Category Archives: Joe Duff

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Railroad, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 390 – STORE

March 6, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

STORE! Everybody goes to them. Maybe not as much as they did before the pandemic, but you still have to go to them, unless you get everything delivered. Which I don’t think any of you do. I don’t have any friends that are that rich. Or do I?

But many people make it to a STORE to take a picture? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 27, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 1 week
4-Sarah Karber – 2 weeks
5-Mindi Terrell – 2 weeks (2)
6-Willy McAlpine – 3 weeks
7-Suzie Brannen – 6 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 6 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 6 weeks (2)
10-Nathanial Brown – 7 weeks (2)
11-Mike Vest – 7 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
13-Brandon Kahler – 27 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 31 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 32 weeks (3)
16-Angie DeWaard – 36 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 40 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 45 weeks (2)
19-Joe Duff – 47 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 4 8weeks
21-Teresa Kahler – 58 weeks
22-Carla Stensland – 58 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 60 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 61 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 62 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 66 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 67 weeks (2)
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 69 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 71 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 8 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 18 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 28 weeks

Linda Bennett (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (New York) – 33 weeks

Sarah Toot (New Jersey)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 46 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 48 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 49 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Illinois) – 62 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 63 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nassau Bahamas) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa) – 494 weeks

27 participants this week. That is a great week. A slight dip from the last couple of weeks. Maybe there aren’t as many slaves to consumerism out there as I had thought. Which is a good thing… we’ll count it as a good thing.

The good news is that there were 3 new states added to the map this week! New York (Sarah Toot), New Jersey (Sarah Toot again), and Illinois (Andy). That means that all the states that surround Iowa have had a submission taken in them except for South Dakota. But I’m sure we’ll get there. I see you South Dakota.

Also, Cathie added our 2nd submission taken from outside the United States with Nassau Bahamas.

There were submission this week taken in the following locations:

+ Arkansas
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Nassau Bahamas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

16 states! That is pretty impressive!

The Outside of the United States map is now:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Nassau Bahamas

I took my picture about 2.5 miles from my front door. I know. Big time traveler this guy!

I think this map might grow again next week. A little birdie tells me that a certain regular contributor is going to Arizona this week and maybe Mexico, if they have the guts.

There were no big time milestones this week. Unfortunately there was a bit of a blood bath on the streaks front though. Jen and Mary couldn’t extend their submission last week into a streak. Sarah Karber’s streak went down in flames after 2 weeks. Willy’s 3 week is now as existent as his desire to show up for work.

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:

SUNRISE, SUNSET

SUNRISE, SUNSET! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

It has been a few years since I’ve used SUNRISE, SUNSET for a theme. I was told it wasn’t a fair theme because people with children could not do it. I don’t know I bought it, but I don’t know. Maybe it is true. Either way, I put the theme on the sidelines.

I brought it back this year because it is the Special Theme Class for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Rather than writing up my own description, I thought I should just lift it straight from the Iowa State Fair.

“The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy.”
– Henry Ward Beecher

Next year’s theme is a bright one that our world literally revolves around. The Sun is something that we as photographers like to photograph quite often, because it offers a multitude of creativity. In fact, we call the sunset the golden hours because of opportunities it presents to capture the perfect photograph.

Your assignment, however, is to not just shoot the sun, but to shoot it in a way that we have never seen before. While the sun must be the main subject, it shouldn’t be the only subject of your photograph. Ask yourself, what is making the Sun so interesting in the moment? What can you do to photograph the Sun to tell a story of what is happening in that moment?

This assignment will also give you the opportunity to play with shadows and light and all the many colors that the sunrises or sunsets can provide. Look for the dramatic contrasts that can occur when the Sun is providing the light for your photographs.

I’ll just add a couple more things.

#1. Putting objects between you and the sunset can make or break a SUNRISE, SUNSET picture. Choose wisely.
#2. A SUNRISE, SUNSET picture doesn’t have to be of the sun. Maybe for the Iowa State Fair, but not for our purposes. You can also turn around take a picture that is lit by a SUNRISE or SUNSET. A reflection of a SUNRISE or SUNSET can make a fantastic picture.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of SUNRISE, SUNSET in this place that is still in its sunrise phase next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Music, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Travel, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 389 – MUSIC

February 27, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is open to photographers of all skill levels. From award winning photographers to professionals to the highly ranked amateurs to those that are just beginning to those who don’t even know how to focus a camera. All skill levels are encouraged and welcome. You can’t be too bad and you can’t be too good! Everyone has room to learn and be challenged!

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 5 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
No.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that start to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough to me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their largest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

+++++++

MUSIC! Did you know that there are people in the world that don’t like MUSIC? They are called bad people. But were there a lot of good people out there that submitted picture of MUSIC? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Scott Degeneffe – 1 week
2-Sarah Karber – 1 week
3-Mindi Terrell – 1 week (3)
4-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
5-Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
6-Suzie Brannen – 5 weeks
7-Sabas Hernandez – 5 weeks
8-Jesse Howard – 5 weeks
9-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks
10-Nathanial Brown – 6 weeks (3)
11-Mike Vest – 6 weeks
12-Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks (2)
13-Brandon Kahler – 26 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 30 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 31 weeks
16-Angie DeWaard – 35 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 39 weeks
18-Kim Barker – 44 weeks
19-Joe Duff – 46 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 47 weeks (3)
21-Teresa Kahler – 57 weeks (2)
22-Carla Stensland – 57 weeks (3)
23-Micky Augustin – 59 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 60 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 61 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 64 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 66 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 67 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 69 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada) – 45 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 62 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nevada) – 65 weeks

Cathie Morton (Nevada)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 58 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 47 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 31 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 48 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Sarah Karber (Minnesota) – 2 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 32 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nevada) – 67 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Nevada)

Christopher D. Bennett (Nevada)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 68 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 6 weeks

30 participants for the 2nd week in a row! I’m pretty excited about that!

I got an email after the books submission that (this is me paraphrasing) that said that they loved the BOOKS theme because after they saw that books that other people owned they felt an instant kinship with some other people. I thought something like that might happen again with MUSIC. I’m not sure it will, but maybe it will.

This week we had our first submission of the year from Mary Green. At least I think. I wouldn’t swear to it in a court of law.

This week we had submissions taken in the following states:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nevada
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

It is weird that my picture and Cathie’s and Elizabeth’s and Kim’s pictures were all taken in Nevada. It is almost like we were all in Las Vegas together for some reason.

This is my first submission taken outside of Iowa this year. My picture was taken 1,441 miles from my front door. By car.

No new states added this week. Here is the current calendar year list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

The Outside of the United State map stays at:

+ British Virgin Islands

But I think one of these maps might extend next week. A little birdie tells me somebody is going on a cruise at the end of this week.

There were no big milestones this week. Except all 3 Sara(h)s did contribute. Which I always like to see.

It wasn’t all sunshine and face melting guitar riffs this week. Three streaks did go poof! Scott’s streak ended before it even became a streak. Becky’s 4 week streak is gone. Sabas’ 5 week streak is also gone.

STORE

STORE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE?

But what is a STORE image? It is simply an image of a STORE or taken inside of a STORE. There are all kinds of STORE(s) out there. From department to convenience to junk to antique to book to music to grocery to dollar to a little kids lemonade stand. Of course, there is more than one definition of the word STORE.

While considering possible subject for your STORE submission, meditate on the following quote and you will no doubt come up with a great idea:

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of STORE in this place that is technically a commerce site next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Event, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Pastor Sarah, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 388 – FRAME

February 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

FRAME! Seemed like a good challenging theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! But was it popular? Did it fire up the creative juices of many people? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
2-Myriah Sharp – 1 week
3-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
4-Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
5-Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks
6-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
7-Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
8-Monica Jennings – 4 weeks
9-Nathanial Brown – 5 weeks (3)
10-Mike Vest – 5 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 15 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 25 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 29 weeks
14-Sarah Toot – 30 weeks
15-Angie DeWaard – 34 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 38 weeks (2)
17-Kim Barker – 43 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 45 weeks (2)
19-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
20-Teresa Kahler – 56 weeks (2)
21-Carla Stensland – 56 weeks
22-Micky Augustin – 58 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 59 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 60 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 64 weeks
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 65 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 68 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Wisconsin) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 1 week

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 61 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 46 weeks

Sarah Karber (Minnesota) – 1 week

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 30 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Sarah Toot (Florida) – 31 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 16 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 66 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 4 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 26 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Oklahoma)

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 5 weeks

30 participants! That is a great week! That is a high for this year! Including submissions from first time participants in Scott Degeneffe and Mindi Terrell. I expect Scott to be something off a one off, but I’m expecting big things in the future from Mindi! Plus we had our first submission this year from Sarah Karber! WooHoo!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in Wisconsin (Scott) and Oklahoma (Nathanial). Nathanial’s one of Nathanial’s pictures was taken in a place that became very famous when it was the site of a very popular Netflix show.

This week we has submissions from:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Oklahoma
+ Nebraska
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

That is a lot of states!

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Oklahoma
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas
+ Wisconsin

13 states. A good start!

The Outside of the United State map stays at:

+ British Virgin Islands

Once again, I didn’t contribute to expanding the map. I took my picture approximately 97 miles from my front door.

The big milestone this week was Brandon. Brandon reached the Half-A-Year Streak Club! Congrats Brandon!

But it wasn’t all good news. 3 streaks bit the dust. Myriah couldn’t extend her streak to 2. Sara Lockner couldn’t extender her streak to 3.
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:

MUSIC

MUSIC! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a MUSIC photo? A MUSIC photo is simply a photo where a major compositional element involves MUSIC. It could be something that is used in the production of MUSIC. Like sheet MUSIC or a MUSICal instrument or a MUSICian or an 8 Track. Anything the aids in the producing of MUSIC is fair game. Might be a great weekend to make it to a concert.

While thinking on possible subjects for your MUSIC picture, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with an amazing MUSIC image:

Without music, life would be a mistake.
-Friedrich Nietszche

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of MUSIC in this place that is music to my eyes next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 387 – PLAY

February 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

PLAY! Seems like a great theme on the surface. But did PLAY trigger people to PLAY with their cameras? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, February 13, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week
3-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
4-Suzie Brannen – 3 weeks
5-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
6-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
7-Monica Jennings – 3 weeks
8-Nathanial Brown – 4 weeks (2)
9-Mike Vest – 4 weeks
10-Tamara Peterson – 14 weeks
11-Brandon Kahler – 24 weeks
12-Linda Bennett – 28 weeks (2)
13-Sarah Toot – 29 weeks
14-Angie DeWaard – 33 weeks (2)
15-Dawn Krause – 37 weeks (3)
16-Kim Barker – 42 weeks
17-Joe Duff – 44 weeks
18-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (2)
19-Teresa Kahler – 55 weeks (3)
20-Carla Stensland – 55 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 57 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 58 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 59 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 63 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 64 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 66 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 68 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 69 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 45 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 60 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 29 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Micky Augustin (Minnesota) – 58 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands) – 30 weeks

Sarah Toot (British Virgin Islands)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 38 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 3 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Kansas)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Myriah Sharp (Iowa) – 1 week

29 participants! A great week!

This week we had our first submission this year taken in the state of Minnesota (Micky) and our first submission this year taken outside of the United States (Sarah)! The map is growing!

This week we had submissions from:

+Arkansas
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Texas

The United States map now includes:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Minnesota
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

11 states. Not too bad!

And there is now an Outside of the United States map that includes:

+ British Virgin Islands

For my part, I took my picture about 3 miles from my front door. I’m still not helping grow the map. Next week I am in Nevada for 5 days with layovers in Colorado. While Nevada is on the map already (and about 4 of the regular contributors will also be in Nevada), Colorado isn’t. So I could theoretically try to grow the map on my layover, but I’m sure I can find a better picture in Las Vegas than I can in the Denver airport. Unless I can find the secret room where the illuminati meet.*

There were no major milestones this week. The only blemish was Jen couldn’t extend her streak from 1 to 2.

FRAME

FRAME! What a great theme for year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! This is a theme that was suggested by Sarah Toot.

But what is a FRAME picture. It is simply an image where the main subject of your photo is FRAME(d) by something else. In the theme reveal, it is literally a FRAME, but in practice it would more likely be something else. Something else blocking in your main subject to draw attention to it. And your subject doesn’t have to be FRAME(d) on all 4 sides. 3 sides or 2 sides also works. Of course, there is more than one definition of FRAME.

While considering possible subjects for your FRAME submission, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will do great work!

If the world could remain within a frame like a painting on the wall, I think we’d see the beauty then and stand staring in awe.
-Conor Oberst

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of FRAME in this place that is a frame of my world next Monday.

*Don’t worry, I don’t really believe that nonsense and I won’t be in the Story County Jail anytime soon.

Andy, Angie, Animals, Becky, Bill, Birthdays, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Jim, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Nora, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 385 – SILENCE

January 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today off by wishing Jim a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Jim! I hope it is filled with all the joy that you desire!

+++++++

It is the last Monday of the month, so it is a good time revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE

What skill level photographer can participate?

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

Suggestions are closed for next year’s list. It will be a minute before they open up for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

+++++++

It is time to break the SILENCE on whether or not SILENCE was a popular theme. For you to find out, you only have to keep scrolling.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 23, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week (2)
2-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
3-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
4-Jesse Howard – 1 week
5-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
6-Nathanial Brown – 2 weeks (3)
7-Mary Green – 2 weeks (2)
8-Monica Jennings – 2 weeks
9-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
10-Mike Vest – 3 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 12 weeks
12-Brandon Kahler – 23 weeks
13-Linda Bennett – 26 weeks (2)
14-Sarah Toot – 27 weeks
15-Angie DeWaard – 31 weeks
16-Dawn Krause – 35 weeks (3)
17-Kim Barker – 41 weeks
18-Joe Duff – 42 weeks
19-Logan Kahler – 44 weeks (3)
20-Teresa Kahler – 53 weeks (3)
21-Carla Stensland – 53 weeks (2)
22-Micky Augustin – 55 weeks
23-Andy Sharp – 56 weeks
24-Bill Wentworth – 57 weeks
25-Cathie Morton – 61 weeks (2)
26-Elizabeth Nordeen – 62 weeks
27-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 64 weeks
28-Kio Dettman – 66 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 57 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 32 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 67 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 27 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 45 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 28 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Georgia) – 65 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 58 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Cathie Morton (Florida) – 62 weeks

Cathie Morton (Florida)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 43 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 3 weeks

26 participants. Not a particularly popular theme. But not bad. SILENCE only silenced creative juices of a few people.

This week we had submissions taken in:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Georgia is a new addition to the map. Making this year’s list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

That is 10 states. 20% of the map. And I haven’t even contributed to the growth of the map at all!

This week I took my pictures about 2 miles from my front door. But Shannon added Georgia to the map!

It wasn’t all good news though. 3 streaks bit the dust today. Jen couldn’t extender her streak to 2. Mary’s streak is no more at 2. As is Sara’s streak.

BOOKS

BOOKS! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a BOOKS image? Simply put, it is any image where the subject or a major compositional element is a BOOK or BOOKS.

While thinking about possible subjects for your BOOKS image, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.
-Jane Austen

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of BOOKS in this place that likes to pretend to be book smart next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Christianity, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 384 – RED

January 23, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

RED. A great color. I don’t know a person who doesn’t look great in cardinal. However, was RED a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Nathanial Brown – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week (2)
3-Monica Jennings – 1 week
4-Sara Lockner – 1 week
5-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
6-Mike Vest – 2 weeks
7-Tamara Peterson – 11 weeks
8-Brandon Kahler – 22 weeks
9-Linda Bennett – 25 weeks (2)
10-Sarah Toot – 26 weeks (4)
11-Angie DeWaard – 30 weeks
12-Dawn Krause – 34 weeks
13-Kim Barker – 40 weeks
14-Joe Duff – 41 weeks
15-Logan Kahler – 43 weeks (3)
16-Teresa Kahler – 52 weeks (2)
17-Carla Stensland – 52 weeks
18-Micky Augustin – 54 weeks
19-Andy Sharp – 55 weeks
20-Bill Wentworth – 56 weeks
21-Cathie Morton – 60 weeks
22-Elizabeth Nordeen – 61 weeks
23-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 63 weeks
24-Kio Dettman – 64 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 31 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 55 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 56 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 57 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 42 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 26 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 44 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 27 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Missouri) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Missouri)

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Florida) – 61 weeks

Cathie Morton (Florida)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 1 week

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 35 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 3 weeks

29 participants! That is an awesome week! The best so far this year!

We had submissions taken in:
+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Florida and Missouri are new additions to the map, Making this year’s list:

+ Arkansas
+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada
+ Missouri
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

That is 9 states. We’ve covered almost 20% of the states!

Once again, I did not help. I took my picture in my living room. But Nathanial and Cathie filled in a couple more states for us!

It wasn’t all good news though. Willy’s couldn’t extend his streak to 2 weeks.

SILENCE

SILENCE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

But what exactly is a SILENCE image? I mean you can make the case that all pictures are in SILENCE, but for this theme I urge you to really search out a place of SILENCE and capture your image there, while not breaking the SILENCE.

While considering a place of SILENCE for you to photograph, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt you will capture a great SILENCE image:

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.
-Mother Teresa

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of SILENCE in this place that’s anything but next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Art, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Flowers, Holidays, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Monica, Nathanial, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 383 – REFLECTION

January 16, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a holiday that celebrates the the great civil rights leader. If you have never had a chance to visit the Civil Rights Museum that is near where he was assassinated in Memphis, I highly recommend it.

I won’t wish you a “Happy” Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but I do hope that you spend some time today learning more about the civil rights struggle in this country. Cause it is very far from over.

+++++++

REFLECTION! A popular photographic technique. But was it a popular WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Mike Vest – 1 week
3-Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
4-Sabas Hernandez – 4 weeks
5-Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
6-Tamara Peterson – 10 weeks
7-Brandon Kahler – 21 weeks
8-Linda Bennett – 24 weeks
9-Sarah Toot – 25 weeks
10-Angie DeWaard – 29 weeks (3)
11-Dawn Krause – 33 weeks
12-Kim Barker – 39 weeks
13-Joe Duff – 40 weeks
14-Logan Kahler – 42 weeks (2)
15-Teresa Kahler – 51 weeks
16-Carla Stensland – 51 weeks (2)
17-Michelle Haupt – 52 weeks
18-Micky Augustin – 53 weeks
19-Andy Sharp – 54 weeks (2)
20-Bill Wentworth – 55 weeks
21-Cathie Morton – 59 weeks
22-Elizabeth Nordeen – 60 weeks
23-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 62 weeks
24-Kio Dettman – 64 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 65 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 25 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 1 week

Sarah Toot (Nevada) – 26 weeks

Sarah Toot (Nevada)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 56 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 30 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 55 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 41 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 22 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 1 week

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 40 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 34 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 63 weeks

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 1 week

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 2 weeks

25 participants! That is another solid week!

We had submissions taken in:
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Texas
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada

Nevada was a new one for this year. Making this year’s list:

+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Arkansas
+ Texas
+ Pennsylvania
+ Nebraska
+ Nevada

I took my picture in my yard. So once again, I didn’t venture very far.

I’m most excited about a newcomer to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Nathanial Brown! He made his first ever submission! Nathanial is one of the most talented photographers I know. He was a judge the last two Pufferbilly Days Photo Contests and he got 3 photos in the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon.

Remember, you don’t have to be as talented or a professional like Nathanial to participate. Just a love for photography.

There were two huge milestones reached this week. Both Teresa and Carla reached the 52 Week Streak Club! Is it a coincidence that they are sisters? Is it a coincidence that they are my sisters?

But it wasn’t all great news. Suzie couldn’t extender her participation into a 2 week streak. Jesse’s 2 week streak is gone. Sabas’ 4 week streak is gone. Becky’s 4 week streak is gone. And Michelle’s 52 week streak is nothing more than a distant memory.

RED

RED! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a RED image?

A RED image is simply an image where the subject or a major compositional element of the image is the color RED. That is simple enough!

While considering possible subjects for your RED image, meditate on the following quote and I’m sure you will come up with a great image:

Red is the ultimate cure for sadness.
-Bill Blass

I look forward to seeing your interpretation of RED!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of RED in this place that’s favorite shade of RED is cardinal next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Nature, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Suzie, Tamara, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 382 – TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES

January 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

It is time to begin the 10th year of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! I’m pumped! Are you pumped? Of course you are pumped? The theme is clearly called TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES, but I had a few people enter under a completely different theme PLANES, TRAINS, & AUTOMOBILES. I decided to accept their submissions because I am super magnanimous!

But the real question is, was TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 2, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Mary Green – 1 week (2)
2-Jesse Howard – 1 week
3-Monica Jennings – 1 week
4-Sarah Karber – 1 week
5-Sara Lockner – 1 week
6-Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks
7-Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
8-Willy McAlpine – 7 weeks
9-Tamara Peterson – 9 weeks
10-Brandon Kahler – 20 weeks
11-Linda Bennett – 23 weeks (3)
12-Sarah Toot – 24 weeks
13-Angie DeWaard – 28 weeks (2)
14-Dawn Krause – 32 weeks
15-Kim Barker – 38 weeks
16-Joe Duff – 39 weeks
17-Logan Kahler – 41 weeks
18-Teresa Kahler – 50 weeks (2)
19-Carla Stensland – 50 weeks (2)
20-Michelle Haupt – 51 weeks
21-Micky Augustin – 52 weeks
22-Andy Sharp – 53 weeks
23-Bill Wentworth – 54 weeks
24-Cathie Morton – 58 weeks
25-Elizabeth Nordeen – 59 weeks
26-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 61 weeks
27-Kio Dettman – 63 weeks (3)
28-Christopher D. Bennett – 485 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

WEEK 382 - TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES - BILL WENTWORTH

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 55 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 40 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 24 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 25 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 62 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 29 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 53 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 33 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 51 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Arkansas) – 4 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 64 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 42 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa)

Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 52 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 59 weeks

Jesse Howard (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 1 week

25 participants! A solid but not spectacular start to the new year!

We had submissions from:
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Arkansas
+ Texas
+ Pennsylvania
+ Nebraska

Pictures taken in 6 different states isn’t bad.

My submission for this week was taken about 15 miles from my front door.

Year 9 we finished with submissions taken in the following states:
+ California
+ Nevada
+ Arizona
+ Colorado
+ Texas
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ South Dakota
+ Minnesota
+ Iowa
+ Missouri
+ Arkansas
+ Louisiana
+ Wisconsin
+ Illinois
+ Michigan
+ Indiana
+ Ohio
+ New York
+ Pennsylvania
+ New Jersey
+ Washington D.C.
+ North Carolina
+ Florida
+ Alaska

25 different states. I hope we can beat that this year. Although, I don’t know that I will contribute much. Right now for 2023 I have work trips planned for Las Vegas and Chicago. I’m going to a concert in Omaha. I’m going to visit the triplets in Little Manhattan. I’m sure I will have other trips, but that is what is on the calendar for now.

I rely on my big travelers like Cathie and Sarah and Kim to help fill out the map. No pressure.

We did have many submissions from foreign countries as well. Spain and Mexico and France and a few Caribbean islands come to mind. I plan on tracking that better this year as well.

The big milestone this week was Michelle hitting 52 weeks and joining the 1 Year Streak Club! A big accomplishment! She has said that after hitting one year she would throw in the towel. I guess we’ll wait and see what happens.

It wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. The following streaks went kaput:
+ Mary Green – 1 week
+ Monica Jennings – 1 week
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week
+ Sara Lockner – 1 week
+ Willy McAlpine – 7 weeks

REFLECTION

REFLECTION! What a great theme to kick of Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what in tarnation is a REFLECTION picture. It is simply enough a picture where a major compositional element of the picture is a REFLECTION. Mirrors obviously make great REFLECTIONs. But there are other things that REFLECT(ION) as well. For example water. I nicely waxed floor. Eyes. The list just goes on and on. Also, don’t forget that there is more than one definition of REFLECTION.

While considering possible subjects for your REFLECTION picture reflect on the following quote and I’m sure you will create a magnificent REFLECTION image.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First by reflection, which is noblest. Second, by imitation, which is easiest, and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
-Confucius

I look forward to seeing your interpretation of the theme.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of REFLECTION in this place that holds up a mirror to me next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Blogging, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Derrick, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Jodie Cue, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Postcard, Railroad, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Slice of Life, Steph, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

Weekly Photo Challenge Year 9 Review

January 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Thought I would take a quick look back at Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Here are a few quick stats:

+ 44 different participants
+ 1811 photos submitted
+ Least popular theme for participation was ROCK with 16 participants
+ Most popular theme for participation was SELF-PORTRAIT with 31 participants
+ Least popular theme for submissions was ROCK with 20 submissions
+ Most popular theme for submission was LINES with 51 submissions
+ The average week had 24.6 participants
+ The average week had 34.8 submissions

If you want to look back at all 1811 images that were submitted this year, click on the link below:

Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9

Michelle once told me that her kids think that THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is a contest and they always ask her if she “won” this week. It isn’t a contest and I’m not really sure art should compete against other art (yes I run and enter photo contests), but I thought I would share my favorite picture from all 44 participants this year:

Robyn Augustin
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Tim Cuculic
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Jodie Cue
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Brooklyn Erb
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Derrick Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Steve Martin
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 2
Current Streak: 0

Myriah Sharp
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Stephanie Kim
Weeks Participated: 2 – 4%
Submissions: 2
Current Streak: 0

Lori Backous
Weeks Participated: 3 – 6%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Gorshe Twins
Weeks Participated: 3 – 6%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Layla Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 8 – 15%
Submissions: 8
Current Streak: 0

Sarah Karber
Weeks Participated: 10 weeks 19%
Submissions: 10
Current Streak: 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 16 weeks – 31%
Submissions: 17
Current Streak: 0

Evie Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 18 weeks – 35%
Submissions: 18
Current Streak: 0

Mike Vest
Weeks Participated: 19 weeks – 37%
Submissions: 19
Current Streak: 0

Willy McAlpine
Weeks Participated: 21 weeks – 40%
Submissions: 23
Current Streak: 7

Sabas Hernandez
Weeks Participated: 23 – 44%
Submissions: 23
Current Streak: 3

Brandon Kahler
Weeks Participated: 24 weeks – 46%
Submissions: 24
Current Streak: 20

Sarah Toot
Weeks Participated: 24 – 46%
Submissions: 37
Current Streak: 24 weeks

Mary Green
Weeks Participated: 26 – 50%
Submissions: 66
Current Streak: 1

Sara Lockner
Weeks Participated: 32 – 62%
Submissions: 43
Current Streak: 1

Becky Parmelee
Weeks Participated: 32 – 62%
Submissions: 36
Current Streak: 3

Suzie Brannen
Weeks Participated: 35 weeks – 67%
Submissions: 38
Current Streak: 0

Angie DeWaard
Weeks Participated: 36 – 69%
Submissions: 44
Current Streak: 28

Jesse Howard
Weeks Participated: 40 – 77%
Submissions: 46
Current Streak: 1

Linda Bennett
Weeks Participated: 42 – 81%
Submissions: 94
Current Streak: 23

Monica Jennings
Weeks Participated: 44 – 85%
Submissions: 60
Current Streak: 1

Kim Barker
Weeks Participated: 48 – 92%
Submissions: 59
Current Streak: 38

Dawn Krause
Weeks Participated: 48 – 92%
Submissions: 70
Current Streak: 32

Joe Duff
Weeks Participated: 49 – 94%
Submissions: 63
Current Streak: 39

Logan Kahler
Weeks Participated: 49 – 94%
Submissions: 102
Current Streak: 41

Tamara Peterson
Weeks Participated: 50 – 96%
Submissions: 55
Current Streak: 9

Michelle Haupt
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 51
Current Streak: 51

Teresa Kahler
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 106
Current Streak: 50

Carla Stensland
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 93
Current Streak: 50

Micky Augustin
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 57
Current Streak: 52

Shannon Bardole-Foley
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 53
Current Streak: 61

Christopher D. Bennett
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 52
Current Streak: 485

Kio Dettman
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 156
Current Streak: 63

Cathie Morton
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 56
Current Streak: 58

Elizabeth Nordeen
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 64
Current Streak: 59

Andy Sharp
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 71
Current Streak: 53 weeks

Bill Wentworth
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 54
Current Streak: 54

Don’t think I put a ton of effort into picking my favorite images from each person. But I did put some effort in it.

2022 was a great year for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Hopefully 2023 is even better!

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Railroad, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 381 – BODY PART

January 2, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

The last theme of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! Going into Year 10 I am going to make one change. I am making the Kio Dettman Suggestion the Kio Dettman Rule. In Year 10 there will be a limit of 3 submissions per participant. This could go lower if the number of participants goes up. I considered moving the time of the deadline and the publishing time of this post to later in the day, but for now I’m going to leave everything as it is.

The reason for the Kio Dettman Rule isn’t to squash anybody’s creativity. On the contrary, limitations actually fan the flames of creativity. Compare Spielberg’s early movies to the movies where he had an infinite budget. However, the limitation isn’t about encouraging creativity. It is because a ton of submissions by one person overwhelms the submissions of other people. Also, on average it takes me 5 minutes to process every image I receive to get it from where I got it, to store it locally, to rename it, to upload it, to label it, and to code it so it shows up on these posts. So the Kio Dettman Rule is a way of streamlining my workload.

So what happens if somebody submits more than 3 pictures? Will I choose the 3 that I think are best or fit the theme best? No, I will use the first 3 I get. Sorry, but it is a blessing that participation numbers are up so high, but I have to balance the workload too.

One more thing, I’m toying with retconning the first 2 years of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, when it was known as the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT into the numbering scheme. So if next Monday the week number jumps 104 numbers (technically 105), you weren’t in a coma for two years. You didn’t gets sucked into a wormhole. You didn’t accidentally trigger a time machine. There wasn’t a blip. It was just me retconning like the director of a HALLOWEEN movie*.

So, was BODY PART a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, December 26, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks
2-Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
3-Willy McAlpine – 6 weeks (3)
4-Tamara Peterson – 8 weeks
5-Brandon Kahler – 19 weeks
6-Linda Bennett – 22 weeks
7-Sarah Toot – 23 weeks
8-Angie DeWaard – 27 weeks
9-Dawn Krause – 31 weeks
10-Kim Barker – 37 weeks
11-Joe Duff – 38 weeks (2)
12-Logan Kahler – 40 weeks (3)
13-Teresa Kahler – 49 weeks
14-Carla Stensland – 49 weeks (2)
15-Michelle Haupt – 50 weeks
16-Micky Augustin – 51 weeks
17-Andy Sharp – 52 weeks
18-Bill Wentworth – 53 weeks
19-Cathie Morton – 57 weeks
20-Elizabeth Nordeen – 58 weeks
21-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 60 weeks
22-Kio Dettman – 62 weeks (3)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Mary Green – 1 week

Mary Green

Jesse Howard – 1 week

Monica Jennings – 1 week

Sarah Karber – 1 week

Sara Lockner – 1 week

Sabas Hernandez – 3 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks

Willy McAlpine – 7 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 9 weeks

Brandon Kahler – 20 weeks

Linda Bennett – 23 weeks

Linda Bennett

Sarah Toot – 24 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 28 weeks

Angie DeWaard

Dawn Krause – 32 weeks

Kim Barker – 38 weeks

Joe Duff – 39 weeks

Logan Kahler – 41 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 50 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Carla Stensland – 50 weeks

Carla Stensland

Michelle Haupt – 51 weeks

Micky Augustin – 52 weeks

Andy Sharp – 53 weeks

Bill Wentworth – 54 weeks

Cathie Morton – 58 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 59 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 61 weeks

Kio Dettman – 63 weeks

Kio Dettman

Christopher D. Bennett – 485 weeks

28 participants! That is a pretty great week considering it was coming off a holiday weekend.

I received submissions (assumptions mostly on my part) from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. Elizabeth’s picture was from Ohio. That is the first submission from Ohio for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

And since the next theme will beginning of Year 10, it will wipe the map clean and we will start again. I do ask you, if you took your picture in a different state than the one you live in, please let me know where the picture was taken. For example, Bill lives in Nebraska, so when I get a picture from Bill I will assume it was taken in Nebraska, unless he tells me that it was taken in say Wyoming.

My picture this week was taken in the middle of my house. Well, not the exact middle.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will be putting together a post with a bunch of statistics and what not from Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. A bunch of stuff that only me and Joe Duff will probably care about.

The big milestone this week was Micky joined the 1 Year Streak Club! There are some whispers that he was going to throw in the towel after he hit 52 weeks. I guess we will find out next week.

There were no streaks snapped this week! Huzzah!

TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES

TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMIBLES! Oh my! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOBOMILES picture? Simply put it is a picture that involves a TRAIN or a PLANE or an AUTOMOBILE. All 3 don’t have to be in the picture. One will suffice. The picture can also be of anything that is tangential to TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOMBILES. Roads, bridges, train tracks, terminals, stations, are all fair game.

I made this a theme this year because it will be one of the categories in this years Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. If you submit a photo for this theme, you have a picture you can enter in the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

Boone has lots of TRAINS. Plenty of AUTOMOBILES. Technically 3 airports! If Boone has all that, I bet your town does too.

While considering your subject for TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOMOBILES meditate on the following quote and you will no doubt create a great image:

You can start by wiping that f****** dumb-ass smile off your rosy f****** cheeks. Then you can give me a f****** automobile. A f****** Datsun. A f****** Toyota. A f****** Mustang. A f****** Buick! Four f****** wheels and a seat!
-Neal

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES in this place that was heavily influenced by a book on trains next Monday.

*Thanks to the maybe two people that will get that joke and quietly guffawed to themselves. Which another 2023 goal is to replace LOL with QG. Quietly guffawed.