REMINDER: THIS IS ONE OF TWO WEEKS WHERE YOU CAN LEAVE A SUGGESTION FOR THE THEMES FOR NEXT YEAR’S WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. YOU CAN DO THAT BY LEAVING A COMMENT ON THIS ENTRY ON THE WEBSITE. NO OTHER WAY. DON’T EMAIL THEM TO ME. DON’T TEXT THEM TO ME. LEAVE THEM IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST.

YOU DON’T NEED TO SUGGEST SOME STALWARTS, BECAUSE THE FOLLOWING ARE ALREADY BAKED IN TO THE CAKE:
+ BLACK & WHITE
+ STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
+ ROAD TRIP
+ ART
+ MUSIC
+ #INSTAGOOD
+ SLICE OF LIFE

Today is Nader’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday.

Happy birthday Nader!

I hope your birthday is filled with all the movies you can handle!

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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 EMPATHIZE 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. You will notice, dear Apple Cultists, that .HEIC is not on the list.

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. Hey, that’s today!

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GLASS! What a great theme! But did enough people crack out the glass on a camera to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 21, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA)
2-Mary Green – 3 weeks (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR)
3-Jesse Howard – 3 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
4-Alexis Stensland – 3 weeks (IA)
*5-Suzie Brannen – 4 weeks (IA, MD)
6-Sabas Hernandez – 6 weeks (IA, OH)
*7-Deb Powers – 8 weeks (MT, IA)
8-Monica Jennings – 11 weeks (IA)
9-Sara Lockner – 12 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
10-Willy McAlpine – 15 weeks (IA)
11-Deanna McClain – 19 weeks (IA, MN)
12-Mike Vest – 22 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
13-Lowell Davis – 42 weeks (IA, MO)
14-Brandon Kahler – 43 weeks (IA, MN)
*15-Scott Degeneffe – 61 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
*16-Sheri Fakhouri – 71 weeks (IA, NE)
17-Logan Kahler – 72 weeks (IA, MN, MO)
18-Nathanial Brown – 73 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS, NE, MN, PA,, WI)
19-Tamara Peterson – 84 weeks (IA, MN)
*20-Mindi Terrell – 88 weeks (IA)
21-Linda Bennett – 117 weeks (KS, IA, MI)
*22-Sarah Toot – 118 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC)
23-Angie DeWaard – 121 weeks (IA, IL, SCT, ENG, MN)
*24-Dawn Krause – 126 weeks (IA, IL)
25-Kim Barker – 132 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
26-Joe Duff – 133 weeks (TX, NY)
*27-Teresa Kahler – 144 weeks (IA, NE)
28-Carla Stensland – 144 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
29-Micky Augustin – 146 weeks (IA, IL, FL, AK)
30-Andy Sharp – 147 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI)
31-Bill Wentworth – 148 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
32-Cathie Morton – 151 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
*33-Elizabeth Nordeen – 153 weeks (IA, OH)
34-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 155 weeks (IA, CA, NV, AR, MO)
35-Kio Dettman – 157 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.
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) – 158 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Honey Hollow – Summerset, Iowa) – 156 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Ames, Iowa)- 154 weeks

Cathie Morton (Epcot Center, Florida) – 152 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 149 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 148 weeks

Micky Augustin (Ames, Iowa) – 147 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 145 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 145 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 134 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 133 weeks

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 127 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 122 weeks

Andie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 119 weeks

Sarah Toot (Tannersville, Pennsylvania)

Linda Bennett (New York City, New York) – 118 weeks

Linda Bennett (New York City, New York)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 89 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 85 weeks

Nathanial Brown (New York City, New York) – 74 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Tybee Island, Georgia) – 72 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Tybee Island, Georgia)

Scott Degeneffe (Boone, Iowa) – 62 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Sioux City, Iowa) – 44 weeks

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 43 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 23 weeks

Deann McClain (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 16 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 13 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 9 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 7 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Mary Green (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa)

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Adam Gordon (Ames, Iowa) – 1 week

Adam Gordon (Ames, Iowa)

Kyle Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week

Kyle Sharp (Boone, Iowa)

Johnathan Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa)

37 participants! That is a pretty good week!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida (1)
+ Georgia (2)
+ Iowa (42)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ New York (3)
+ Pennsylvania (2)
+ Texas (2)

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

+ Arkansas (20.5)
+ Alaska (1)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (10)
+ Florida (12)
+ Georgia (3)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (15)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1535)
+ Kansas (59)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (11)
+ Minnesota (15)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (18.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (51)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (4)
+ New York (21)
+ North Carolina (2)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (36)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (5)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (64)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (5)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ Canada (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (2)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

36 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 6 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS, NE, MN, PA, WI, NY) – 14
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA) – 11
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC) – 6
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN) – 6
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV, AR, MO) – 5
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG, MN) – 5
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL, AK) – 4
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN, MO) – 3
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2
+ Layla Gorshe (IA, OH) -2
+ Deb Powers (MT, IA) – 2

Nathanial now has a commanding lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!”

The big… huge… milestone this week was Kio became the first ever member of the 3 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! WooHoo! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all warm fuzzies! Jen couldn’t build on her submission from last week and her streak is over before it began. Monica… oh Monica. Monica who even texted me on Saturday to verify the theme… Moncia’s streak is over at 11!

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:

PLACES

PLACES! What a great them for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

This is a theme that was added because it was a class for the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. It ended up being by far the most popular theme in this year’s Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. So popular I think I’m going to split it into separate categories next year. Something like IOWA PLACES and NOT IOWA PLACES. Still thinking on it.

I look forward to your GLASS 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 PLACES in this place that is a place next Monday.