NOTE: Next Monday I will be in New Orleans and have limited access to the internet or the phone. Don’t expect any kind of reminders. You’ll have to be your own dawg.

It is the last Monday of the month and on the last Monday of the month I like to revisit our Frequently Asked Questions. Who asks these questions? I mostly ask them of myself. But that isn’t a Frequently Asked Question. These are:

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 10 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
NO. It is a challenge. There are no winners and losers. Well the people that don’t participate are losers.

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

Yes. That limit is 2. If you send me more than 2, I will post the first 2 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that starts 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 you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

If I start to average like 45 participants a week, I will lower the limit to 1.

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 for me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme every week. 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.

Do I have to wait until Monday morning to submit?

Absolutely not! In fact (AND CAN’T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH) I appreciate the submissions that make it to me by Sunday evening. Makes the job of putting this together on Monday morning much easier!

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 widest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point. But don’t tempt me!

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. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that. In fact, I appreciate you letting me know where a picture was taken. If you don’t let me know, I will assume the picture was taken in the state you live in.

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

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

+++++++

EMOTION! A great theme! But enough people get their emotions under control to make a submission to make EMOTION a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, April 15, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Monica Jennings – 1 week (IA)
2-Sabas Hernandez – 2 weeks (IA)
3-Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks (IA)
4-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 4 weeks (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL)
5-Willy McAlpine – 5 weeks (IA)
6-Deanna McClain – 6 weeks (IA)
7-Johnathan Stensland – 6 weeks (IA)
8-Adam Gordon – 8 weeks (IA, MS, MO)
9-Becky Parmelee – 9 weeks (AR, IA, OK)
10-Sara Lockner – 13 weeks (IA)
11-Lowell Davis – 16 weeks (IA) <2>
12-Michelle Haupt – 16 weeks (IA, MO, KS)
13-Brandon Kahler – 17 weeks (IA, MN)
14-Scott Degeneffe – 35 weeks (2) (IA, FL, UT, CO)
15-Mike Vest – 40 weeks (IA, MO)
16-Sheri Fakhouri – 45 weeks (IA, NE)
17-Logan Kahler – 46 weeks (IA, MN)
18-Nathanial Brown – 47 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN)
19-Jesse Howard – 47 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW)
20-Tamara Peterson – 59 weeks (IA, MN)
21-Mindi Terrell – 62 weeks (IA) <2>
22-Linda Bennett – 91 weeks 129(KS)
23-Sarah Toot – 92 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV)
24-Angie DeWaard – 96 weeks (IA)
25-Dawn Krause – 100 weeks (IA) <2>
26-Kim Barker – 106 weeks (IA, CO)
27-Joe Duff – 107 weeks (TX) <2>
28-Teresa Kahler – 118 weeks (IA, NE) <2>
29-Carla Stensland – 118 weeks (IA, MO) <2>
30-Micky Augustin – 120 weeks (IA, IL)
31-Andy Sharp – 121 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA)
32-Bill Wentworth – 122 weeks (NE)
33-Cathie Morton – 125 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO)
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 127 weeks (IA)
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 129 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
36-Kio Dettman – 131 weeks (IA)

Here is the list of rules for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM next Monday. PLEASE INCLUDE THE LOCATION OF WHERE YOUR PICTURE WAS TAKEN WITH YOUR SUBMISSION.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.

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

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 132 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Honey Hollow – Summerset, Iowa) – 130 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 128 weeks

Cathie Morton (West Des Moines, Iowa) – 126 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 123 weeks

Andy Sharp (Adel, Iowa) – 122 weeks

Micky Augustin (Ames, Iowa) – 121 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 119 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Linwood Cemetery- Boone, Iowa) – 119 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 108 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 107 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boxholm, Iowa) – 101 weeks

Dawn Krause (Les’s Auto – Boone, Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Chicago, Illinois) – 97 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Chicago, Illinois)

Sarah Toot (Valley Cottage, New York) – 93 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 92 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa) – 63 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, Iowa) – 48 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 48 weeks

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Simpson College – Indianola, Iowa) – 47 weeks

Logan Kahler (Simpson College – Indianola, Iowa)

Sheri Fakhouri (Civic Center – Des Moines, Iowa) – 46 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 41 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Bardstown, Kentucky) – 36 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Indiana)

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 18 weeks

Lowell Davis (Boone High School – Boone, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Lowell Davis (HYSC – Ames, Iowa)

Michelle Haupt (Bricktown Bakery – Nevada, Iowa) – 17 weeks

Sara Lockner (Near Bahamas) – 14 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 10 weeks

Adam Gordon (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Adam Gordon (Iowa)

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Clive, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Ames, Iowa) – 5 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Progressive Field – Cleveland, Ohio) – 3 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 1 week

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)

Nader Parsaei (Clark Tower – Winterset, Iowa) – 1 week

Amy Peterson (Dayton, Iowa) – 1 week

Christopher D. Bennett (John Wayne Birthplace Museum – Winterset, Iowa)

39 participants this week! A great week. The slow bleed of the last few weeks has been cauterized!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Bahamas (1)
+ Illinois (2)
+ Indiana (1)
+ Iowa (41)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ New York (1)
+ Ohio (1)
+ Texas (1)

Thanks to Scott’s trip we added Kentucky to the list for this year! WooHoo! Thanks to Sabas’ trip we added Ohio to this year’s list! WooHoo!

Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Arkansas (10.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (5)
+ Florida (85)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (5)
+ Indiana (4)
+ Iowa (686)
+ Kansas (26)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (2)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (6)
+ Mississippi (1.5)
+ Missouri (10.5)
+ Nebraska (26)
+ Nevada (2)
+ New York (12)
+ Ohio (1)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (13)
+ South Dakota (3)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (27)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)

28 states so far! 3 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL) – 8
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA) – 7
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY) – 6
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW) – 6
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN) – 5
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA) – 4
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV) – 4
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO) – 4
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN) – 3
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL) – 2
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Sara Lockner (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO) -2
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL) – 2
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2

Jen is in the lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jesse and Andy and Scott are in striking distance though!

Angie, Sara, and Sabas all joined the list of people that have submitted from multiple “PLACES” this year!

The major milestone this week was Becky joining the Double Digit Streak Club! WooHoo! The other major milestone this week is Shannon joining the 2 and a Half Year Streak Club. WooHoo! WooHoo! Woo!

But it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. Johnathan’s 6 week streak came tumbling down! Sacre bleu!

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:

LETTERS OR NUMBERS – Slightly modified from a suggestion by Andy Sharp

LETTERS OR NUMBERS! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see your idea of LETTERS OR NUMBERS in this place that is nothing more than characters at its base level next Monday.