Category Archives: Mom

Andree, Angie, Candid Portrait, Faust, Jill, Kim, Laura, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Shannon, Steph, Suzie, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 81 – FACELESS PORTRAIT

April 3, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

FACELESS PORTRAIT is challenging, but still, a handful of hearty photographers gave it a whirl. But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about heart. You came to see the submissions:

Mike Vest

Suzanne Brannen

Michelle Haupt

Stephanie Kim

Kim Barker

Christopher D. Bennett

Angie DeWaard

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:

ANGRY!

ANGRY seems like a pretty straight forward easy theme. It should be easy to find somebody you know that is ANGRY. Or something that makes you ANGRY.

Personally, I’m somebody that people rarely see ANGRY, but I’m told I have a “look” when I’m ANGRY. I assume that this look is what I captured in the reveal photo above.

So get out there and get in touch with your inner Hulk. Incredible, or otherwise.

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

Sometimes people send me descriptions of their photos. I’ve never done anything with that information in the past. However, if you send me a description in the future, I will add it to your image in the Weekly Photo Challenge Gallery that houses all the submissions.

MESSAGE FROM THE ROUNDBALL ORACLES DIVISION

Tonight is the national title game and there are two people still alive in the pursuit to have their name put on the List of Immortals, next to other basketball greats like Running Wolf and that missionary guy from Taiwan.

Here is what you need to know to base your rooting interests tonight:

IF North Carolina (a fine academic institution COUGH! COUGH!) wins, Paul Golden is this year’s Roundball Oracles Champ!
IF Gonzaga (a school that nearly closed in the 90s) wins, Andree Jauhari is this year’s Roundball Oracles Champ!

I know who I’m rooting to win. (Hint: It involves which one it will cost me the least amount of money to ship the trophy to…)

Good luck gentlemen!

On the other side of the coin. Congratulations (I think) go out to Shannon Bardole (for the moment) for winning this year’s The Sara! The trophy awarded to last place adult that tried really, really hard. She edged out Jill Gorshe, Corey Faust (all that hockey must be going to his brain), and Laura Miller. Laura was close to clinching a repeat. However, South Carolina’s Final Four run gave her just enough points to best Shannon, Jill, and Faust in the final standings. Well played Laura!

****************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very angry Monday!

Art, Flowers, Jesse, Johnathan, Kalista, Logan, Mom

07-12-07

March 25, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

The folder called 07-12-07 starts with some softball and ends with some pop art:

Next Saturday’s folder seems to be squirrel heavy.

Alexis, Brandon, Carla, Elainie, Ernie, Formal Portrait, Iowa State, Jason, Johnathan, Logan, Mom, Teresa

The Bennetts of 2017

March 23, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

Before Alexis took off for the Navy, Elainie came home. We used this as an opportunity for an impromptu family photo.

Thanks to Ernie for taking the photo! More from this photo shoot coming at some point.

Boone FUMC, Candid Portrait, Jaxon, Kio, Mom

Biscuits and Gravy

March 17, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back, the Methodist Men had a Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast Fundraiser. Here are a few cruddy cell phone pictures from the event:

It was quite the success! In fact, might have been too big of a success. We actually ran out of gravy. An error that will not be repeated in future Methodist Men meals.

Basketball, Bill, Derrick, Jay, Jesse, Mom, Naima, Self-Portrait Project, Teresa

Selfie Project – February

March 14, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 7 Comments

This is a good time to check back in with the SELFIE PROJECT. These are some of my favorite images from February:

February 2

February 5

February 6

February 7

February 11

February 13

February 17

February 18

February 19

February 21

February 24

February 25

February 26

February 27

February 28

So far I’m 74 days in and this beard is looking good!

Don’t forget that you can follow the daily SELFIE PROJECT postings by following me on Instagram. @christopherdbennett

Alexis, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Elainie, Formal Portrait, Jason, Johnathan, Kim, Logan, Micky, Mom, Steph, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 78 – SILHOUETTE

March 13, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 5 Comments

Looks like the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE went on Spring Break. Perhaps SILHOUETTE is too challenging of a theme. I’m not sure, but participation numbers this week are as low as they’ve ever been. Worries me that the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE might be on the way out. I guess we’ll see what this week brings.

But you don’t want to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You want to see this week’s submissions:

Kim Barker

Christopher D. Bennett

Stephanie Kim

Micky Augustin 1

Micky Augustin 2

While they might be small in numbers, the submissions are spirited!

ORANGE!

I don’t think I need to define ORANGE. It is a color. Not a primary color. But a color. There are lots of things out that are ORANGE. Even some humans fake tan themselves into a strange, creepy ORANGE hue. Of course there is a fruit that is ORANGE. In fact, there are several fruit that are ORANGE. Or you could even take a picture of anything and slap an ORANGE filter on it. Of course 1 of my favorite movie of all-time involves the word ORANGE. I know more than 1 person out there that that does art with an ORANGE or two. I can’t envision a picture where my inbox is just packed to the gills with ORANGE pictures.

Happy photo hunting!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very orangish Monday!

Black & White, Christianity, Mom, Road Trip, Teresa

The Dome

February 9, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 5 Comments

Last Sunday Mom, Teresa, Vi, and I loaded up into the car and traveled to the great north to visit Andrea, Josh, Wesley, and Grace. It was a great time, but perhaps the highlight was going up into Andrea’s church’s dome with Josh.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

You can see the rest of the images by clicking on the link below:

FORT DODGE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

I can’t wait to go back! Grace and I have big plans for hitting up Old Boston’s!

Alexis, Black & White, Carla, Elainie, Formal Portrait, Grandma, Jason, Johnathan, Mom

Stensland Family Backlog Cleanout

February 3, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

I took some photos of the Stenslands back in May. Probably should show you some of them at this point. Here are some of my favorites.

Not sure when this group of people will be together again. Alexis leaves for the Navy in the next few weeks. Elainie still has a year left in the Navy.

Alexis, Alisa, Derrick, Elainie, Ernie, Mom, Nader, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Teresa

Selfie Project of 2017

January 10, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 7 Comments

So I tried and failed at a Selfie Project in 2016. I’m trying again in 2017. Last year I took the pictures with Blue Boy. Who you may remember is my Canon point & shoot.

This year I’m going to take the pictures with the front facing camera on my Google Pixel. I feel this will enhance the chance of this project working because I always have my phone on my person. That way I don’t have to constantly remember another camera. Therefore I’m taking these pictures with the worst camera I own. Unless you count my pinhole camera and if you were thinking, “Yeah, but what about your pinhole camera?” I say to you, “I’m impressed that you remember that I own a pinhole camera! Well done!”

That being said, the Google Pixel camera is easily the best phone camera I’ve ever owned. Partially because it is made my Sony (shout out to Sony!) and partially because of a myriad of features that are included with the camera. I will one day soon publish a review of the camera, and you’ll know what I mean.

Another thing I should point out is that the rear facing camera on a phone is always way better than the front facing camera. But I’m using the front facing camera for ease of use. Even though it tops out about 4 megapixels. But I don’t have time to teach you about the megapixel lie. That is a subject for another time.

And this time, is the time to share the first ten pictures from the Selfie Project (circa 2017):

Day 0

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Part of the purpose of this project is to document my magnificent beard growth. I recently joined the Dollar Beard Club, like beard connoisseur Andrew Bardole. I’ve been enjoying their wonderful beard shampoo, beard oil, and beard cream. It makes me smell like a lumberjack that just got out of a hot spring bath in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. So… pretty amazing.

Although I’ll probably check in on this project from time to time on the blog known as An Artist’s Notebook (that is this blog silly), I don’t know that it will be a regular occurrence. However, these photos will be published on Instagram on the daily. Not only can you check out the progress of the scruff, you can check out Selfie Project Superfan Elizabeth’s daily critique of my smile. So everybody wins!

If you’ve forgotten, my Instagram handle is @christopherdbennett

Be warned, if you hang with me now and again, you might get thrown into the Selfie Project Mix. I’m hoping to even get my picture taken with noted Selfie queens like Alisa and Alexis and Elainie. Fingers crossed and you’ve been warned!

Animals, Art, Flowers, Mom, Naima, Ruins

Instagram Year in Review

December 30, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

It has been awhile since I did an Instagram post. This isn’t exactly one of those. This is just a look back at my most popular Instagram posts from 2016. Here they are:

Just for fun, these were the 9 most popular in 2015:

I don’t get what you would call a lot of likes on Instagram (I’m not in high school), even though it is by far my favorite social media medium. However, I got 2,000 more likes in 2016 than I did in 2015. Or put another way, the same amount of likes that my niece gets for 1 selfie.

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, you can follow me at @christopherdbennett.

I also run the Instagram account (with plenty of assistance from Amber and Sarah G.) for my church’s Youth Group. Here are the 9 most popular pictures from that account:

If you want to see what I do with my Wednesday nights or the occasional Mission Trip, you should follow that account at @boonefumcyg