Category Archives: Life

Black & White, Contests, Drone, Flowers, Iowa State, Macro, Nature, Photoshop, Pufferbilly Days, Railroad

Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest Results

September 8, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Another Pufferbilly Days has drawn to a close. Seems like a fitting time to share the pictures that my loyal fans selected for me to enter into the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest and furthermore, if any of those pictures received any form of love.

Here are my entries:

Displayed – Hidden Treasures of Boone County

Displayed – Photojournalism

1st Place – Photoshop

1st Place – Nature

Displayed – Nature

In the last 2 years I’ve been blessed to get 1st Place in 3 of the 4 enigmatic Pufferbilly Days categories. However, Hidden Treasures of Boone County has still eluded me. I got a 3rd Place in that category last year. I might have to make that a focal point of some of my photography in the next few months. Unless I somehow get my wish and get some kind of administrative role with the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

I do have a small group of photographers that would probably help me start my own Photo Contest, I just don’t know in what context I could start a contest and have it work.

Thanks again to everybody who voted to help select my entries!

Candid Portrait, Photo Journal, State Fair, Street Photography

A Photo Journal – Page 64

September 5, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

On the last day of the Iowa State Fair I went to the Fair with Nader and Logan met us down there. Logan has recently purchased a new camera and is thinking of coming back to the family and being a Sony man.

Logan was using his new camera to take some street photography pictures. I used this as an opportunity to knock off Page 64 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 64 – Head out with a fellow photographer and play a game of photography dare.

The point of this page was to be pushed to take a picture that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. I have a pretty big comfort zone when it comes to photography and street photography is something I enjoy for the most part. So I decided to use this as an opportunity to get closer to an unknown subject than I normally do. Thus, this photo of a vendor at the Iowa State Fair.

I actually did take several other pictures on this day, but I don’t like any of them, so you don’t get to see them.

This leaves only the following images left to capture before finally closing the book on THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 18 – Shoot the other half of this picture by Jason Evans. – This is a profoundly stupid page, but I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and do it at some point.
Page 28 – Recreate a famous photograph without looking it up.
PAGE 66-67 – Make a sequence of four pictures inspired by the rise and fall of Britney Spears (or another celebrity).
Page 106-107 – Email one of your pictures to your photography hero and ask them what they hate about it.
PAGE 121 – Show us that photography is a form of magic.
Page 123 – Don’t take any more photographs -none- until you see something that emotionally moves you. Only then pick up your camera.

Animals, Baier, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Derrick, Ernie, Event, Faust, House, James, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Jill, Logan, Monica, Russell, Sara, Scottie D., Shannon, Steve, Teresa

2009-05-29

September 1, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

There are a wide variety of pictures in the folder 2009-05-29. They range from pictures of socks that Shannon made to Ernie trimming trees to baby worst birds to invites to my housewarming party to pictures Sara took at my housewarming party.

The guy in the picture with me and Jesse was my neighbor across the street from me. He would sometimes drop by at all hours of the night. He was a good guy, but his struggles overcame him and he passed away a couple years after this picture was taken.

However, looking at these pictures, it does inspire me to bring back the birthday party in 2020. I’m about 95% sure that I will.

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:

The Fruit of the Mystery Trees
Mr. Bunyan
Memorial Day Backyard
Shindy
Housewarming Invites

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve flowers.

Baby Got Rack, Candid Portrait, Contests, Formal Portrait, Scottie D., State Fair

Baby Take State Fair

August 28, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

A couple Tuesdays back, Baby Got Rack took its award winning Meat Loaf Cupcakes to the Iowa State Fair to compete against the best the Cyclone State has to offer.

I believe there were 8 other combatants in the category of Combo/Specialty and 44 combatants altogether.

Here is a collection of photos from the day that started at 4:45 AM:

The unofficial roster for Baby Got Rack on this day was Scottie D., Hammer, Little Porter, and Humble Narrator. Of course Melissa contributed more than her fair share, but she doesn’t like to take any credit.

We once again won our category, but failed to win the Overall. I believe the beef winner won overall for the second year in a row. Tells me we might need to start hitting beef a little bit harder for next year.

Animals, Bethany, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Macro, Nora, Pufferbilly Days

Pufferbilly Days 2018 Petting Zoo

August 27, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Hitting up the backlog with another collection of pictures from Pufferbilly Days last year. These pictures are from when Bethany, Nora, and I visited the petting zoo.

I believe that to be all of my 2018 Pufferbilly Days pictures backlog.

Alexis, Brandon, Candid Portrait, Carla, Elainie, Holidays, Jason, Logan, Mom, Olympic Sports, Russ, Teresa

2009-05-10

August 24, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures in the folder 2009-05-10 are from a Mother’s Day Celebration. I think it is the first family celebration I hosted at my current abode. Might have been one of the last.

I don’t know that I will ever host one again because my house is on the smaller side, but I do have a new grill and a “new” 60 year old dining room table that seats 8.

Here are some pictures:

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery I was able to restored the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” post to its original glory:

Mother’s Day

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a lift and some socks.

Bethany, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Contests, Naima, Nora, Pufferbilly Days

Last Pufferbilly Days

August 22, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Hitting up the 2018 backlog, thought now would be a good time to share some miscellaneous pictures from the Sunday of the 2018 Pufferbilly Days. Trying to get these out there before this year’s Pufferbilly Days festivities kickoff in a couple of weeks.

Bethany brought Nora down for Pufferbilly Days. Most of these pictures are from when Nora and Bethany rode a ride in the Pufferbilly Days Carnival.

The last two pictures are the two pictures that won their category in last year’s Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

Animals, Baby Got Rack, Boone County Fair, Drone, Jaxon, Jesse, Naima, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Teresa

Selfie Project – July

August 21, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Usually I don’t like to get this late into a month before I publish my favorite photos from the previous months SELFIE PROJECT, but I guess I’ve been busy and I’ve really been trying to be diligent with hitting up that 2018 backlog.

I don’t know that I did anything that was as interesting as what I did in June, but it wasn’t the worst month of the year for me.

Here are my favorites from July:

July 3

July 5

July 6

July 8

July 9

July 11

July 12

July 13

July 14

July 15

July 18

July 19

July 20

July 21

July 24

July 26

July 27

July 28

July 31

I’d like to think that I’ve done some borderline interesting stuff in August so far, with a couple things left to go. A trip to Zeno’s. A trip to the Minnesota State Fair. The first Iowa State football game are all left to go!

Animals, Contests, Drone, Nature, State Fair

Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Results

August 18, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The Iowa State Fair is almost over. While this publishes I should be at the Iowa State Fair having recently picked up the photos I entered in this year’s Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. They’ll be nice and packed up. Ready for the trip home. Ready to be placed in the Photo Contest Trunk. Although at this point, there are actually two Photo Contest Trunks.

Since you can no longer wander around the Photography Salon looking for my picture it is time to reveal the pictures I entered and which one got in…

Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Entry - 2019

Not accepted for display.

Honorable Mention

Not selected for display.

So every year is different and you never really know what the judges will like from year to year (this year, they were really into clowns and setting steel wool on fire), which is why it makes it one of the most difficult and most prestigious contests in the country. People from all over the United States enter it. Which is rare. For example, the photo contest at the Minnesota State Fair doesn’t even allow people from outside of Minnesota to enter it.

It is an accomplishment to get one picture in.

3169 pictures were entered.
757 pictures were exhibited.
207 received ribbons.
1714 Adult color pictures were entered.
313 were exhibited.
476 Adult black and white pictures were entered.
154 were exhibited.

This is the first time in years where I didn’t enter a flower or black & white picture. I’ll need to correct that next year.

The hardest category to get a pictured exhibited was Color Plants, Flowers & Trees. Only 13% of entered pictures were exhibited.

Finally there were 15 photographers that entered from Boone County.

I suppose I should start making plans for next year’s contest. Getting caught up on the backlog would probably be a good start.

Art, Contests, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Nader, State Fair, Street Photography, Willy

Iowa State Fair 2018 – Misc.

August 18, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

This is final collection of Iowa State Fair pictures from 2018. Published just in time for the close of the 2019 Iowa State Fair.

I’ll be spending the day at the Iowa State Fair solo today as all 4 of the people that were going to go with me all gave me the shaft. C’est la vie!

These pictures are from the day I went to the last day of the Fair to pick up my pictures from the Photography Salon. Nader and Jesse went with me on that day.

I’m already looking forward to the 2020 Fair.