Category Archives: Family

Boone FUMC, Flat Earth Joe, Gretchen, Micky, Mission Trip, Nader, Naima, Nature, Pastor Sarah, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Shawn Karber, Travel, Youth Group

Selfie Project – June

August 4, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

Here we are in August and I haven’t checked back into THE SELFIE PROJECT for the month of June. Here are some of favorites from June:

June 2

June 5

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

June 13

June 15

June 16

June 17

June 18

June 20

June 23

June 24

June 25

June 26

June 27

June 28

June 29

June 30

One side effect of THE SELFIE PROJECT I wasn’t expecting is that there are times when I think that might life is boring and I don’t do all that much. Then I look back at these pictures and I can see that I DO get out of the office or off the couch every now and again.

If you want to see all THE SELFIE PROJECT images, you can go here:

SELFIE PROJECT – 2017

And of course, you can stay current on THE SELFIE PROJECT by following me on the Instagram:

@christopherdbennett

I hope my July ended up being as good/great as my June!

Angie, Animals, Bill, Black & White, Brooke, Carla, Cathie, Jesse, Kim, Shannon, Steph, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 98 – SKY

July 31, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

SKY really did trigger the creative juices of many a person. A healthy amount of SKY submissions! That included first time participation by Tamara Peterson and the return of Brooke Milligan! They should be inspirations for those of you that are on the fence about whether or not to participate. Go ahead and jump in! The water is fine!

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

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole

Tamara Peterson 1

Tamara Peterson 2

Carla Stensland

Mike Vest

Stephanie Kim

Angie DeWaard

Cathie Raley 1

Cathie Raley 2

Cathie Raley 3

Brooke Milligan

Bill Wentworth

Jesse Howard

A solid week of submissions!

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:

YELLOW!

YELLOW! What a great theme! I don’t even think I need to explain yellow. I will point out for some people out there that gold and yellow are not the same color. I know people in Iowa City don’t understand the difference. Perhaps if they would’ve went to a better school. But I digress. YELLOW! Get off your duff and photograph something that is YELLOW!

As always, I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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.

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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 yellow Monday!

Automobiles, Black & White, Logan, Mom, Photoshop, Road Trip, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa

All the Fleas!

July 27, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A couple months back Mom, Teresa, Logan, and I hopped into a vehicle of some kind and headed due east for famous What Cheer, Iowa and it’s even more famous flea market.

It didn’t disappoint. I think a person could spend all day there and still not see all the vendors.

Here are some pictures from that trip. You’re welcome Kio!

My favorite part of the What Cheer Flea Market is that they (seemingly) allow you to climb up onto the roof of their rickety grandstand. The roof is made out of sheet metal and their doesn’t seem to be any reinforcements as you walk across it. Hoping you don’t plummet to your death. It was awesome!

Bill, Carla, Cathie, Kim, Logan, Steph, Street Photography, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 97 – THE STREETS

July 24, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

THE STREETS. I knew this would be a tough theme that only the tough would be able to handle. I was right about THE STREETS. It isn’t for everybody.

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

Bill Wentworth

Christopher D. Bennett

Carla Stensland

Kim Barker

Logan Kahler 1

Logan Kahler 2

Mike Vest

Stephanie Kim

Cathie Raley 1

Cathie Raley 2

SKY!

SKY! What a great theme! I don’t think SKY takes much explanation. It is that thing above us. Sometimes blue. Sometimes black. Sometimes red or orange or pink. Sometimes there are clouds in it. Sometimes there aren’t clouds in it. Sometimes there are planes in it. Sometimes there isn’t.

I would argue that you shouldn’t just look straight up and take a picture. There is nothing wrong with that. But I would challenge you to look for something else to put in your picture. It could be the SKY reflecting off of something else. A window. A puddle. Your favorite pair of sunglasses. Or you could change your perspective, so that the SKY is a powerful background for another subject.

As always, I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

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.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

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

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 sky high Monday!

Art, Brandon, Christianity, Elainie, Event, History, Iowa State, Johnathan, Logan, Nader, Politics, Weddings

September 2007 – Misc.

July 22, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

Here are a few images from a selection of folders from the month of September 2007.

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve some night photography!

Animals, Boone County Fair, Candid Portrait, Naima, Scottie D., WPC - Alternate

The More It Shows You Really Care, Right? Yeah, Yeah!

July 20, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

These SAD pictures didn’t have what it takes for the SAD theme for the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

If only these pictures believed in themselves. Who knows what they could accomplish!

Bethany, Candid Portrait, Dae Hee, Nora, Photo Journal

A PHOTO JOURNAL – HENRY CARROLL – PAGE 12

July 19, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

On the way back to Minnesota from Kansas, Bethany, Dae Hee, and Nora stopped by my place for some respite. While they were there, I was able to take this picture of Nora sleeping while Dae Hee and I watched DUEL.

I considered it a perfect fit Page 12 of the THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT.

How are you feeling? Communicate with light.

The next time we catch up with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT, it might involve a stop I might not normally make.

Bethany, Flowers, Macro, Nora, Photoshop, WPC - Alternate

The More You Suffer

July 18, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

These FLOWER pictures didn’t have what it takes to make the cut for the FLOWER theme of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

No telling what these pictures could accomplish if they only believed in themselves!

Animals, Baby Got Rack, Black & White, Contests, Dad, Nature, Photoshop, Railroad, Vest

You CAN Call it a Comeback

July 17, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 15 Comments

I can officially announce now that I have unretired from “competing” in photography contests.

For the first time in a couple years I entered photos in the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. I will have one photo displayed at the Iowa State Fair. Don’t ask me which one, because I don’t know and I’m not even sure I remember what I entered at this point. Seems like a long time ago.

However, I was inspired by Baby Got Rack competing in the barbecue contest at the Boone County Fair, I decided to enter some photos in the Open Class at that same fair. Here is what I entered:

Ionized Gas

Peas Creek

Capra

Ledges Reflection

Cole School

Each image got a Blue Ribbon. It had been approximately 15 years since the last time I entered the Boone County Fair. Seemed like it was about time and I owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Vest for getting the pictures mounted so I had something to enter.

However, that isn’t all. Here is where it gets exciting! I’ve decided to keep all this participation momentum going and enter the Pufferbilly Days Contest for the first time in maybe at least 7 or 8 years.

I’m also going to bring back the way I used to pick my Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest Photos. That means I’m not going to pick at all. I’m going to let 6 lucky Photography 139 fans pick the images.

At some point later this week, I’m going to publish the following photo on Instagram:

Picture of the 1385 taken by my Dad

When that photo gets posted, the first 6 people that leave a comment on that photo stating that they want to be a Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest Selector, will get there wish and be just that. They will have access to about 50 images and the picture they pick, I will enter.

If I can’t find 6 people that want to be selectors, well we will fall through that bridge when we get to it.

Boone County Fair, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Kim, Linda, Maven, Sara, Shannon, Steph, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 96 – SAD

July 17, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

It is SAD. Participation rates took a bit of a dip with SAD. Maybe it is because it was 112 degrees in the shade in central Iowa last week. Maybe it was because people struggled to get in the mindset of SAD this week. Maybe people were just busy. I don’t know. But I do know one thing…

You didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came here to see the submissions for SAD:

Linda Bennett

Shannon Bardole

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Christopher D. Bennett

Stephanie Kim 1

Stephanie Kim 2

Sara Lockner

Mike Vest

Michelle Haupt 1

Michelle Haupt 2

A solid week of submissions!

THE STREETS!

THE STREETS! What a great theme! Some of you know about THE STREETS. People like me that grew up indigent know all about THE STREETS. Some of us even know the Rules of THE STREET(S). You open you mouth, you pay the price. But what does this theme mean? It is my call to you to attempt street photography. What is street photography, you may ask… which is good, because I have the answer:

Street photography is a type of photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places. Street photographs are mirror images of society, displaying “unmanipulated” scenes, with usually unaware subjects.”

Well that sounds simple enough. Get in touch with your inner voyeur and hit THE STREETS!

I have a feeling this is going to go well!

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.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

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

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 streeteque Monday!