Category Archives: Monica

Andy, Becky, Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 330 – BLACK + WHITE

January 10, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

As we are about to kickoff the 9th Year of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE (birthed into this world kicking and screaming as the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT) I thought we could look at what we accomplished as a community in Year 8.

+ There were 866 total submissions by 35 different participants. Averaging 16.65 submissions a week.
+ The most popular themes were HOBBIES and FRIENDS. Both had 30 submissions.
+ SYMMETRY + PATTERNS had the most participants with 19.

Here are the individual statistics for the 35 different participants:
+ Christopher D. Bennett – 52 weeks, 52 photos.
+ Kio Dettman – 50 weeks, 119 photos.
+ Micky Augustin – 44 weeks, 53 photos.
+ Tamara Peterson – 44 weeks, 44 photos.
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 42 weeks, 42 photos.
+ Kim Barker – 36 weeks, 43 photos.
+ Carla Stensland – 32 weeks, 73 photos.
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 32 weeks, 40 photos.
+ Michelle Haupt – 28 weeks, 28 photos.
+ Bill Wentworth – 28 weeks, 28 photos.
+ Cathie Raley – 26 weeks, 26 photos.
+ Andy Sharp – 26 weeks, 52 photos.
+ Teresa Kahler – 22 weeks, 42 photos.
+ Joe Duff – 19 weeks, 25 photos.
+ Mike Vest – 16 weeks, 16 photos.
+ Logan Kahler – 14 weeks, 32 photos.
+ Jesse Howard – 14 weeks, 17 photos.
+ Dawn Krause – 14 weeks, 17 photos.
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 12 weeks, 20 photos.
+ Angie DeWaard – 12 weeks, 14 photos.
+ Monica Henning – 11 weeks, 24 photos.
+ Becky Parmelee – 11 weeks, 11 photos.
+ Linda Bennett – 5 weeks, 8 photos.
+ Sara Lockner – 5 weeks, 6 photos.
+ Amy Peterson – 4 weeks, 6 photos.
+ Susanna Funk – 3 weeks, 3 photos.
+ Aaron Barnett – 3 weeks, 3 photos.
+ Lori Backous – 2 weeks, 4 photos.
+ Steve White – 2 weeks, 4 photos.
+ Jodie Cue – 1 week, 3 photos.
+ Sarah Karber – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Derrick Gorshe – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week, 1 photo.
+ Mike Parmelee – 1 week, 1 photo.

Thanks to everybody that participated on any level!

I’ve gotten slightly into Snapchat streaks in the last few weeks and I’m going to carry the idea of streaks over to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Heading into this week, these are the people that have “streaks” of submitting photos for consecutive weeks:

+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week.
+ Evie Gorshe – 1 week.
+ Becky Parmelee – 1 week.
+ Mike Parmelee – 1 week.
+ Angie DeWaard – 1 week.
+ Andy Sharp – 1 week.
+ Teresa Kahler – 1 week.
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week.
+ Bill Wentworth – 2 weeks.
+ Joe Duff – 2 weeks.
+ Dawn Krause – 3 weeks.
+ Cathie Raley – 6 weeks.
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 7 weeks.
+ Kim Barker – 9 weeks.
+ Tamara Peterson – 12 weeks.
+ Kio Dettman – 12 weeks.
+ Christopher D. Bennett – 431 weeks.

Okay, in fairness, I run this show and it does bend around my schedule, slightly, so my streak doesn’t really count for much. It will be interesting to see who is able to build on their streak this week and who has their streak snapped.

As we start up Year 9, just a reminder that the picture has to be taken the week of the theme. The picture needs to be taken somewhere between 12:01 PM on the Monday the theme is revealed and 11:00 AM the following Monday, when I click Schedule on this post and head to lunch. This is a get off your butt and TAKE photos challenge. It is NOT a curate your photos challenge.

Photos are not evaluated for quality (at least not by me) to be posted. This challenge is about doing the work. You put in the work, the quality will come. What I am saying is, don’t hold back a submission because you don’t think it is good enough.

There are two ways to submit your photos to me. You can email me at bennett@photography139.com OR you can text them to my phone. Either one is perfectly acceptable.

These are not rules, but I’d say fairplay guidelines:

+ Don’t send me multiple pictures of the same subject in the same week. Send me multiple pictures, sure, but make them unique.
+ Don’t send me multiple pictures and ask me to choose the best one. I won’t do it. Even on a theme that is coming up in a few weeks where there will be for the first time ever a limitation of 1 submission per participant, I still won’t do it.
+ Watch the resolution of the images you submit. The size should be at least 800 pixels for it to look decent on the website.
+ YOU should be the one taking the picture. If a friend of yours takes a picture and you want to submit it for them, that is fine, but they should get the credit for the picture and they should be cool with it being posted.

Enough of that noise. You didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates and the best ways to participate, you came to see the submissions:

Evie Gorshe (2 weeks)

Layla Gorshe (2 weeks)

Kim Barker (10 weeks)

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin (1 week)

Carla Stensland (1 week)

Carla Stensland

Shannon Bardole-Foley (10 weeks)

Bill Wentworth (3 weeks)

Christopher D. Bennett

Tamara Peterson (13 weeks)

Cathie Raley (7 weeks)

Teresa Kahler (2 weeks)

Elizabeth Nordeen (8 weeks)

Elizabeth Nordeen

Linda Bennett (1 week)

Kio Dettman (13 weeks)

Kio Dettman

Dawn Krause (4 weeks)

Jesse Howard (1 week)

Jesse Howard

Logan Kahler (1 week)

Logan Kahler

Andy Sharp (2 weeks)

Andy Sharp

Monica Henning (1 week)

Monica Henning

Becky Parmelee (2 weeks)

29 submissions from 20 participants. That 20 participants is more than any theme had last year! I’m pumped now! That is a great week! Lots of streaks continued. Only the streaks of Mike Parmelee, Angie DeWaard, and Jen Ensley-Gorshe came to an end.

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:

ROCK

ROCK! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a ROCK photo? Well, there are several types of rocks. Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. All you have to do is find a rock you like (I’m partial to igneous) and take a picture of it. And ROCKs have so many uses, they can hold historical markers, they are canvasses for artists, and people build things out of them. Just to name a few. Of course, ROCK can have multiple meanings. There is the type of ROCK that Twisted Sister wants to do. Which isn’t all that different from the kind of ROCK that AC/DC salutes those about to engage in or that Queen wants to do to you. Whatever definition of ROCK you use, it will be the right one for you.

I’d be remiss, if I didn’t point out that ROCK was a theme suggested by Angie. Thanks for the suggestion Angie.

While thinking on your possible subjects for your ROCK picture, think on this following quote from one of my old time favorite movies. INHERIT THE WIND. It is a highly dramatized telling of the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial. One of the lawyers that is prosecuting the teacher on trial for teaching evolution has taken the stand as an expert on The Bible. The lawyer defending the teacher is cross examining him.

Drummond: It’s sad that we don’t all have your positive knowledge of what is right and wrong, Mr. Brady. How old do you think this rock is?

Brady: I am more interested in the “Rock of Ages” than I am in the age of rocks.

Drummond: Dr. Paige of Oberlin College tells me this rock is at least 10 million years old.

Brady: Well, well, Colonel Drummond, you managed to speak here some of that scientific testimony, after all.

Drummond: Look, Mr. Brady. These are the fossil remains of a marine prehistoric creature found in this very county, and which lived here millions of years ago when these very mountain ranges were submerged in water.

Brady: I know. The Bible gives a fine account of the flood. But your Professor’s a little mixed up in his dates. That rock is not more than six thousand years old.

Drummond: How do ya know?

Brady: A fine biblical scholar, Bishop Usher, has determined for us the exact date and hour of the Creation. It occurred in the year 4004 B.C.

Drummond: Well, that’s Bishop Usher’s opinion.

Brady: It’s not an opinion. It’s a literal fact — which the good Bishop arrived at through careful computation of the ages of the prophets, as set down in the Old Testament. In fact, he determined that the Lord began the Creation on the 23rd of October, 4004 B.C. at, uh, 9:00am.

Drummond: [Is] that Eastern Standard Time? Or Rocky Mountain Time? It wasn’t Daylight Saving Time, was it, because the Lord didn’t make the sun until the fourth day.

Brady: That is correct.

Drummond: That first day, what do you think, it was 24 hours long?

Brady: [The] Bible says it was a day.

Drummond: Well, there was no sun out. How do you know how long it was?

Brady: The Bible says it was a day!

Drummond: Well, was it a normal day, a literal day, 24 hour day?

Brady: I don’t know.

Drummond: What do you think?

Brady: I do not think about things that I do not think about.

Now maybe that scene doesn’t have much to do with rocks, but any chance I can even tangentially reference that movie I will. I look forward to seeing your ROCK interpretations.

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.

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of ROCK in this place that records my metamorphic change next Monday.

Andy, Angie, Bill, Candid Portrait, Carla, Cathie, Dory, Elizabeth, J.T., Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Nate, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 326 – ODD CAMERA ANGLE

December 13, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

ODD CAMERA ANGLE has proven to be an oddly successful theme!

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

Andy Sharp

Submitted by Andy Sharp – Photo by Don Lester

Angie DeWaard

Bill Wentworth

Christopher D. Bennett

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Kio Dettman

Teresa Kahler

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin

Cathie Raley

Elizabeth Nordeen

Carla Stensland

Monica Henning

Mike Vest

CANDID PORTRAIT

CANDID PORTRAIT! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a CANDID PORTRAIT image? A CANDID PORTRAIT image is simply an image where the person that is the subject of the photo isn’t posing for the picture. It doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t know their picture is getting taken, but they definitely aren’t posing for the picture. They are just being themselves. Which is why I prefer CANDID PORTRAITS a gazillion to one over formal portraits. But that is just me.

While thinking on your subjects for your CANDID PORTRAIT image, meditate on the following quote:

If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully.
-Unknown

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of CANDID PORTRAIT in this place that is little more than me being candidly candid next Monday.

Cathie, Elizabeth, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 325 – BLUE

December 6, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

BLUE didn’t give the BLUEs to too many people. Meaning more than a few people were able to get out of bed and find a reason to take a picture of something BLUE in their life.

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

Tamara Peterson

Bill Wentworth

Christopher D. Bennett

Cathie Raley

Logan Kahler

Micky Augustin

Elizabeth Nordeen

Kio Dettman

Michelle Haupt

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Monica Henning

Kim Barker

ODD CAMERA ANGLE

ODD CAMERA ANGLE! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly an ODD CAMERA ANGLE image? Well it couldn’t be simpler. You see, most people when they take a picture stand and bring the camera up to their face and take the picture straight on from their height. An ODD CAMERA ANGLE image is just a picture where you change your body from its normal position or the angle of the camera. Take a picture of something looking straight down at it. Or straight up. Get on the ground. Or climb up to the top of something. Or rather than having the camera stay level, move it like 45 degrees. You subject can be anything, but try looking at your subject from a different vantage point than you normally see it.

While thinking up your ODD CAMERA ANGLE and the subject for it, meditate on the following quote:

Thoughts are odd misfires.
-Patricia Cromwell

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of ODD CAMERA ANGLE in this place that is little more and my odd view on the world next Monday.

Animals, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Kim, Kio, Micky, Monica, Nature, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 324 – NATURE

November 29, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

NATURE photography turned out to be in the NATURE of several people.

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

Elizabeth Nordeen

Kim Barker

Teresa Kahler

Elizabeth Nordeen

Tamara Peterson

Michelle Haupt

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Micky Augustin

Teresa Kahler

Carla Stensland

Cathie Raley

Monica Henning

Kio Dettman

BLUE

BLUE! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is BLUE photo? A BLUE photo is simply a picture where the color BLUE is a major compositional element of your image.

Think on the following quote while considering your BLUE possibilities:

Artists can color the sky red because they know it’s blue. Those of us who aren’t artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we’re stupid.
-Jules Feiffer

I look forward to seeing your BLUE interpretations.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of NATURE in this place that I turn to when I’m feeling blue next Monday.

Andy, Bill, Cathie, Christianity, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Naima, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 322 – RELIGION

November 15, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

RELIGION turned out to be a fairly popular theme.

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

Bill Wentworth

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler

Kio Dettman

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Micky Augustin

Andy Sharp

Cathie Raley

Kim Barker

Monica Henning

Mike Vest

REFLECTION

REFLECTION! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a REFLECTION picture? It is simply a picture that captures a RELECTION. You can find a REFLECTION in all sorts of things. A mirror. A mill pond. Tin foil. Mylar. Chrome. Bubbles. The options are nearly endless. Of course, there is more than one definition of the word REFLECTION.

Think on this quote when you consider all your possibilities for REFLECTION images:

We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Anais Nin

A proper REFLECTION on this quote will no doubt lead you to a great REFECTION image.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of REFLECTION in this place that that is little more than a mirror held up to my life next Monday.

Andy, Bill, Carla, Christianity, Kim, Kio, Logan, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 321 – BUSINESS

November 8, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

At this time, BUSINESS doesn’t seem to be a popular theme.

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

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Carla Stensland

Micky Augustin

Bill Wentworth

Carla Stensland

Monica Henning

Andy Sharp

Logan Kahler

Kio Dettman

RELIGION

RELIGION! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a RELIGION picture? It is simply a picture of anything relating to the practice of a RELIGION. It can be a book used in the practice of a RELIGION. It can be a building that is used in the practice of a RELIGION. It could be a symbol of a RELIGION. It can be a picture of somebody practicing their RELIGION.

Think on this quote when considering your RELIGION image:

The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbor, I will choose my neighbor… Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.
-Barbara Brown Taylor

Thinking on that quote will no doubt take you on an interesting path towards your RELIGION photo.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of RELIGION in this place that that is based on its understanding of God next Monday.

Animals, Art, Becca, Black & White, Boone County Fair, Christianity, Contests, Dawn, Derrick, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Jen, Jesse, Jill, Laura, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Nature, Night, Photoshop, Pufferbilly Days, Russell, Scottie D., Shannon, Shorty, State Fair, Still Life, Willy

My (Sad) Photo Contest History – 2

June 3, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

When we left off, I had just won 1st Place in Black and White and 3rd Place in Color at the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest, but had been completely rejected by the Iowa State Fair for the 4th year in a row.

Whatever I was selling, the judges were not buying. I was despondent, but not discouraged because I knew I had entered some great photos, but they were not what the judges were looking for that year.

2011 comes around. I decided to retire from the Boone County Fair Photo Contest and to start a new way of picking pictures for the Pufferbilly Days. I also had what was probably the peak of my photo contest career at the Iowa State Fair. I got all 4 pictures exhibited. This is extremely hard to do. Thousands of people enter the contest every year. Only 5 of us got all 4 pictures exhibited. You can do the math. It is a big deal.

These are the pictures that were exhibited:

2011 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - I Recommend Pleasant

2nd Place Class 25

Honorable Mention Class 13

For the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest it was the second year of letting other people select my entrants. Dawn, Derrick, Jen, Scott, Russell, and Rebecca chose my entries. Dawn’s choice got 2nd Place in Black and White:

2011 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - Radiant Beams

2nd Place – Black and White

I was pretty excited for 2012. I thought I had cracked the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Code, but there is no code. Some years the judge like you. Some years they don’t. In 2012, they like one of my pictures:

2012 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Truth Perception

That year, I decided to retire from the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

Then shortly after that, I decided to retire from Photo Contests altogether.

But in 2017, the itch came back. I decided to put on a Washington Wizards Jersey and come out of retirement. Hard. I decided to enter all 3 contests again. I got all Blue Ribbons at the Boone County Fair:

I got one picture selected for display at the Iowa State Fair:

2017 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Little Apple

I had the following people select my entries for the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest: Jim Robbins (yeah that is a long story), Micky, Michelle, Amber, Laura, and Dawn. However, none of the pictures earned a ribbon.

In 2018, my Boone County Fair entries were determined by popular vote:

Red

Purple

Blue

I had two pictures selected for display at the Iowa State Fair:

2018 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Peep

My Pufferbilly Days entries were also selected by popular vote that year:

2018 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - INRI

1st Place Photoshop

1st Place Photojournalism

3rd Place Hidden Treasures of Boone County

2019 would also be a successful year. I moved to having individuals select my Boone County Fair entrants. Shannon, Michelle, and Logan selected my entries.

Purple

Blue

Red

Blue

Purple

I had one picture selected for exhibition at the Iowa State Fair and it earned a ribbon:

2019 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Entry - Green Little Vaulter

Honorable Mention Class 18

My Pufferbilly Day entries were once again selected by popular vote:

2019 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - Hocks

1st Place Nature

1st Place Photoshop

In 2020 the pandemic hit and all photo contests were cancelled. Which was sad and I think it was avoidable because in a digital age, I think they could have found a way. For example the Iowa State Fair still held its Fine Arts competition.

Which brings us to 2021. I’m currently working on my next embarrassing failure at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. However, I am not going to enter the Boone County Fair this year. There is a reason for this decision. A very good reason. However, I’m not going to share the reason until it becomes official or it falls through. Things seem to fall through quite often these days. No decision has been made on Pufferbilly Days yet, but Pufferbilly Days has been moved to early August this year. I’m not crazy about the decision, but I’ll give it a chance.

If you want to peruse all 153 Photo Contest entrants in this long weird journey, click on the link below:

Photo Contests

You can see them all from the out of focus to the award winners. The good, the bad, and the moldy jam equivalent.

Animals, Cousin Amy, Derrick, Event, Jen, Jesse, Mom, Monica, Nader, Night, Railroad, Sara

2010-08-25, 2010-08-26, 2010-08-29, and 2010-08-30

May 22, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

There weren’t many pictures in the folders 2010-08-25, 2010-08-26, and 2010-08-30 so I combined them with the folder 2010-08-29. Most of the pictures are from a baby shower Sara and I (she really did all the work) for Jen and Derrick when Jen was preggers with Evie. There are also a few full moon images in the other folders.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entries to their original glory:

PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT OF THE WEEK #37E

PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT OF THE WEEK #44

RWPE #34 – FOOD

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a turtle and Shannon. Possibly together.

Dawn, Kio, Michelle, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 288 – STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

March 22, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m not going to get into a big thing today about submissions. If you haven’t heard, my family experienced a medical emergency over the weekend. Please keep us in your prayers.

I wasn’t sure I was going to post anything today, but I decided to and this way you can start working on this week’s theme. If you were going to submit, but forgot, feel free to send your submission and I will get it up at a later date:

Dawn Krause

Kio Dettman

Michelle Haupt

Sarah Karber

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Steve White

Tamara Peterson

Kio Dettman

Christopher D. Bennett

Monica Henning

This week’s theme is LOVE:

LOVE

A LOVE image is pretty simple. Just a picture of somebody or something you LOVE expressing LOVE.

Good luck!

Aaron, Alexis, Anela, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Dawn, Derrick, Elainie, Elizabeth, Grandma, Jason, Jen, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kanoa, Kim, Kio, Kupono, Logan, Michelle, Mom, Monica, Photoshop, Sabas, Sara, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa

WPC – WEEK 287 – PICTURE IN PICTURE

March 15, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today by wishing my sister Carla a happy birthday. Happy birthday Carla!

I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you want it to be!

+++++++

I also need to wish Monica a happy birthday. Happy birthday Monica!

I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be!

+++++++

We did it! 76 straight weeks of double digit submissions! I was worried about PICTURE IN PICTURE for a bit, but we came through!

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

Joe Duff

Tamara Peterson

Aaron Barnett

Christopher D. Bennett

Elizabeth Nordeen

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Kio Dettman

Monica Henning

Dawn Krause

Michelle Haupt

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

It is here. Judgement Day. The last theme that didn’t get double digit submissions. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY. 76 weeks ago. September 23, 2019.

There were only 7 submissions from 7 people:

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe
+ Andy Sharp
+ Kim Barker
+ Humble Narrator
+ Stephanie Kim
+ Tamara Peterson
+ Jesse Howard

But what is STREET PHOTOGRAPHY? Why is it so scary and intimidating?

Sorry, Chris from 5 seconds ago. I reject your premise. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY isn’t scary or intimidating. It is awesome!

Some of the best and most famous photographers in history were STREET PHOTOGRAPHYers.

+ Dorothea Lange
+ Helen Levitt
+ Diane Arbus
+ Robert Frank
+ Fan Ho
+ Vivian Maier
+ Robert Doisneau
+ Henri Cartier-Bresson

Okay, great, you are thinking, but you still haven’t defined STREET PHOTOGRAPHY. Is it pictures of a street? No, but it is photography that often takes place on the streets.

Here is the best definition: “conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.”

The 2 most important things. RANDOM and PUBLIC. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY is often mistaken for CANDID PORTRAITS. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY has to be done in a public place. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a portrait. It can be a piece of art. It can be a building. It can be a sign. It doesn’t have to be on a street. It can be at a sporting event. It can be at an art festival. A farmer’s market. The most common place would be a business district. It only has to meet those 2 criteria: public and random.

What is public? I mean that is pretty obvious. It can’t be in your house or in your friend’s house. It has to be somewhere in the public. Where other people can be.

What is random? That simply means that you didn’t go to wherever you went with the intent of taking that picture. Something about the place you went to compelled you to take that picture. You may have went there to take a picture, but not a pre-planned picture.

Some people think of STREET PHOTOGRAPHY as candid portraits. It isn’t, but it certainly can be. However, the picture can be of street art like the example. Egene Atget, was the first STREET PHOTOGRAPHYer. He took pictures of buildings.

I’ll make one last comparison. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY is to photography what jazz is to music. It is all about improvisation. This is perhaps why I love it so much.

Okay, one last thing. Most of the great STREET PHOTOGRAPHYers worked in black & white. I’m not saying your submission should be in black & white, but it is something to think about.

Also, think about this quote before thinking about your STREET PHOTOGRAPHY creation:

“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected you find in the street.”
-Robert Doisneau

Meditate on this before you go out looking for some STREET PHOTOGRAPHY images.

Then send me your submission(s) by 11 AM CST next Monday. 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.

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of PICTURE IN PICTURE in this place that was born on the streets next Monday.