Category Archives: Becky

Automobiles, Becky, Black & White, Carla, Dawn, Kim, Micky, Road Trip, Ruins, Shannon, Steph, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 59 – ROAD TRIP

October 31, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

ROAD TRIP saw some of the regulars drop out, but the ones that did participate went all in. But you don’t want to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You just want to see the submissions.

Here they are:

Becky Perkovich 1

Becky Perkovich 2

Becky Perkovich 3

Becky Perkovich 4

Carla Stensland 1

Carla Stensland 2

Carla Stensland 3

Carla Stensland 4

Carla Stensland 5

Carla Stensland 6

Mike Vest 1

Mike Vest 2

Shannon Bardole

Stephanie Kim

Team Augustin

Kim Barker

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler 1

Teresa Kahler 2

Teresa Kahler 3

Teresa Kahler 4

Dawn Krause

A healthy and diverse collection of submissions. Something to think about. This is the second time a picture of Pete Kostelnick (Boone native, Iowa State Graduate, and World Record Holder) has appeared in a WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE submission. Once when he was running through Boone. Now again when was finishing his world record trek across the United States in New York City. Do you think he will show up again? Yeah, I kind of doubt it too.

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:

LANDSCAPE!

LANDSCAPE is something I personally sometimes struggle with in my photography. At least I feel that I do. Not to the level where I struggle in my faith that God loves murderers and child molesters and rapists just as much as me. But it is a struggle nonetheless. Did it just get dark in here? I feel like maybe it just got dark in here…

But what is LANDSCAPE?

all the visible features of an area of countryside or land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.

That seems like a fair definition. However, for our sake. Feel free to consider cityscapes or waterscapes. I know a guy that LOVES cityscapes. He works in a booming metropolis. He gets infinite PTO and he doesn’t allow his underlings to listen to Bachman Turner Overdrive. Maybe he will finally throw his hat into the ring with a lovely cityscape taken on his lunch break. We’ll see.

As always… feel free to interpret the theme however, you see fit.

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.

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 open landscapey Monday.

Angie, Becky, Bill, Cathie, Dawn, Kim, Michelle, Micky, Pastor Sarah, Running, Shannon, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 56 – CHILDREN

October 10, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

Maybe there was a slight dip this week, but that was to be expected, since CHILDREN are so very, very creepy. I mean, we’ve all seen the groundbreaking documentary CHILDREN OF THE CORN. We know what they’re capable of doing. Don’t get me started on the companion documentary VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED!

But I could stand here and talk all tommyrot about CHILDREN. You just want to see the images:

Angie DeWaard 1

Angie DeWaard 2

Bill Wentworth

Dawn Krause 1

Dawn Krause 2

Kim Barker

Michelle Haupt

Sarah Karber

Stephanie Kim

Cathie Raley 1

Cathie Raley 2

Shannon Bardole

Becky Perkovich

Robyn Augustin

Christopher D. Bennett

Still a very healthy number of submissions though! Including a submission for first time from Robyn Augustin! Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the cold months. That is when participation really starts to take a hit. Prepare yourself, winter is coming.

HANDMADE!

I’m not sure HANDMADE needs much explanation. It was something that was made by hands. So if a robot made it, it is out. Unless that robot has hands. Then it is in! Things that might qualify would be paintings, things that are cooked, things that are knitted, things that are crocheted, things that are crafted… I mean the list is almost limitless.

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.

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 handy Monday!

Angie, Becky, Bill, Cathie, Dawn, Evie, Kim, Michelle, Shannon, Steph, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 55 – SIGNS

October 3, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

SIGNS is actually one of my favorite themes for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I am pleased to see that it lit the creative fires of several other people as well.

But you don’t want to listen to me talk all tommyrot about SIGNS. You want to see the submissions. Here they are:

Bill Wentworth

Dawn Krause

Angie DeWaard

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Cathie Raley

Teresa Kahler 1

Teresa Kahler 2

Teresa Kahler 3

Teresa Kahler 4

Corinna Keen

Stephanie Kim

Becky Perkovich

Michelle Haupt

Shannon Bardole

Christopher D. Bennett

Mike Vest

I should add that I’m 99% sure that this was the first submission from Corinna! I’m expecting big, big things from her in the future!

CHILDREN!

I don’t know that I need to get into a fancy definition of CHILDREN. You know one when you see them. They are little humans. They are here to replace us. Many of you have one or two or more. Nearly everybody has access to a child or two or more. However, don’t feel constrained to hold yourself to think of this as having to take a picture of CHILDREN. There are a million things that show the existence of CHILDREN in our world. From playgrounds to toys to car seats to schools. There are also CHILDREN of all ages. So be creative with the theme and as always, feel free to define it how you see fit.

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.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

If you want to see all the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE images for the new cycle, they are located in a new gallery. View them by clicking on the link below:

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE YEAR 4

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 childish Monday!

Becky, Carla, Cathie, Kim, Micky, Shannon, Steph, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 54 – OLD

September 26, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

The week’s theme triggered an interesting and solid week of submissions.

Here are the submissions for OLD:

Shannon Bardole

Becky Perkovich

Stephanie Kim

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Kim Barker 3

Christopher D. Bennett

Michael Augustin

Cathie Raley 1

Cathie Raley 2

Cathie Raley 3

Cathie Raley 4

Carla Stensland 1

Carla Stensland 2

Carla Stensland 3

Mike Vest

Dawn Krause 1

Dawn Krause 2

A good, healthy week of submissions!

SIGNS!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind. Do this. Don’t do that. Can’t you read the sign? There are signs everywhere. Telling us what to do. Telling us what to buy. Telling us what to think. Telling us how to vote. Telling us what to wear. Telling us where to go. Telling us to wash our hands. Some are new. Some are old. Some are filled with buckshot. But signs with words on them are not the only kind of signs out there. Much communication is done through nonverbal signs. Some believe that God give us signs to help us along our life’s journey. As always, feel free to define signs any way you see fit.

Just get out there and find a sign that speaks to you.

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

We are pleased to announce that Linda Toot is the latest person to display, taste, class, and sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. Linda is my aunt on my Dad’s side of the family. While she was raised in Boone/Jordan her life adventure settled her into Easton, Kansas. This makes the 3rd or 4th subscriber (I need to check my records) residing in the Sunflower State. Making the Photography 139 empires presence strong there. If I were to check the heat map, I believe Kansas now ranks 3rd behind Iowa and Minnesota for Photography 139 subscribers. If you see Linda out and about walking the mean streets of Easton, feel free to give her a knowing glance and show her the Super Secret Photography 139 Handshake.

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise (thinking of you eastern Iowa), we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a Monday filled with signs!

Angie, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Kim, Mom, Shannon, Steph, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 53 – BODY PART

September 19, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett

A new year. Well, a new 52 weeks. I’m excited for what this new year will bring. But you don’t want to listen to me talk all tommyrot about my aspirations for the next 52 weeks. You just want to see the submissions.

Here are the submissions for BODY PART:

Bill Wentworth 1

Bill Wentworth 2

Bill Wentworth 3

Shannon Bardole

Angie DeWaard

Dawn Krause 1

Dawn Krause 2

Dawn Krause 3

Christopher D. Bennett

Mike Vest 1

Mike Vest 2

Becky Perkovich

Stephanie Kim

Kim Baldus 1

Kim Baldus 2

Carla Stensland 1

Carla Stensland 2

Cathie Raley 1

Cathie Raley 2

Cathie Raley 3

A good, healthy week of submissions!

OLD!

I’m running behind, so I don’t have a tremendous amount of time to be witty about OLD. You know OLD when you see it.

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

We are pleased to announce Paul Golden is the latest person to display taste, class, and sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. Paul plays a mean baritone and sings with one as well. By virtue of being in Connecticut, he is the farthest east of any Photography 139 email subscriber. The empire has grown! So if you see Paul out walking the mean streets of Connecticut, feel free to give him a knowing glance and if you have the inclination, show him the Super Secret Photography 139 Handshake.

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 olden times Monday!

Angie, Becky, Black & White, Dawn, Kim, Macro, Micky, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Steph, Still Life, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 50 – MACRO

August 29, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Lots and lots of up close and personal submissions for MACRO this week.

Don’t take my word for it, have a look:

Angie DeWaard 1

Angie DeWaard 2

Micky Augustin

Kim Barker

Sarah Karber

Stephanie Kim 1

Stephanie Kim 2

Teresa Kahler 1

Teresa Kahler 2

Teresa Kahler 3

Becky Perkovich

Dawn Krause

Shannon Bardole

Mike Vest

Christopher D. Bennett

ROAD TRIP!

What a perfect excuse for loading up your favorite cooler with a six pack of be… soda… and hit the open road! Of course, maybe your schedule this week doesn’t allow for you to actually hit the open road. That’s no excuse Nancy! A wide assortment of photos can be taken that suggest a road trip. From maps, to your car, to your favorite tunes, to that bag of Funyuns you have to buy or it isn’t an official road trip. Just think about it and record and image that says ROAD TRIP to you. After all, you are free to translate the theme any way you want.

WARNING!!!

Remember that next Monday is Labor Day. While the government, your bank, and even the Computer Mine takes that day off, Photography 139 doesn’t. Plan your submissions accordingly!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 ANNOUNCEMENT DIVISION

A quick heads up that next Monday I will be revealing the 52 themes for the next 52 weeks of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. In the comments section below is the last chance for you to have any input.

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

Nobody this week showed class, taste or sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 Email Subscription. I’ll try to 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 an open road kinda Monday.

Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Dawn, Kim, Naima, Shannon, Steph, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 49 – REFLECTIONS

August 22, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

I have to confess, I was a little worried about this week. As I crawled out of bed this morning to head to the Computer Mine, I had only received 1 submission in my email inbox. Despite one person telling me at the State Fair that they had just taken their picture and another person messaging me to ask me if a certain subject met the criteria of the theme.

SPOILER ALERT:

Every time you ask me that question, my response is going to be: “Define the theme any way you see fit.”

I mean yes, if you just send me a picture every week of your kid, dog, cat, chinchilla, iguana, ’64 Impala, Uncle Art… I’m eventually going to call poppycock on your “interpretations” of the theme. However, if your subject makes sense to you. It makes sense to me. I’m not going to question it.

But I digress.

The good news is that my worries were for naught, as REFLECTIONS submissions flooded my inbox this morning. Including 2 first time submitters in Debra Krause and Scott Krause. A brother-sister tandem that hails from Boone, Iowa. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of their submitting ways.

But I could stand here and talk tommyrot about this morning, or I could show you the submissions. I know you guys love tommyrot, but here are the submissions:

Angie DeWaard

Mike Vest

Christopher D. Bennett

Stephanie Kim 1

Stephanie Kim 2

Debra Krause 1

Debra Krause 2

Dawn Krause 1

Dawn Krause 2

Dawn Krause 3

Dawn Krause 4

Kim Barker

Scott Krause 1

Scott Krause 2

Becky Perkovich

Bill Wentworth

Shannon Bardole

Macro!

But what is this MACRO you speak of? Is it pictures of carrots?

No, that’d be crazy! (Picks up a pencil and writes down CARROTS as a theme for the next 52 weeks.) There is a terribly sterile definition of MACRO that involves a 1:1 ratio of subject to 35mm film and you don’t want to hear it and while I want to tell you about it, I’ll restrain myself and define MACRO like this:

MACRO photography is all about getting up into something/sombebody’s grill and telling it “I’m here. I’m up in your grill. I’m not backing down. I’m taking your picture.”

Another way to look at it is that MACRO photography is close-up photography.

But as always, feel free to define the theme anyways you want.

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

Nobody this week showed class, taste or sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 Email Subscription. I’ll try to 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 no-personal-space kinda Monday.

Becky, Bill, Carla, Jesse, Kim, Sara, Shannon, Steph, Still Life, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 46 – ART

August 1, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 9 Comments

A few of the regulars were missing this week, but there were still plenty of submissions for ART!

The submissions for ART:

Bill Wentworth

Carla Stensland 1

Carla Stensland 2

Stephanie Kim 1

Stephanie Kim 2

Stephanie Kim 3

Shannon Bardole

Christopher D. Bennett

Sara Lockner

Becky Perkovich

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Kim Barker 3

Another solid week of submissions! I feel like this little project is starting to gain some steam. I know that there somebody out there that badly wanted this to return should start submitting soon, now that she is done with school. Hint-hint!

ARCHITECTURE!

But what is this ARCHITECTURE you speak of? According to Wikipedia:

“Architecture” can mean:

+ A general term to describe buildings and other physical structures.[3]
+ The art and science of designing buildings and (some) nonbuilding structures.[3]
+ The style of design and method of construction of buildings and other physical structures.[3]
+ Knowledge of art, science, technology and humanity.[3]
+ The practice of the architect, where architecture means offering or rendering professional services in connection with the design and construction of buildings, or built environments.[4]
+ The design activity of the architect,[3] from the macro-level (urban design, landscape architecture) to the micro-level (construction details and furniture).

For our purposes, I’d say that you should go out and find a building, a staircase, a bridge, a road, or something that was built by humans (or ancient aliens) that is interesting. Or at least take an interesting photograph of such a structure. However. As always. Define the theme any way that you want.

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

This was a big week for the PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION. Thanks to Sara Lockner*, (PHOTOGRAPHY 139 STAR OF THE WEEK) not one, not two, but three people showed their class, taste, and sophistication by becoming Photography 139 email subscribers. So if you see Shawn walking the mean streets of Johnston or Steve and Jessica walking the mean streets of Burnsville, Minnesota feel free to give them a knowing glance and feel free to show them the super-secret Photography 139 handshake.

Because my day job lunch hour is growing short, I won’t going into much details about these great, grand, and wonderful people. It is enough to say that Shawn is married to Sara, so he is a winner at life. Steve is a Cyclone and I hope he joins us for a tailgate this Fall. Jessica is a leather artist of some note as well. Maybe she is a future submitter to the WEEKLY PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE!?!?

This means that I believe there are now 5 married couples that are Photography 139 email subscribers. This also makes 4 Photography 139 email subscribers in Burnsville, Minnesota and 3 Photography 139 email subscribers in Johnston, Iowa. For those of you checking your Photography 139 Heat Maps. Those towns are on fire!

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 architectural Monday.

*First trip to that taco bar is on me!

Angie, Becky, Carla, Flowers, Kim, Shannon, Steph, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 45 – FLOWER

July 25, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 12 Comments

There was a tremendous reaction to FLOWER. Lots of participation! How exciting!

The submissions for FLOWER:

Angie DeWaard 1

Angie DeWaard 2

Carla Stensland 1

Carla Stensland 2

Carla Stensland 3

Carla Stensland 4

Carla Stensland 5

Shannon Bardole

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Mike Vest 1

Mike Vest 2

Christopher D. Bennett

Becky Perkovich

Stephanie Kim

Another solid week of submissions!

ART!

What is ART? I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.

Get out there and get a picture of your favorite sculpture or mural or stained glass window. Take a picture of somebody creating art. Somebody doing art. Something that is used to make art. Make you are arrogant enough to think any time you click the shutter release you make ART. I’m not here to judge. As always, though define the theme any way that you want. Maybe you know a guy named Art, I wish I did.

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. Nobody new has displayed their class, taste, and sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try to do better next week.

That’s all I got, 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 artistic Monday.

Angie, Becky, Carla, Kim, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Steph, Still Life, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 44 – SMOKE

July 18, 2016 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

I was worried that this wouldn’t be a very popular theme, but it actually has garnered quite the response. How exciting! Looks like this theme will make the cut for next year’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

If you want to have your voice heard about next year’s themes, I’d advise you to start commenting in the COMMENTS section below. It wouldn’t hurt to read the COMMENTS section from last week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Ignore the stuff about what Shannon should change her last name to after she gets married. It is Fauxdole. Debate over.

Here are the submissions for SMOKE:

Carla Stensland

Monica Kewer

Christopher D. Bennett

Sarah Karber

Angie DeWaard

Becky Perkovich

Kim Barker 1

Kim Barker 2

Mike Vest 1

Mike Vest 2

For the last submission, the photographer wished to add a disclaimer. Normally I say that art should just stand on its own. However, because of the nature of the image, I’m allowing it.

Quick note: I happened to be visiting a friend in a state with legal recreational marijuana laws when the smoke theme was announced. Attempts for an artsy picture failed but I am happy to share a little window into what this situation “looks” like — different, tested, regulated strains with varied intentions/side effects; medicine-like packaging; clear labels that includes warnings and information. It’s so far advanced from your average college-stoned-and-stupid experience and heavy taxes (25% in OR) can be applied to various important government funding. I recommend for folks to at least visit a dispensary to see what the future holds.

Stephanie Kim

Stephanie did ask about what was considered inappropriate subject matter for the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. There isn’t really anything. Just don’t send me anything illegal. If you catch what I’m saying. By illegal… I mean. Starts with a C and ends with a Y. Two words. You’ll figure it out. Other than that, almost anything is fair game.

FLOWER!

I told you that this week’s theme would be easy. Hopefully it will be easy enough that a couple of dudes might contribute again. Mondays are beginning to feel like lady’s night here at Photography 139. Nothing wrong with that. I’m just disappointed in my gender.

EDITOR’S NOTE: At the buzzer Vest submitted a photo. Dudes didn’t get shut out.

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. Nobody new has displayed their class, taste, and sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try to do better next week.

That’s all I got, 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 flowery Monday.