeks
5-Nathanial Brown – 9 weeks
6-Mike Vest – 9 weeks
7-Tamara Peterson – 19 weeks
8-Brandon Kahler – 29 weeks
9-Linda Bennett – 33 weeks (3)
10-Sarah Toot – 34 weeks (3)
11-Angie DeWaard – 38 weeks
12-Dawn Krause – 42 weeks
13-Kim Barker – 47 weeks
14-Joe Duff – 49 weeks
15-Logan Kahler – 50 weeks
16-Teresa Kahler – 60 weeks
17-Carla Stensland – 60 weeks
18-Micky Augustin – 62 weeks
19-Andy Sharp – 63 weeks
20-Bill Wentworth – 64 weeks
21-Cathie Morton – 68 weeks
22-Elizabeth Nordeen – 69 weeks
23-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 70 weeks
24-Kio Dettman – 73 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:

Scott Degeneffe (Florida) – 1 week

Scott Degeneffe (Florida)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Andy Sharp (Oklahoma) – 64 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 48 weeks

Micky Augustin (Arizona) – 63 weeks

Micky Augustin (Arizona)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 34 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Nathanial Brown (Minnesota) – 10 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Minnesota)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 65 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 50 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nebraska) – 70 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 30 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Jesse Howard (Minnesota) – 9 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 35 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 10 weeks

29 participants! That is a great week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

While there a lot of states covered, there were no new states added to the map.

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture in my basement. So, I didn’t add to the map, yet again.

The big milestone with week was Nathanial and Vest reaching the double digit steak club! WooHoo!

COMPETITION

COMPETITION! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a COMPETITION image? It is simply an image of beings engaged in some kind of contest. Or it can be a picture of something that is used in a COMPETITION. Like a bowling ball. Or it can be a picture of the result of a COMPETITION. Like a trophy. There are so many possibilities!

While thinking about a possible subject for you submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.
-Bertrand Russell

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

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 COMPETITION in this place that tries not be competitive it next Monday.

Art, Basketball, Birthdays, Iowa State, Linda, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Street Photography, Teresa

Loyal Forever True

March 19, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today by wishing my Aunt Linda a happy birthday. Happy birthday Aunt Linda!

I hope your birthday is filled with as much joy and happiness as you can handle!

+++++++

Last Sunday I went down to the Kansas City with Teresa to watch the Big 12 Championship Game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Texas Longhorns (Horns Down!). The game was held in Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium. At this point it is more historic than anything else. This is the last time the Women’s Tournament will be played there because at this point… while it isn’t quite a dump… it is horribly outdated. It is still cool to look at. It is a beautiful building, but the facilities aren’t anywhere near what they need to be hold a major sporting event. Next year the tournament will be played at the OTHER Hilton South. T-Mobile/Sprint/Corporate Sellout Arena or whatever it will be called by then.

While that will definitely be an upgrade for the players, the bad part is that the Big 12 will be splitting the Men’s and Women’s Tournaments up. They will be on separate weeks. That part sucks. I think that the Big 12 was the only conference that does it right and now there are no conferences that do it right. Oh well.

Municipal Auditorium has hosted more Final Four games than any other arena in history. It has hosted it 9 times. It has not hosted a NCAA tournament game since 1964 and still holds the record.

It has also hosted concerts for some of the most famous musicians in history:
+ Elvis Presley
+ The Beach Boys
+ The Who
+ Jimi Hendrix
+ Jackson 5
+ Led Zeppelin
+ The Rolling Stones
+ Elton John
+ Eric Clapton
+ Jefferson Starship
+ Rush
+ Genesis
+ Black Sabbath
+ Van Halen
+ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
+ Prince
+ Hall & Oates
+ Black Sabbath
+ Kiss
+ Metallica
+ Beastie Boys
+ Green Day
+ Red Hot Chili Peppers
+ Dolly Parton
+ Tenacious D
+ Shaun Cassidy

To name a few.

Here are some cruddy cell phone pictures from the day trip to Missouri and back.

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game

There are 2 things that you can only find good versions of in Iowa. Chocolate milk and tenderloins.

I love Whataburger, but their breakfast is not as good as their lunch.

Pep Rally.

Power and Light District.

President Wintersteen.

Bill Fennelly with his grandchildren.

I don’t think Texas even had a pep rally.

Jeff Johnson.

Cy, Iowa State cheerleaders, and the Iowa State Pep Band. This is the good life!

Hard to see, but traditions travel!

Randomly ran into Nate’s best friend in a seedy Kansas City alley.

Such a cool looking building.

Pretty sure if there was a fire in this building, lots of people wouldn’t make it.

So many cool Art Deco touches.

Concessions weren’t great.

I did fist bump the Texas mascot. (Horns down!)

Ashley Joens – The GOAT.

Had to talk to these ladies about their shoes.

Coach.

Ashley.

I’ve paid my dues. Time after time. I’ve done my sentence. But committed no crime…

Goodbye Municipal!

It was a good trip. We parked at our cousin Melissa’s house and she and her husband drove us to and from the area. Was pretty sweet. Like having our own personal Uber drivers. Personal Uber drivers that buy you breakfast and bring you a drink from Sonic after the game.

Of course the best part of the trip was Iowa State winning the Championship!! They won every game in the tournament by double digits, but all of the games were close until they pulled away late. It felt particularly good to see Iowa State beat teams that have had our number the last few years, like Baylor and Texas. And it was particularly sweet to beat Oklahoma in the semi-finals as one of their players is a transfer from Iowa State and is Ashley’s sister Aubrey. It had to be a little bittersweet for Ashley to beat her sister, but probably a lot more sweet than bitter.

Regardless of how the season finished in the NCAA Tournament it was a great season and they will be able to hang another banner in the rafters of Hilton at the beginning of next season!

Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 391 – SUNRISE, SUNSET

March 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

SUNRISE, SUNSET! Everybody loves watching a good SUNRISE or SUNSET. But was it a popular theme? Was it the SUNRISE of many new streaks? Was it the SUNSET on many existing streaks? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, March 6, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
3-Mindi Terrell – 3 weeks (3)
4-Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks
5-Jesse Howard – 7 weeks
6-Monica Jennings – 7 weeks (3)
7-Nathanial Brown – 8 weeks (3)
8-Mike Vest – 8 weeks
9-Tamara Peterson – 18 weeks
10-Brandon Kahler – 28 weeks
11-Linda Bennett – 32 weeks
12-Sarah Toot – 33 weeks (3)
13-Angie DeWaard – 37 weeks
14-Dawn Krause – 41 weeks (2)
15-Kim Barker – 46 weeks
16-Joe Duff – 48 weeks
17-Logan Kahler – 49 weeks
18-Teresa Kahler – 59 weeks
19-Carla Stensland – 59 weeks
20-Micky Augustin – 61 weeks
21-Andy Sharp – 62 weeks
22-Bill Wentworth – 63 weeks
23-Cathie Morton – 67 weeks
24-Elizabeth Nordeen – 68 weeks (2)
25-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 70 weeks
26-Kio Dettman – 72 weeks (2)

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:

WEEK 391 - SUNRISE, SUNSET - KIO DETTMAN

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 33 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 34 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 64 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Oklahoma) – 63 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) 49 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 29 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Cathie Morton (Somewhere over the Southeastern United States at 30,000 feet) – 68 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Jesse Howard (Wisconsin) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 50 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 71 weeks

Micky Augustin (Arizona) – 62 weeks

25 participants this week. 2 straight weeks participation rates have declined. I hate to say, but participation rates might be in a freefall!

The good news is that 25 participants is still a healthy number. AND we added a new state to the map this week via Micky!

There were submissions this week taken in the following locations:

+ Arizona
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

17 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is now:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 20 miles from my front door.

This week is spring break for a ton of people. There is potential the map could grow, but I don’t know that it will for certain. We’ll see.

There were no big time milestones this week. The bad news is that Becky couldn’t turn last week’s submission into a streak and Sara’s streak ends at 2.

PURPLE

PURPLE! What a great them for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a PURPLE image? Simply put, it is an image where the subject OR a major compositional element of the image is PURPLE. That is it! Couldn’t be simpler than falling off a log.

While considering your possible subjects for your PURPLE image meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
-Regina Brett

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 PURPLE in this place that is drenched in it next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Railroad, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 390 – STORE

March 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

STORE! Everybody goes to them. Maybe not as much as they did before the pandemic, but you still have to go to them, unless you get everything delivered. Which I don’t think any of you do. I don’t have any friends that are that rich. Or do I?

But many people make it to a STORE to take a picture? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Sarah Karber – 2 weeks
5-Mindi Terrell – 2 weeks (2)
6-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
7-Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 6 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 6 weeks (2)
10-Nathanial Brown – 7 weeks (2)
11-Mike Vest – 7 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
13-Brandon Kahler – 27 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 31 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 32 weeks (3)
16-Angie DeWaard – 36 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 40 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 45 weeks (2)
19-Joe Duff – 47 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 4 8weeks
21-Teresa Kahler – 58 weeks
22-Carla Stensland – 58 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 60 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 61 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 62 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 66 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 67 weeks (2)
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 69 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 71 weeks (2)

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:

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 18 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 28 weeks

Linda Bennett (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York) – 33 weeks

Sarah Toot (New Jersey)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 48 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 49 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Illinois) – 62 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 63 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nassau Bahamas) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 494 weeks

27 participants this week. That is a great week. A slight dip from the last couple of weeks. Maybe there aren’t as many slaves to consumerism out there as I had thought. Which is a good thing… we’ll count it as a good thing.

The good news is that there were 3 new states added to the map this week! New York (Sarah Toot), New Jersey (Sarah Toot again), and Illinois (Andy). That means that all the states that surround Iowa have had a submission taken in them except for South Dakota. But I’m sure we’ll get there. I see you South Dakota.

Also, Cathie added our 2nd submission taken from outside the United States with Nassau Bahamas.

There were submission this week taken in the following locations:

+ Arkansas
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Nassau Bahamas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

16 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is now:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 2.5 miles from my front door. I know. Big time traveler this guy!

I think this map might grow again next week. A little birdie tells me that a certain regular contributor is going to Arizona this week and maybe Mexico, if they have the guts.

There were no big time milestones this week. Unfortunately there was a bit of a blood bath on the streaks front though. Jen and Mary couldn’t extend their submission last week into a streak. Sarah Karber’s streak went down in flames after 2 weeks. Willy’s 3 week is now as existent as his desire to show up for work.

SUNRISE, SUNSET

SUNRISE, SUNSET! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

It has been a few years since I’ve used SUNRISE, SUNSET for a theme. I was told it wasn’t a fair theme because people with children could not do it. I don’t know I bought it, but I don’t know. Maybe it is true. Either way, I put the theme on the sidelines.

I brought it back this year because it is the Special Theme Class for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Rather than writing up my own description, I thought I should just lift it straight from the Iowa State Fair.

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

Next year’s theme is a bright one that our world literally revolves around. The Sun is something that we as photographers like to photograph quite often, because it offers a multitude of creativity. In fact, we call the sunset the golden hours because of opportunities it presents to capture the perfect photograph.

Your assignment, however, is to not just shoot the sun, but to shoot it in a way that we have never seen before. While the sun must be the main subject, it shouldn’t be the only subject of your photograph. Ask yourself, what is making the Sun so interesting in the moment? What can you do to photograph the Sun to tell a story of what is happening in that moment?

This assignment will also give you the opportunity to play with shadows and light and all the many colors that the sunrises or sunsets can provide. Look for the dramatic contrasts that can occur when the Sun is providing the light for your photographs.

I’ll just add a couple more things.

#1. Putting objects between you and the sunset can make or break a SUNRISE, SUNSET picture. Choose wisely.
#2. A SUNRISE, SUNSET picture doesn’t have to be of the sun. Maybe for the Iowa State Fair, but not for our purposes. You can also turn around take a picture that is lit by a SUNRISE or SUNSET. A reflection of a SUNRISE or SUNSET can make a fantastic picture.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 SUNRISE, SUNSET in this place that is still in its sunrise phase next Monday.

Andy, Art, Birthdays, Carla, Flowers, Fran, Funk, Kim, Linda, Lowell, Michelle, Pastor Sarah, Scottie D., Travel, Work, WPC - Reminder

Viva Las Vegas: Cell Phone Pictures

March 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 9 Comments

I need to start the day by wishing Andy a happy birthday. Happy birthday Andy!

I hope your birthday is filled with all the joy you can handle!

+++++++

I spent almost all of last week in Las Vegas working at the Computer Mine Convention. I didn’t get to see anywhere near the amount of stuff I wanted to see because I spent most of my days staring at conference room walls. However, I did get a chance to see a few things and took a few pictures. Today I’m going to share some cruddy cell phone pictures from the trip.

While some people got “rock star” parking, I got stuck in the Gray Lot, which is more like “zydeco star” parking.

And the flight got delayed.

4 flights. Only got snacks on one of them.

On flight #2 I got rock star leg room.

Southwest. Wasn’t as bad as I feared.

New luggage made it to Vegas.

The view from my room.

Meal #1. $30 for this.

Closest I got to the actual Vegas sign.

I’m sure I have an exhibit in there.

Fran said I absolutely had to eat here. It was also high on Lowell’s list.

Elvis and Marilyn made out of jelly beans.

If he goes ring pop engagement ring and she says no, she is a terrible person.

So many candy stores in Vegas.

View from the room at night.

Speechless.

A bar where a robot mixes your drink. Lowell said it was a Top 5 Drink he has had made by a robot.

They are planting marigolds already!

Planet Hollywood is kind of a dud, but it is near cool casinos like Paris.

I can almost see Emily and Mindy walking down the street.

The real Arc de Triomphe was built by a megalomaniac, so it makes sense that they put a poster of one on their recreation.

This sign is how I knew how to get my elevator.

It was 130 degrees in this room.

Planet Hollywood

I didn’t disappoint Fran, but I did make her jealous.

Michelle.

The show is about to begin.

A lot of eyes on me when this speaker asked the audience, “What is one thing that every man knows about every woman.”

View from my Friday dinner table.

Friday supper.

Friday dessert.

Fountain of the Gods.

Neptune’s Fountain.

Bellagio Fountain.

The other elevator bank had Miranda Lambert on it. They won.

Nacho Daddy, for people who like puns and nachos. That includes me.

Neither Kim or Lowell stepped up to the challenge.

I sent a picture of these to my Pastor who is a Chiefs fan, he wished bad things to me. Very bad.

I didn’t get the Raiders Nachos. But these were delicious.

Scott recommended I check out the Bellagio Gardens.

Saturday night supper.

I am sad to report I never ate here.

Goodbye Las Vegas.

It was from here that I waved at Susanna.

She waved back!

And on the final flight I got rock star legroom again!

All in all it was a pretty good trip, even though I put in some massive hours. It was certainly better than my previous trip to Las Vegas for the Evil Clown Empire. But that is a story for a different day.

+++++++

This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is STORE:

STORE

STORE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE?

But what is a STORE image? It is simply an image of a STORE or taken inside of a STORE. There are all kinds of STORE(s) out there. From department to convenience to junk to antique to book to music to grocery to dollar to a little kids lemonade stand. Of course, there is more than one definition of the word STORE.

This is not the first time that STORE has been a theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Here are some examples of previous submissions to inspire you:

Week 141 – Linda Bennett

Week 141 – Kim Barker

Week 141 – Christopher D. Bennett

Week 18 – Carla Stensland

Week 18 – Sarah Karber

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Angie, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Music, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Travel, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 389 – MUSIC

February 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It is the last Monday 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 start 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 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 to 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.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

+++++++

MUSIC! Did you know that there are people in the world that don’t like MUSIC? They are called bad people. But were there a lot of good people out there that submitted picture of MUSIC? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Sarah Karber – 1 week
3-Mindi Terrell – 1 week (3)
4-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
5-Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
6-Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks
7-Sabas Hernandez – 5 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 5 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks
10-Nathanial Brown – 6 weeks (3)
11-Mike Vest – 6 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks (2)
13-Brandon Kahler – 26 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 30 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 31 weeks
16-Angie DeWaard – 35 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 39 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 44 weeks
19-Joe Duff – 46 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 47 weeks (3)
21-Teresa Kahler – 57 weeks (2)
22-Carla Stensland – 57 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 59 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 60 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 61 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 64 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 66 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 67 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 69 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:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada) – 45 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 62 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nevada) – 65 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nevada)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 47 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 31 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 48 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Sarah Karber (Minnesota) – 2 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nevada) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nevada)

Christopher D. Bennett (Nevada)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 6 weeks

30 participants for the 2nd week in a row! I’m pretty excited about that!

I got an email after the books submission that (this is me paraphrasing) that said that they loved the BOOKS theme because after they saw that books that other people owned they felt an instant kinship with some other people. I thought something like that might happen again with MUSIC. I’m not sure it will, but maybe it will.

This week we had our first submission of the year from Mary Green. At least I think. I wouldn’t swear to it in a court of law.

This week we had submissions taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nevada
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

It is weird that my picture and Cathie’s and Elizabeth’s and Kim’s pictures were all taken in Nevada. It is almost like we were all in Las Vegas together for some reason.

This is my first submission taken outside of Iowa this year. My picture was taken 1,441 miles from my front door. By car.

No new states added this week. Here is the current calendar year list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

The Outside of the United State map stays at:

+ British Virgin Islands

But I think one of these maps might extend next week. A little birdie tells me somebody is going on a cruise at the end of this week.

There were no big milestones this week. Except all 3 Sara(h)s did contribute. Which I always like to see.

It wasn’t all sunshine and face melting guitar riffs this week. Three streaks did go poof! Scott’s streak ended before it even became a streak. Becky’s 4 week streak is gone. Sabas’ 5 week streak is also gone.

STORE

STORE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE?

While considering possible subject for your STORE submission, meditate on the following quote and you will no doubt come up with a great idea:

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 STORE in this place that is technically a commerce site next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Event, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 388 – FRAME

February 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

FRAME! Seemed like a good challenging theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! But was it popular? Did it fire up the creative juices of many people? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
2-Myriah Sharp – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
4-Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
5-Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks
6-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 4 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 5 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 5 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 25 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 29 weeks
14-Sarah Toot – 30 weeks
15-Angie DeWaard – 34 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 38 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 43 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 45 weeks (2)
19-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
20-Teresa Kahler – 56 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 56 weeks
22-Micky Augustin – 58 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 59 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 60 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 64 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 65 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 68 weeks (2)

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 (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Wisconsin) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 1 week

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 61 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 46 weeks

Sarah Karber (Minnesota) – 1 week

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 30 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Florida) – 31 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 16 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 4 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 26 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Oklahoma)

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 5 weeks

30 participants! That is a great week! That is a high for this year! Including submissions from first time participants in Scott Degeneffe and Mindi Terrell. I expect Scott to be something off a one off, but I’m expecting big things in the future from Mindi! Plus we had our first submission this year from Sarah Karber! WooHoo!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in Wisconsin (Scott) and Oklahoma (Nathanial). Nathanial’s one of Nathanial’s pictures was taken in a place that became very famous when it was the site of a very popular Netflix show.

This week we has submissions from:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Oklahoma
+ Nebraska
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

That is a lot of states!

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

13 states. A good start!

The Outside of the United State map stays at:

+ British Virgin Islands

Once again, I didn’t contribute to expanding the map. I took my picture approximately 97 miles from my front door.

The big milestone this week was Brandon. Brandon reached the Half-A-Year Streak Club! Congrats Brandon!

But it wasn’t all good news. 3 streaks bit the dust. Myriah couldn’t extend her streak to 2. Sara Lockner couldn’t extender her streak to 3.
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:

MUSIC

MUSIC! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a MUSIC photo? A MUSIC photo is simply a photo where a major compositional element involves MUSIC. It could be something that is used in the production of MUSIC. Like sheet MUSIC or a MUSICal instrument or a MUSICian or an 8 Track. Anything the aids in the producing of MUSIC is fair game. Might be a great weekend to make it to a concert.

While thinking on possible subjects for your MUSIC picture, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with an amazing MUSIC image:

Without music, life would be a mistake.
-Friedrich Nietszche

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 MUSIC in this place that is music to my eyes next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 387 – PLAY

February 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

PLAY! Seems like a great theme on the surface. But did PLAY trigger people to PLAY with their cameras? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week
3-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
4-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
6-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
7-Monica Jennings – 3 weeks
8-Nathanial Brown – 4 weeks (2)
9-Mike Vest – 4 weeks
10-Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
11-Brandon Kahler – 24 weeks
12-Linda Bennett – 28 weeks (2)
13-Sarah Toot – 29 weeks
14-Angie DeWaard – 33 weeks (2)
15-Dawn Krause – 37 weeks (3)
16-Kim Barker – 42 weeks
17-Joe Duff – 44 weeks
18-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
19-Teresa Kahler – 55 weeks (3)
20-Carla Stensland – 55 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 57 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 58 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 59 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 63 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 64 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 68 weeks (2)

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 (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 45 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 29 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Micky Augustin (Minnesota) – 58 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands) – 30 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 3 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Kansas)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Myriah Sharp (Iowa) – 1 week

29 participants! A great week!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in the state of Minnesota (Micky) and our first submission this year taken outside of the United States (Sarah)! The map is growing!

This week we had submissions from:

+Arkansas
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Texas

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

11 states. Not too bad!

And there is now an Outside of the United States map that includes:

+ British Virgin Islands

For my part, I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door. I’m still not helping grow the map. Next week I am in Nevada for 5 days with layovers in Colorado. While Nevada is on the map already (and about 4 of the regular contributors will also be in Nevada), Colorado isn’t. So I could theoretically try to grow the map on my layover, but I’m sure I can find a better picture in Las Vegas than I can in the Denver airport. Unless I can find the secret room where the illuminati meet.*

There were no major milestones this week. The only blemish was Jen couldn’t extend her streak from 1 to 2.

FRAME

FRAME! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! This is a theme that was suggested by Sarah Toot.

But what is a FRAME picture. It is simply an image where the main subject of your photo is FRAME(d) by something else. In the theme reveal, it is literally a FRAME, but in practice it would more likely be something else. Something else blocking in your main subject to draw attention to it. And your subject doesn’t have to be FRAME(d) on all 4 sides. 3 sides or 2 sides also works. Of course, there is more than one definition of FRAME.

While considering possible subjects for your FRAME submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will do great work!

If the world could remain within a frame like a painting on the wall, I think we’d see the beauty then and stand staring in awe.
-Conor Oberst

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

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 FRAME in this place that is a frame of my world next Monday.

*Don’t worry, I don’t really believe that nonsense and I won’t be in the Story County Jail anytime soon.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 386 – BOOKS

February 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

It is time to determine whether or not BOOKS was a popular theme. I thought it might be, because I’m pretty sure the Photography 139 readership is highly literate. But you won’t know until you scroll down:

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 30, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
2-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
3-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
4-Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
5-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks
6-Nathanial Brown – 3 weeks
7-Mike Vest – 4 weeks
8-Tamara Peterson – 13 weeks
9-Brandon Kahler – 24 weeks
10-Linda Bennett – 27 weeks
11-Sarah Toot – 28 weeks
12-Angie DeWaard – 32 weeks
13-Dawn Krause – 36 weeks
14-Kim Barker – 42 weeks
15-Joe Duff – 43 weeks
16-Logan Kahler – 45 weeks (2)
17-Teresa Kahler – 54 weeks (2)
18-Carla Stensland – 54 weeks
19-Micky Augustin – 56 weeks
20-Andy Sharp – 57 weeks
21-Bill Wentworth – 58 weeks
22-Cathie Morton – 62 weeks (2)
23-Elizabeth Nordeen – 63 weeks
24-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 65 weeks
25-Kio Dettman – 67 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:

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Texas) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Becky Parmelee (Missouri) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 14 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 28 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 29 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 33 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 44 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 55 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 55 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 59 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 490 weeks

28 participants! That is a pretty great week!

This week we had submissions from:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

There were no new additions to the map. This year’s list is:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

10 states is still pretty good for this time of year though!

This week I took my picture about 2 miles from my front door. I’m still not helping to grow the map.

There were no major milestones reached this week, BUT there were also no streaks snapped either. So that is good news.

PLAY

PLAY! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a PLAY image? It is simply a picture of something that is PLAYed with or somebody at PLAY. There are all sort of different things that can be PLAYed. A sport. A game. A musical instrument. A human being. Or even a PLAY is PLAYed. Remember, what some might consider WORK others consider PLAY.

While considering possible subjects for your PLAY submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great picture:

It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.
-Fred Rogers

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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 PLAY in this place that is in a constant state of play next Monday.