Category Archives: Family

Animals, Art, Black & White, Flowers, Naima, Nature, Ruins, Travel

The Canvas Wall

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The 9 Emotions Project Wall is no more. The 9 16×20 photos are gone. Technically they are stacked in the guest bedroom until I figure out what I’m going to do them.

I’ve replaced them with 9 16×20 canvases to diversify the pictures on my wall and I have this theory that they will be easier to dust. Or at least easier to put out the lie that I dust.

These are the 9 new photos you will see the next time you come visit the Photography 139 Studio:


Canvas No. 1

Canvas No. 2

Canvas No. 3

Canvas No. 4

Canvas No. 5

Canvas No. 6

Canvas No. 7

Canvas No. 8

Canvas No. 9

Right now the 20×30 9 Emotion picture is still up, but that is going to come down sometime soon. I just need to figure out if I’m going to use that space for a giant canvas, or if I’m going to break that spot up with a few more 16x20s. I guess we’ll see what the future holds.

Angie, Bethany, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Kim, Nora, Steph, Suzie, Vest, WPC, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 71 – HAPPY

Not a ton of submissions for HAPPY this week. This makes me sad, how little happiness was out there this week.

But you don’t want to listen to me talk all tommyrot about happiness. You want to see the submissions for HAPPY!


WEEK 71 - HAPPY - SUZIE BRANNEN
Suzie Brannen

WEEK 71 - HAPPY - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 71 - HAPPY - STEPHANIE KIM
Stephanie Kim

WEEK 71 - HAPPY - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard

WEEK 71 - HAPPY - MIKE VEST 1
Mike Vest 1

WEEK 71 - HAPPY - MIKE VEST 2
Mike Vest 2

WEEK 71 - HAPPY - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

Sorry it was late this week. This morning was like getting kicked in the face. Helped up. Then kicked in the balls. But I digress.

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:


WEEK 72 - RELIGION
RELIGION!

This should be an easy one. Everybody has one, whether they want to admit it or not. I know a guy who’s RELIGION is conspiracy theories. I know a guy who’s RELIGION is the Green Bay Packers. I think I know lots of people who worship at the idol of Facebook “Likes”. If you’re thinking of a more traditional RELIGION, there is one pastor that subscribes to this blog and another that is a youth pastor. Maybe you are going to Winter Jam on Friday. Maybe you live a few blocks from a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque. Get out there and have a religious experience of some kind.

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.

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 religious Monday!

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

Selfie Project of 2017

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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):


Selfie Project - December 31, 2016
Day 0

Selfie Project - January 1
Day 1

Selfie Project - January 2
Day 2

Selfie Project - January 3
Day 3

Selfie Project - January 4
Day 4

Selfie Project - January 5
Day 5

Selfie Project - January 6
Day 6

Selfie Project - January 7
Day 7

Selfie Project - January 8
Day 8

Selfie Project - January 9
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!

Bill, Cathie, Kim, Naima, Shannon, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 69 – MIRROR

MIRROR. Not an easy theme. But a few hearty souls got out there and took some photos. This week’s theme is quite a bit easier. Hopefully we’ll have a big wave of submissions.

But you don’t want to hear me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You want to see the submissions. Here are the submissions for MIRROR:


WEEK 69 - MIRROR - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 69 - MIRROR - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth

WEEK 69 - MIRROR - SHANNON BARDOLE
Shannon Bardole

WEEK 69 - MIRROR - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 69 - MIRROR - CATHIE RALEY 1
Cathie Raley 1

WEEK 69 - MIRROR - CATHIE RALEY 2
Cathie Raley 2

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:


WEEK 70 - ART
ART!

Whoa! Is that a picture of Christopher D. Bennett’s controversial “Blue Steel”? Yes it is! The classics never die. Which raises the question? What is art? It is kind of like how Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart described pornography: “I know it when I see it.” So look around your house or your community for ART. Go to a museum. A sculpture garden. A concert. A church. ART. You’ll know it when you see it.

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.

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 arty Monday.

Baier, Bill, Jesse, Jorge, Michelle, Nader, Naima, Self-Portrait Project

The Failed Selfie Project of 2016

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Back at the beginning of 2016, I had this dream of taking a selfie every day to document that growth of one awesome beard. Well. I made it a few days into April.

As I’m going to rekindle this project for 2017, thought I’d look back at my favorite photos from that failed project.


December 31, 2015

January 1, 2016

January 2, 2016

January 6, 2016

January 9, 2016

January 10, 2016

January 12, 2016

January 16, 2016

January 17, 2016

January 21, 2016

January 24, 2016

January 29, 2016

January 30, 2016

February 1, 2016

February 3, 2016

February 8, 2016

February 9, 2010

February 10, 2016









































Hopefully I can make it later than April in 2017 before I shave the beard. But I am at the mercy of whether or not I have a birthday party in 2017 and what I do for the invitation. I guess it is a waiting game.

Alisa, Anders, Angie, Baier, Becky, Bethany, Bill, Blogging, Brooke, Carla, Cathie, Cousin Amy, Dae Hee, Dawn, Derrick, Dustin, Eric, Faust, Flat Earth Joe, Funk, Geri, Holidays, Houlihan, Jay, Jeff Daniel, Jen, Jesse, Jill, Jodie, Joe Duff, Jorge, Kim, Laura, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Nader, Pastor Sarah, Russell, Sara, Scottie D., Shannon, Shawn Lockner, Steph, Suzie, Teresa, Vest, Willy

To a Great 2017!

Pretend like I published this on January 1, just like I meant to do.

It is that day at Photography 139 Headquarters where we take down our old Photography 139 Calendar and put it in the trunk with many of the other remnants of our past.


We like to think that 2016 was a successful year for Photography 139 and I’d like to thank everybody that was responsible for making it appear so.

So to my list of email blog subscribers…

Jay Janson
Jason Baier
Shannon Bardole
Scott Degeneffe
Corey Faust
Susanna Funk
Jill Gorshe
Jesse Howard
Sara Lockner
Teresa Kahler
Nader Parsaei
Becky Perkovich
Bernice Verhoorn
Suzie Brannen
Eric Hiatt
Kim Barker
Cousin Amy
Russell Kennerly
Tim Tuck
Tim Tucker’s Lady Friend
Michelle Haupt
Geri Derner
Micky Augustin
Angie DeWaard
Mike Vest
DaeHee Yoon
Monica Henning
Sarah Karber
Carla Stensland
Laura Miller
Joseph Lynch
Jorge Rios
Anders Runestad
Laura Miller
Michael Houlihan
Dawn Krause
Joe Duff
Derrick Gorshe
Dustin Jackson
Bethany Miller
Logan Kahler
Elizabeth Nordeen
Nicole Nickens
Corinna
Jeff Daniel
Stephanie Kim
Bob Person
Melissa Degeneffe
Willy MacAlpine
Janice Peterson
Jessica Potts
Steve Junck
Shawn Lockner
Brooke Milligan
Cathie Raley
Paul Golden
Linda Toot
Jodie Bennett
Dan Pottratz
Alisa Baker
Cassandra Chadwick

Thanks for a great 2016! Of course, I’ll try to do better in 2017. Hopefully our little family will continue to grow in the new year!

Animals, Art, Flowers, Mom, Naima, Ruins

Instagram Year in Review

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