Today is Dahlia’s birthday. So I need to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope your birthday is filled with plenty of play time!
Time for another collection of glorious BLACK AND WHITE images. These were all taken at Logan’s birthday party. I hope you like pictures of kids playing in water!
I still have one more collection of glorious BLACK AND WHITE images to share! I’m post black and white, animal triste.
Today is Alexis’ birthday. So I need to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope it is a magical birthday! Dirty Slytherin…
Time to share the final set of BLACK & WHITE pictures I took on the 4th of July that were alternates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Most of these were taken at Scottie D.’s 4th of July Bash.
4 days of glorious BLACK & WHITE images down! 3 more days to go.
Today is Logan’s birthday, so I have to wish him a happy birthday!
I hope your day is filled with quality garage sale finds and a ton of photo opportunities!
Today is also Derrick’s birthday, so I also need to wish him a happy birthday!
I hope your birthday is filled with camping and some tasty face melting guitar solos. Probably some Pink Floyd as well.
Time to share more alternate BLACK & WHITE images for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. These BLACK & WHITE images I took on July 3.
3 days of glorious BLACK & WHITE images shared! 4 more days to go!
Today is going to be a long one, so buckle up and get your popcorn ready!
Today is Jay’s birthday, so I need to start by wishing him a happy birthday.
I hope your birthday is magical in the nothingness you attempt to do!
It is that time of year when a little yellow card shows up in the mailboxes of many a photographer in the state of Iowa. The yellow card that tells you if you had any pictures accepted into one of the hardest photo contests in the country. The Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. A contest that only displays 25% of the pictures submitted. It is the only photo contest that I enter (for a wide variety of reasons) and as such I did get my yellow card in the mail last week. It looked a little something like this:
You might be wondering what pictures I entered this year. I’m the only person that currently knows what pictures I entered. But, you can go down to the Iowa State Fair and see them for yourself. I will reveal what pictures I entered and what pictures got in on the last day of the Fair. As is my custom.
But I wasn’t the only regular contributor to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE that got pictures accepted to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. Angie, Logan, and Nathanial all got pictures accepted! WooHoo! Which makes sense, because when THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE was birthed into existence as THE RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT all those years ago by me and Mike Vest, the idea was (to be honest more his idea than mine) that at the end of the year, you would have 52 photos you could consider for entering in photo contests. Maybe in 2025 there will be MORE than 4 people from THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE displayed at the Iowa State Fair. I have an eye on a few of you.
Must be time to see the submission for BLACK & WHITE, right? Not yet. As you may know, it is about 10 weeks out from the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. So it is past time that I published the rules for this year’s contest. They are identical as last year.
Have a look:
I hope many of you enter again this year! Now I need to get to work!
BLACK & WHITE! A great theme! But did enough people see the world in monochrome to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, July 1, 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)
2-Willy McAlpine – 1 week (IA)
3-Amy Peterson – 1 week (IA)
4-Deanna McClain – 3 weeks (IA, MN)
5-Mary Green – 4 weeks (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR) <2>
6-Sara Lockner – 4 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
7-Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks (IA, MD) <2>
8-Mike Vest – 7 weeks (IA, MO)
9-Alexis Stensland – 10 weeks (IA) <2>
10-Sabas Hernandez – 12 weeks (IA, OH) <2>
11-Adam Gordon – 19 weeks (IA, MS, MO) <2>
12-Lowell Davis – 26 weeks (IA)
13-Michelle Haupt – 26 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA)
14-Brandon Kahler – 27 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 45 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL) <2>
16-Sheri Fakhouri – 55 weeks (IA, NE)
17-Logan Kahler – 55 weeks (IA, MN) <2>
18-Nathanial Brown – 57 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL)
19-Jesse Howard – 56 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
20-Tamara Peterson – 68 weeks (IA, MN)
21-Mindi Terrell – 72 weeks (IA) <2>
22-Linda Bennett – 101 weeks (KS, IA)
23-Sarah Toot – 102 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ)
24-Angie DeWaard – 106 weeks (IA, IL) <2>
25-Dawn Krause – 110 weeks (IA, IL) <2>
26-Kim Barker – 116 weeks (IA, CO, LA) <2>
27-Joe Duff – 117 weeks (TX, NY)
28-Teresa Kahler – 128 weeks (IA, NE) <2>
29-Carla Stensland – 128 weeks (IA, MO, SD)
30-Micky Augustin – 130 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
31-Andy Sharp – 131 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL) <2>
32-Bill Wentworth – 132 weeks (NE, MO)
33-Cathie Morton – 135 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) <2>
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 137 weeks (IA, OH)
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 139 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
36-Kio Dettman – 141 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:
Adam Gordon (Madrid, Iowa)
Alexis Stensland (Boone, Iowa) – 11 weeks
Alexis Stensland (Boone, Iowa)
Andy Sharp (Prescott, Wisconsin) – 132 weeks
Andy Sharp (Plymouth, Minnesota)
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 107 weeks
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 133 weeks
Brandon Kahler (Story City, Iowa) – 28 weeks
Carla Stensland (Devil’s Tower National Monument – Wyoming) – 129 weeks
Carla Stensland (Arkansas River – Salida, Colorado)
Cathie Morton (Ankeny, Iowa) – 136 weeks
Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa)
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 111 weeks
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa)
Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 4 weeks
Elainie Hernandez (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 138 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)
Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Ames, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Joe Duff (New York) – 118 weeks
Joe Duff (New York)
Johnathan Stensland (Iowa) – 1 week
Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 117 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 142 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)
Linda Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 102 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 56 weeks
Logan Kahler (Bone, Iowa)
Lowell Davis (Kansas City, Missouri) – 27 weeks
Lowell Davis (Kansas City, Missouri)
Mary Green (Iowa) – 5 weeks
Mary Green (Iowa)
Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 27 weeks
Micky Augustin (Colo, Iowa) – 131 weeks
Mike Vest (Grove, Oklahoma) – 8 weeks
Mike Vest (Bentonsville, Arkansas)
Mindi Terrell (Mitchellville, Iowa) – 73 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Johnston, Iowa)
Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week
Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa)
Nathanial Brown (Tampa, Florida) – 58 weeks
Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 13 weeks
Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 5 weeks
Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 103 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 46 weeks
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Honey Hollow – Summerset, Iowa) – 140 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 56 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 9 weeks
Suzie Brannen (Iowa)
Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 103 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 129 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
37 participants this week! A pretty good week!
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Arkansas (1)
+ Colorado (1)
+ Florida (1)
+ Iowa (41)
+ Minnesota (1)
+ Missouri (2)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ New York (2)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Wisconsin (1)
+ Wyoming (1)
Thanks to Carla’s travels, we were able to add Wyoming to the map!
Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):
+ Arkansas (16.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (7)
+ Florida (13)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (11)
+ Indiana (4)
+ Iowa (943)
+ Ireland (3)
+ Kansas (36)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (10)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (18.5)
+ Nebraska (34)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (17)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Ohio (2)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (19)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (38)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (2)
+ Wyoming (1)
31 states so far! 1 U.S. Terriorty! 5 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:
+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI) – 10
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL) – 8
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL) – 7
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL) – 7
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA) – 4
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK) – 4
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA) – 2
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO) – 2
Andy now has a commanding lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jen, Jesse, Scott, and Nathanial remain in striking distance though.
There were no major milestones reached this week. And unfortunately a few streaks bit it. Willy and Amy couldn’t build on their submissions from last week. Their streaks are over before they began. Then worst of all, Jesse’s 56 week streak is over! It lasted over a year, but now it is over. The humanity!
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:
FACELESS PORTRAI! 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 FACELESS PORTRAIT in this place that isn’t afraid to show its face next Monday.
Today is Jen’s birthday, so I need to start today by wishing her a happy birthday!
I hope your birthday is as amazing as you want it to be. We also need to get together again at some point! Maybe even before August.
ENTERTAINMENT! A great theme! But did enough people find it entertaining enough to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, June 24, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):
1-Deanna McClain – 2 weeks (IA, MN)
2-Mary Green – 3 weeks (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR)
3-Sara Lockner – 3 weeks (IA, BHS, MN)
4-Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks (IA, MD)
5-Mike Vest – 7 weeks (IA, MO)
6-Alexis Stensland – 9 weeks (IA) <2>
7-Sabas Hernandez – 11 weeks (IA, OH)
8-Adam Gordon – 18 weeks (IA, MS, MO)
9-Lowell Davis – 25 weeks (IA)
10-Michelle Haupt – 25 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA)
11-Brandon Kahler – 26 weeks (IA, MN)
12-Scott Degeneffe – 44 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL)
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 54 weeks (IA, NE)
14-Logan Kahler – 54 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Nathanial Brown – 56 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK)
16-Jesse Howard – 56 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW)
17-Tamara Peterson – 68 weeks (IA, MN)
18-Mindi Terrell – 71 weeks (IA) <2>
19-Linda Bennett – 100 weeks (KS)
20-Sarah Toot – 101 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ)
21-Angie DeWaard – 105 weeks (IA, IL)
22-Dawn Krause – 109 weeks (IA)
23-Kim Barker – 115 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
24-Joe Duff – 116 weeks (TX) <2>
25-Teresa Kahler – 127 weeks (IA, NE) <2>
26-Carla Stensland – 127 weeks (IA, MO)
27-Micky Augustin – 129 weeks (IA, IL, FL)
28-Andy Sharp – 130 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL)
29-Bill Wentworth – 131 weeks (NE, MO)
30-Cathie Morton – 134 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 136 weeks (IA, OH) <2>
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 138 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
33-Kio Dettman – 140 weeks (IA) <2>
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:
Willy McAlpine (Don Williams Golf Course – Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week
Amy Peterson (Ames, Iowa) – 1 week
Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 3 weeks
Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 4 weeks
Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)
Sara Lockner (Waukee, Iowa) – 4 weeks
Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 8 weeks
Suzie Brannen (Iowa)
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 8 weeks
Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 10 weeks
Alexis Stensland (Iowa)
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 12 weeks
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa)
Adam Gordon (Busch Stadium – Saint Louis, Missouri) – 19 weeks
Adam Gordon (Iowa)
Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 26 weeks
Michelle Haupt (Iowa) – 26 weeks
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 27 weeks
Brandon Kahler (Iowa)
Scott Degeneffe (Slater, Iowa) – 45 weeks
Scott Degeneffe (Iowa)
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 55 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 55 weeks
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
Nathanial Brown (Tampa, Florida) – 57 weeks
Nathanial Brown (Tampa, Florida)
Jesse Howard (Minneapolis, Minnesota) – 57 weeks
Tamara Peterson (Perry, Iowa) – 69 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 72 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 101 weeks
Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 102 weeks
Angie DeWaard (Chicago Museum of Science & Industry – Chicago, Illinois) – 106 weeks
Angie DeWaard (Chicago Museum of Science & Industry – Chicago, Illinois)
Dawn Krause (Galena, Illinois) – 110 weeks
Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa)
Kim Barker (Estes Park, Colorado – Prospect Mountain Road) – 116 weeks
Kim Barker (Rocky Mountain National Park – Estes Park, Colorado)
Joe Duff (New York) – 117 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Noir – Ames, Iowa) – 128 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Iowa)
Carla Stensland (Mount Rushmore National Memorial – Keystone, South Dakota) – 128 weeks
Micky Augustin (Florida) – 130 weeks
Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 131 weeks
Andy Sharp (Olive Garde – Ankeny, Iowa)
Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 132 weeks
Cathie Morton (Near Cumming, Iowa) – 135 weeks
Cathie Morton (Des Moines Arts Festival – Des Moines, Iowa)
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 137 weeks
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Summerset, Iowa) – 139 weeks
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 141 weeks
Christopher D. Bennett (Des Moines Arts Festival – Des Moines, Iowa) – 562 weeks
37 participants this week! A pretty good week!
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Colorado (2)
+ Florida (3)
+ Illinois (3)
+ Iowa (38)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Minnesota (1)
+ Missouri (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ New York (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ South Dakota (1)
Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):
+ Arkansas (15.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (8)
+ Florida (12)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (11)
+ Indiana (4)
+ Iowa (901)
+ Ireland (3)
+ Kansas (36)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (9)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (16.5)
+ Nebraska (33)
+ Nevada (4)
+ New Jersey (1)
+ New York (15)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Ohio (2)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (18)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (4)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (38)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (1)
30 states so far! 1 U.S. Terriorty! 5 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, IL) – 8
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL) – 7
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL) – 7
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA) – 4
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL) – 3
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD) -3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL) – 2
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA) – 2
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
Jen and Andy are now tied to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jesse and and Scott and Nathanial are in striking distance though! Joe and Dawn joined the group of people to submit from multiple locations.
There were lots of milestones reached this week. Alexis joined the Double Digit Streak Club! WooHoo! Lowell and Michelle joined the Half Year Streak Club! WooHoo! Micky joined the 2.5 Year Streak Club! WooHoo!
Also, there were no streaks broken this week!
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:
Joe actually suggested MONOCHROME, but I think MONOCHROME and BLACK & WHITE are very similar and BLACK & WHITE will always be a theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, so I’m just crediting Joe with suggesting BLACK & WHITE.
BLACK & WHITE is my first love in photography and it is my favorite theme as well.
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 NECESSITY in this place that I hope some of you find to be one next Monday.
Today is Bethany’s birthday so I have to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope it is an amazing birthday filled with tons of super deep questions from Nora!
Time to share the balance of pictures I took on that trip around Greene County with Teresa.
Now I’m suddenly itching to hit an orchard.
Today is Shannon’s birthday so I need to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope your birthday is filled with soap and/or broom making and not that many stings from bees. But maybe a few. We still need to hit that restaurant in Milo!
Lay down
Wait for the rush of light
And just trust what’s not in sight
And try to breathe
She says
Calm waves
Shorten the amount of time
Between vex and solidified jolts of grief
And He says
Poor Babe….are you poor like me?Slow down
Find a place inside your mind
Mix proverbial rum & wine and try to sleep
She says
Sometimes…even the angel on one side
Gets filled with pity and wasted time and starts to speak
And She says
Poor babe….are you poor like me?It’s possibly impossible to give you enough advice to give you peace
It’s possibly impossible to let you beIt’s the same pain
It’s just a different day
There’s nothing I can say to make it bleed
Same plan
Your shortened attention span
And your textbook search for men make it seem..
Like….poor babe…why am I so mean?‘Cuz It’s possibly impossible to give you enough advice to give you peace
It’s possibly impossible to let you beShine
Don’t you care?
Start to feel the affects of time
It wasn’t just a line
Start to face your choices
These laid courses aren’t so cut and dry
Guess you may start to define “what’s a meltdown?”
Let me offer you my time
After all it’s not a dime..and that’s what’s cheapPoor babe…are you poor like me?
Poor babe…are you poor like me?It’s possibly impossible to give you enough advice to give you peace
It’s possibly impossible to let you be
It’s possibly impossible to give you enough advice to give you peace
It’s possibly impossible to let you be
-Bonne Finken
Since it is Shannon’s birthday today, it seems like a good idea to use a song from one of her favorite artists as the title for today. Bonne Finken is a mostly local/regional artist that Shannon interested me too many moons ago. This isn’t a romantic love song. It might be a friendship love song. I guess you can interpret that how you want. That is both the scary and great thing about art. There is the artist intention and then there is how the audience interprets it. This is what Bonne wrote about the inspiration for the song:
This song was written for a good friend of mine. She was struggling – and kept coming to me for advice – and when I gave her advice – she kept not taking it. There’s only so many times you can watch someone slam their head against a wall…and talk to them about how to make their head stop hurting… Some people yell or walk away. I wrote this song.
Bonne is playing the Waukee Arts Festival on July 19. I might just have to go!
But Thursdays are for flowers. This is a continuation of the flowertography collection I shared last Thursday from my yard:
Next Thursday’s flowertography collection was also taken in my yard. We are almost out of flower pictures I took in 2023. But don’t worry! I’ve been taking plenty in 2024!
Today is Nate’s birthday, so I have to wish him a happy birthday.
I hope you birthday is as peaceful as a birthday can be with triplets running around!
I’ve seen the people
As they walk down the street
Smiling and looking so free
As I stand on the corner
With a tear in my eye
Wondering how it would be
If I’d never asked for what I could not have
Always living for things out of reachNever enough
Forever unsatisfied
Missing a piece of my soul
Never enough
Forever unanswered
Like a prayer that never gets toldFall away troubles, dreams and desires
And let me escape from myself
If I’d never asked for what I could not have
I could live just like everyone elseFall away troubles, dreams and desires
And let me escape from myself
-Written by Kevin Bowe & Shannon Curfman
-Shannon Curfman
Last Sunday I went to see Shannon Curfman with Lowell and his family and Aric and his family and Teresa. I tried to get Derrick to go, but he was being a big ninny! She is one of my favorite musicians ever. Not necessarily in the Top 5 or even Top 10, but one of my favorites. It is a big tent. I felt obligated to include one of her song titles into our Thursday flowertography sessions. The lyrics might not seem obviously romantic, but when you hear the song live, you will know. You will just know.
It isn’t my favorite Shannon Curfman song is “Few and Far Between” and thank you for asking.
You might be wondering if I took any pictures. Mostly cell phone pictures of a grinder for a future food adventure post, but I took a few with the real camera.
Here is my favorite:
But Thursdays are for flowers! This flowertography collection is the rest of the pictures I took of Valerie’s Zinnia Patch (a private exclusive garden):
The next collection of flower images was taken in my yard.
Today is my mother-in-law Colleen’s birthday, so I need to wish her a happy birthday.
I hope your birthday is magical!
I didn’t take many phone pictures on Day 2 and Day 3 in New Orleans, so I’m combining them into one post. Day 2 is when the work begins on setting up for The Big Meeting. Day 3 involves a “training” session and then finishing off setup. But I had sometime to explore on those days.
Here are the pictures:
Then I took a walk up to Jackson Square to see if it was open. It wasn’t.
But got a nice view of the Saint Louis Cathedral.
Then I walked down the river walk and found this cool collection of love locks.
I would love to know this story.
Preach.
Tony and I got to the Convention Center while they were still putting the booth together.
This is by far and I mean by FAR the fastest internet we’ve ever had in a booth.
These snacks were delicious!
The booth put together.
Back at the hotel. I’m kind of a connoisseur of southern mayonnaise. This one has ALL the yolks.
One of my goals was to ride the trolley.
They stopped the trolley so this girl could take a graduation photo with it.
Inside trolley.
Pralines!
That night I had supper with Kim, Michelle, Diane and Gina. Afterwards I ended back up at Jackson Square.
This is the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial.
Final picture I took before going back to the hotel.
Day 3 starts with a 4 hour training session that feels like 8 hours.
Back to the Convention Center.
Got done early enough that I could see the inside of the Saint Louis Cathedral.
They took credit cards.
It is pretty in there.
The altar.
I didn’t take a horse and carriage ride. But I wish I had.
Best name for a restaurant. Ever!
The Rolling Stones played the Jazz Festival the night before.
Taking the trolley to the Garden District.
This guy openly boozed on the trolley. Was super friendly.
Nood Fountain in Audubon Park.
Back on Canal Street. Maybe my favorite graffiti ever.
Last cell phone picture of Day 3.
Still 4 more days of cell phone pictures left to share.
Today is a very important day! Today is Jason’s birthday, so I have to wish him a happy birthday.
I hope you birthday is amazing!
Today is also Memorial Day. The day we honor and mourn U.S. miliary personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
It isn’t the kind of holiday where you say “Happy (insert holiday name)!” But I hope you have a good Memorial Day filled with time spent with friends and/or family.
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:
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.
NOT YOUR HOMETOWN! A great theme, but did enough people escape the confines of their HOMETOWN to go someplace that wasn’t their hometown and take a picture to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!
As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 20, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):
1-Mary Green – 1 week (MI, IA, IN, IL) <2>
2-Sara Lockner – 1 week (IA, MN, BHS)
3-Johnathan Stensland – 1 week (IA)
4-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks (IA, MD)
5-Mike Vest – 2 weeks (IA, MO)
6-Alexis Stensland – 4 weeks (IA) <2>
7-Monica Jennings – 5 weeks (IA)
8-Sabas Hernandez – 6 weeks (IA, OH)
9-Deanna McClain – 10 weeks (IA)
10-Adam Gordon – 12 weeks (IA, MS, MO) <2>
11-Becky Parmelee – 13 weeks (AR, IA, OK)
12-Lowell Davis – 20 weeks (IA) <2>
13-Michelle Haupt – 20 weeks (IA, MO, KS, LA)
14-Brandon Kahler – 21 weeks (IA, MN)
15-Scott Degeneffe – 39 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN) <2>
16-Sheri Fakhouri – 49 weeks (IA, NE)
17-Logan Kahler – 49 weeks (IA, MN) <2>
18-Nathanial Brown – 51 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN)
19-Jesse Howard – 51 weeks (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW)
20-Tamara Peterson – 63 weeks (IA, MN)
21-Mindi Terrell – 66 weeks (IA) <2>
22-Linda Bennett – 95 weeks (KS)
23-Sarah Toot – 96 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV)
24-Angie DeWaard – 100 weeks (IA, IL) <2>
25-Dawn Krause – 104 weeks (IA) <2>
26-Kim Barker – 110 weeks (IA, CO, LA) <2>
27-Joe Duff – 111 weeks (TX) <2>
28-Teresa Kahler – 122 weeks (IA, NE) <2>
29-Carla Stensland – 122 weeks (IA, MO) <2>
30-Micky Augustin – 126 weeks (IA, IL)
31-Andy Sharp – 125 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA)
32-Bill Wentworth – 126 weeks (NE)
33-Cathie Morton – 129 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA)
34-Elizabeth Nordeen – 131 weeks (IA, OH)
35-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 133 weeks (IA, CA, NV)
36-Kio Dettman – 135 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:
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Haines Park – Altoona, Iowa) – 134 weeks
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 132 weeks
Cathie Morton (Middlebrook, Iowa) – 130 weeks
Cathie Morton (Marshalltown, Iowa)
Bill Wentworth (Saint Louis, Missouri) – 127 weeks
Bill Wentworth (Saint Louis, Missouri)
Micky Augustin (Polk County, Iowa) – 127 weeks
Andy Sharp (Pilot Mound/Fraser, Iowa) – 126 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Cellar Winery – Madrid, Iowa) – 123 weeks
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)
Carla Stensland (Okoboji, Iowa)- 123 weeks
Carla Stensland (Arnolds Park, Iowa)
Joe Duff (Texas) – 112 weeks
Joe Duff (Texas)
Kim Barker (Ankeny, Iowa) – 111 weeks
Dawn Krause (Hamilton, Iowa) – 105 weeks
Dawn Krause (Hamilton, Iowa)
Angie DeWaard (Cambridge, Iowa) – 101 weeks
Sarah Toot (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 97 weeks
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 96 weeks
Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa) – 67 weeks
Tamara Peterson (Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Minnesota) – 64 weeks
Nathanial Brown (Jefferson, Iowa) – 52 weeks
Jesse Howard (Norwalk, Iowa) – 52 weeks
Jesse Howard (Laurel, Iowa)
Logan Kahler (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa) – 50 weeks
Logan Kahler (Ames, Iowa)
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa) – 40 weeks
Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)
Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 40 weeks
Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 22 weeks
Lowell Davis (Cellar Winery – Madrid, Iowa) – 21 weeks
Michelle Haupt (Wellsburg, Iowa) – 21 weeks
Becky Parmelee (Rogers, Arkansas) – 14 weeks
Becky Parmelee (Rogers, Arkansas)
Adam Gordon (Ames, Iowa) – 13 weeks
Adam Gordon (Ames, Iowa)
Deanna McClain (Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Minnesota) – 11 weeks
Sabas Hernandez (Arnolds Park, Iowa) – 7 weeks
Alexis Stensland (Arnolds Park, Iowa) – 5 weeks
Mike Vest (Iowa) – 3 weeks
Mary Green (Fairbanks/Manchester, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Johnathan Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 2 weeks
Johnathan Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)
Suzie Brannen (Ottumwa, Iowa) – 3 weeks
Willy McAlpine (Ada Haydn Park – Ames, Iowa) – 1 week
Fran Duncan (Kellogg, Wisconsin) – 1 week
Christopher D. Bennett (Marshalltown, Iowa)
There were 37 participants this week! Same as last week. Not bad for a holiday weekend!
There were submissions this week taken in the following places:
+ Arkansas (2)
+ Iowa (38)
+ Kansas (1)
+ Minnesota (2)
+ Missouri (2)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ Texas (2)
+ Wisconsin (1)
Thanks to Fran’s first ever submission, we added Wisconsin to this year’s map! WooHoo!
Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):
+ Arkansas (14.5)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (2)
+ California (3)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Colorado (5)
+ Florida (85)
+ Georgia (1)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (6)
+ Indiana (4)
+ Iowa (742)
+ Kansas (29)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (1)
+ Michigan (5)
+ Minnesota (8)
+ Mississippi (1.5)
+ Missouri (12.5)
+ Nebraska (28)
+ Nevada (2)
+ New York (12)
+ Ohio (2)
+ Oklahoma (1)
+ Pennsylvania (16)
+ South Dakota (3)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (32)
+ Utah (1)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (1)
29 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, LA) – 6
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA) – 4
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA) – 4
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV) – 4
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV) – 3
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO) – 3
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL) – 4
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK) – 3
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN) – 3
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL) – 2
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Logan Kahler (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
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA) – 2
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
Jen is now in the lead to be crowned “The Most Travelled THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE Photographer!” Jesse and Andy and Scott are in striking distance though!
Deanna and Bill joined the list of people that have submitted from multiple states/places.
The huge milestones reached this week were Nathanial and Jesse both joining the 1 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! Cathie joined the 1.5 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! Woo!
But it wasn’t all peaches and cream. Sara couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Her streak ended before it started. Monica’s streak calls it quits after 5 weeks.
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:
SIGN! 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 SIGN in this place that reads the tea leaves next Monday.
