I need to start by wishing everybody a happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I don’t have a picture to represent this holiday, but I do have a suggestion on a way to celebrate it.

I suggest listening to THIS LAND podcast by Crooked Media. It is pretty incredible and infuriating and addictive. Click on the link below:

A synopsis of the podcast:

Patrick Murphy was convicted of murder by the state of Oklahoma in 2000. But defense attorneys soon discovered that his conviction may have been based on a lie. Hosted by Rebecca Nagle, an Oklahoma journalist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this podcast will provide an in depth look at how a cut and dry murder case opened an investigation into half the land in Oklahoma and the treaty rights of five tribes. Follow along to find out what’s at stake, the Trump administration’s involvement, the larger right wing attack on tribal sovereignty and how one unique case resulted in the largest restoration of tribal land in US history.

If you find that interesting, and you should because it is fascinating, click on the link above!

+++++++
We did it! WooHoo! 54 straight weeks of double digit submissions!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about the submission rates. You came to see the submissions:

Monica Henning

Kim Barker

Dawn Krause

Kio Dettman

Kio Dettman

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp

Micky Augustin

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Cathie Raley

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Derrick Gorshe

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:

BLACK AND WHITE

BLACK AND WHITE! What a great theme! In fact, I think you all know by now that is it my favorite theme! BLACK AND WHITE photography was my first love. Still my greatest love. What is a BLACK AND WHITE image? Literally any subject, as long as it is taken in BLACK AND WHITE.

BLACK AND WHITE has been a theme six times. It was not included in the first set of 52 themes. A terrible oversight and I blame Vest. Here is a look back at the six times BLACK AND WHITE was a theme:

I look forward to seeing your new interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION
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.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

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

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

+++++++

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 monochrome Monday!