The world wasn’t ready for these PORTRAIT images on Monday. I’m not sure the world is ready for them now, but I can’t hold them back any longer:
Most of these PORTRAITs were taken around the computer mine. Some were taken during communion at my church. Others were taken in my back yard.
You’re welcome world!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Rather than my standard picture of an inflatable turkey, thought (with apologies to Lecrae, I’d give thanks for some of the many blessings in my life.
Count it up, count it up, count it up.
Line ’em up, line ’em up, line ’em up.
Blessed to be a part of Olivia’s family. Blessed to learn a new definition of the word “family” from Shorty and Doris.
Blessed to be a part of an incredible church family. From Youth Group to Methodist Men to the people I see in the pews on Sundays.
Blessed to have a job and double blessed to have a great work family. 7 AM comes pretty early, but so many of the people I work with make the struggle worth the effort.
Blessed to share a life with this band of brothers. Not one of us has any fashion sense, but I’d still take a bullet for any of them.
Blessed to fit in with this band of sisters as well.
Blessed to be able to share my love of weird cinema with like minded individuals once a month.
Blessed to be a Cyclone and double blessed to have somebody to share so many trips to Jack Trice (a spiritual place for me) with.
Blessed to have a roof over my head that belongs to me. Blessed that I can extend that roof over friends and family when their life needs it. Blessed that when I say, “Want to help paint by house?” 20+ people show up.
Blessed that friends from past jobs are still important pillars of my current life.
Blessed that people that aren’t related to me consider me an uncle to them.
Blessed to have a car that I can drive out of town and not worry about the tire falling off.
Blessed to have so many people in my life that when I say, “I’m coming to your city”, they say, “You’re staying with us right?”
Blessed to have so many people in my life that fill gaps.
Blessed that even though I’m aged, I still healthy enough to still ball. Although pretty poorly these days.
Blessed that even though I’m aged, I still have people in my life that keep me young.
Blessed to have people in my life that want to change the world for the better, when I get cynical.
Blessed to have art in my life.
Blessed to have a beautiful beard. Even if the old guys at my church hate it.
Blessed to have people who will help with projects like this, no questions asked.
Blessed to share a life and a domicile with this crazy beast. Teaches me about selfless love every single day.
Blessed to have a chance to spread my blessings to others, sometimes, with some of my favorite people.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of my blessings. But I don’t want it to start to sound like I’m bragging.
Usually when I start this weekly post with something about participation rates being kind of lax this week my email inbox suddenly gets several submissions. Not this week. LANDSCAPE didn’t ring the bell for many people. Maybe it was the cold weather this week. Maybe it was the excitement of Manafort Day! I don’t know, but there weren’t many LANDSCAPE submissions.
But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk tommyrot about submission rates. You came to see the submissions!
CATHIE RALEY
KIM BARKER
MIKE VEST
CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
SARAH KARBER
TAMARA PETERSON
JORGE RIOS
A solid week of submissions! Though they be small, they be mighty!
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:
FRAMED! What a great theme! But what does it mean? A FRAMED photo should have its main subject matter boxed in by what we’ll call negative space. What is around the subject should make a frame for the subject. For example, a frame makes a great frame. A window makes a great frame.
Of course, that isn’t the only definition of FRAMED.
However, use your imagination and define the theme anyway you see fit.
As always, I look forward to your interpretations.
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.
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That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very framed Monday!
Saturday was a magical day at Jack Trice Stadium. Not only were the tacos at Taco Tailgate great as always. The #25 Iowa State Cyclones defense manhandled #4 TCU.
Since the weather was supposed to be extremely cold and there was a chance of precipitation, I once again brought the Canon point and shoot. Here are a few pictures from the day:
I hope everybody had as a happy of Tacoween as we did here in Cyclone Country! Dilly dilly!
This is a public service announcement that the University of Kansas does indeed have a football team. They aren’t only represented by a basketball program that is under investigation by the FBI for being a front for Adidas. A men’s basketball program that let’s it’s players assault a member of the women’s basketball program and responds by trying to silence her. A men’s basketball program that has a player get arrested every couple of weeks, but yet somehow never gets suspended. A men’s basketball program that is complicit in college rape culture by helping cover up a rape that occurred in their basketball programs virtually private dormitory. A men’s basketball program that recruits classy people like K.J. Lawson who posted on his Snapchat him shouting “f— Tubby” and posted him giving Memphis two middle finger as he transferred from the University of Memphis.
In case you are shamed by the completely out of control Kansas basketball program and you are a Kansas grad, I have good news for you. The University of Kansas also has a football program that you can support. Currently not under investigation by any federal law enforcement agencies!
A couple Saturdays back they came to Jack Trice Stadium to play the Iowa State Cyclones in a football match. Because it was a pouring rain, I didn’t take any good cameras to the game. However, I did take my Canon point & shoot to capture a few photos. Here are a few of those few photos:
The Cyclones bested the Jayhawks on this soggy day 45-0. It wasn’t all bad for Kansas though, they managed to get into triple digit for yardage on the second to last play of the game!
Iowa State followed this win up by going on the road to Lubbock and besting the Red Raiders 31-13, thanks in large part to Marcel Spears 61 yard pick six that saved our bacon. That victory sets up a showdown this Saturday against the #4 Horny Toads of Texas Christian for first place in the Big XII. It might be snowing on Saturday, but if you are in the Ames area, you should head to The Jack to support the feel good story of college football and support the Cyclones. If you make it to the game, drop by G6 for our annual Taco Tailgate. The tacos are on me (well and Jorge and Joe and whomever else contributes to bearing the expenses of Taco Tailgate)!!
Now that I’ve been back to reality for 7 days, probably a good time to go over my vacation.
FRIDAY
Left work at 4 PM or so. Vacation starts.
Had FNSC with Willy. Ate at Colorado Grill.
After Colorado Grill. Started watching a new show, NARCOS.
SATURDAY
Breakfast at Legal Limit with Mom.
Photography for Amber and Steve’s Wedding.
SUNDAY
Went to the Lutheran Church in Gilbert with Jesse and Nader to celebrate Nader’s 30th year in the United States.
Ate lunch at the church with some of the people that helped Nader when he got to the country.
Went to Gene’s farm to admire his car collection.
Sent this picture to Russell of Youth Nazis harassing this old woman.
Sent this picture to Logan because he sent me a picture trying to make me jealous of his lunch.
A Studebaker with an El Camino back.
Naima getting her pills.
Went to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad and Shorty was there working it.
While this food stand looks awesome, the ice cream isn’t that great.
MONDAY
Loaded up Mom’s car and headed for Mount Rushmore.
Stopped in Sioux Falls for gas, human fuel, and Falls Park. It rained all the way to Sioux Falls.
Falls Park
Mom struggles with the selfie concept.
Confused by the bridge they built to seemingly just to wreck the view.
I wonder what this picture would look like with me in it.
Oh. Like that.
I give Falls Park the thumbs up. I’ll have to go back when I have more time at some point.
Stopped for gas again next to 1880 town.
Stopped at Wall Drug right before it closed.
Still don’t have the selfie thing down.
Free Water.
Pretty horrible restaurant across the street from Wall Drug.
I’d give Wall Drug the bird. Don’t waste your time. A bunch of touristy garbage with ridiculous hours.
Got to Rapid City and checked into a hotel with free WI-FI and continental breakfast.
TUESDAY
Got up in the morning and ate continental breakfast at the hotel. Had a lengthy conversation with two women from Arizona that came up there for the Buffalo Roundup.
Left for Mount Rushmore.
First view of Mount Rushmore
View from the parking lot.
One armed woman took this picture for us.
Getting better at the selfie game.
What Mount Rushmore was supposed to look like, but they had to stop because of WWII. Another thing we can blame on Hitler.
I give Mount Rushmore the thumbs up.
At the base of Mount Rushmore we ran into Brad Dighton. The cousin of a member of my church. He gave us several pro tips for the area. We weren’t able to get to all of them, but maybe next time.
One of his pro tips was take the Iron Mountain Road to Custer State Park.
All of these tunnels point back to Mount Rushmore. You can’t tell in the picture, but trust me.
I give the Iron Mountain Road the thumbs up.
Custer State Park is a great example of white privilege. I have no clue why a park is named after Custer. His 2 claims to fame are graduating last in his class at West Point and then getting his buttocks handed to him at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Custer Park (like the man) was more hype than pay off. We were told we would see hundreds of buffalo. We saw one. That being said, the feral donkeys and the prairie dogs made up for the lack of buffaloes.
I give Custer Park a thumbs up, but it didn’t live up to the hype.
After we left Custer, we went to Needles Highway.
Still working on the selfie game.
We’re starting to get there.
Needles Highway is a road about the width of McHose Park road, but with a 400 foot drop to your death on one side. It is amazing!
I give Needles Highway a big thumbs up!
After that we went to Hill City to eat lunch/dinner at a place recommended to us by Brad Dighton. That place was closed, so instead we dined at the Hill City Cafe.
We bought fudge there.
Hill City Cafe wasn’t terrible, but it certainly was not great. Thumb sideways.
After that, we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial.
Almost there!
We might’ve regressed on our selfie game.
I’d give Crazy Horse another big thumbs up! My only complaint is that all the information seems to be on the family carving the memorial and hardly anything on Crazy Horse himself. You know, the guy that ripped Custer’s buttocks off and handed them back to him. He took out Custer’s brothers while he was ate it. Crazy Horse was an OG.
Pro Tip: Pay for the $4 bus ride.
After leaving Crazy Horse, went back to Mount Rushmore for the lighting ceremony.
Paid and extra dollar for the Thomas Jefferson ice cream.
The lighting ceremony kind of drags on for awhile, but the part where they bring veterans on stage and take the flag down is powerful. While waiting (forever) for them to light up the mountain we became single serving friends with Lance Young. A former Iowa State wide receiver that played in the Dan MacCarney era.
After the lighting we went back to Rapid City and crashed.
WEDNESDAY
Got up in the morning and hit the continental breakfast. Hard. Going home day. No time for single serving friends. Ate and hit the road.
Stopped at Badlands National Park.
Still working on it.
I think we have it. At least we’re in striking distance.
Taken by a woman who was friendly, but strangely afraid of falling down the side to her death. She has no future as a Photography 139 Assistant!
“I’ll take one to the side and one of you in the middle.”
Not afraid of the edge. Pimp.
Badlands. 2 big thumbs up. They just need to work on their rattlesnake game.
Next stop on the way home was to see the Dignity Sculpture. It looks like the Big Jesus in Sioux City, only less creepy. I don’t have a picture with the cell phone, but when I unleash the camera pictures, there is one there.
The next stop was Mitchell. I was going to avoid the Corn Palace but it just lined up with when we needed gas and human fuel.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER in corn. Well, I can’t hate that.
Mic Drop! I think we finally nailed it!
Last time I went to the Corn Palace, I gave it the bird. I’m going to upgrade it to just a thumbs down. It is worth seeing, if you don’t waste time going inside.
We stopped at a place called The Hungry Dog for lunch.
The Hungry Dog was by far the best eating experience of the trip. 6 out of 5 Stars!!! It only seats about 5 people on the inside and after the only employee took our order, made our food, and delivered it; she locked the door and told us she’d be right back. She had to go pick up her kids from school.
I loved every second of my experience!
The last stop of the evening was in Jefferson for gas and human fuel.
1424.3 miles in 3 days.
Then home for sleep.
THURSDAY
Did not much in the day. Hung up a bunch of pictures in my bedroom. Cleaned out the guest bedroom now that Alexis has moved out.
Picked Derrick up for the Iowa State game.
Well almost everything about that game sucked, except the company.
FRIDAY
I can’t remember next to anything that happened on Friday.
I visited Scottie D. to get a yard sign. He is running for City Council for Ward 5.
Also had FNSC with Willy. Think it was at Jimmy’s Barbecue.
SATURDAY
Don’t remember much about Saturday either.
Went uptown during YesterBoone to complete another page of the Photo Journal Project.
Went out to McHose Park and with Jesse’s assistance completed yet another page of the Photo Journal Project.
After that, we went to a Gender Reveal Party for one of the members of the Youth Group. It’s a Girl!!
Headed up to Jay’s for Chili Lab. Both Jay and Wily made great chilis and we enjoyed a viewing of KONG ISLAND.
SUNDAY
Got up and went to church at Boone First United Methodist Church.
Then lunch with the family.
Meeting for the Council to Elect Degeneffe.
Then I went to the Freedom Flight Send-off to see Jesse’s Dad.
Monica’s mom made a bouquet that they took with them to place on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Then I went home. Sat on my couch and soaked up the last few hours of vacation, before being back at the grind on Monday.
I’ve been back to work one week. Already fantasizing about the next time I dip my toes into the PTO pool.
Since a few people have been asking, I am making a formal announcement.
The reasons are multiple and complicated, but it is probably your fault. If you search your heart, you know it to be true.
So there will be NO:
– Baby Got Rack Award Winning Barbecue
– Hardcore Firetub Action
– Bubbles
– Sidewalk Chalk
– Golden Retriever
– Master’s Playlist
– Cornhole
– Tent
– Stimulating Conversation
– Catching up with old friends
– No photos like the ones below
Better luck in 2018. I have the idea for that year’s invite. I just need to find some volunteers and some costumes.
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.
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.
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!
Once again, I did the photos for the Computer Mine Holiday Card. Here are a few of my favorite pictures, but probably not the ones that made the card:
Always a pleasure photographing my super-cooperative co-workers!
