Category Archives: Animals

Crazy

February 15, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Crazy, I’m crazy for feeling so lonely
I’m crazy, crazy for feeling so blue
I knew you’d love me as long as you wanted
And then someday you’d leave me for somebody new

Worry, why do I let myself worry?
Wondering what in the world did I do?
Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you
I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying

And I’m crazy for loving you
Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you
I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying
And I’m crazy for loving you
-Written by Willie Nelson
-Performed by Patsy Cline

Was kind of feeling this song as I recently endured the 1985 biopic about the life of Patsy Cline starring Jessica Lange called SWEET DREAMS. It is absolutely a dreadful movie. Do not put yourself through it. Somebody really needs to make a better movie about Patsy Cline that is truer to who she was and more historically accurate. Also, a movie that does the scene where she dies in an airplane, not laughably campy. Also, if you do see the movie, know that the airplane she was in didn’t fly straight into the side of the mountain and blow up on impact.

If you took this movie about Patsy Cline at face value, you would think she was never more than a middling success that spent her downtime as a punching bag for her husband. Do yourself a favor and watch COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER. It isn’t about Patsy Cline, but its representation of her is truer to her than this flaming pile of garbage is.

But Thursdays are for flowers. This flowertography session consists of pictures of flowers in my yard:

Next Thursday’s flowertography session will include more flowers from my yard!

Animals, Flowers, Macro

Couldn’t Love You More

February 8, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

If you kissed the sun right out of the sky for me
And if you told me all the lies that I deserve
And if you laid all night in the rain for me

Well, I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
I couldn’t love you more

And if you loved me ’til my eyes gave no more shine for you
If you walked beside me all the long way home
And if you wasted all of your time on me

Well, I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more

And if you gave me all the things I’d never ask of you
And if you showed me all the ways you have to cry
And if you laid all night in the rain for me

I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
John Martyn

I’m not going to cover much about this song. If you are a music lover, and you haven’t heard it, I would urge you to track it down and listen to it. The emotional delivery of the artist will blow you away!

But Thursdays are for flowers! This flowertography session consists of flowers in my yard. Coneflowers, sunflowers, daisies, lilies, oh my!

The warm weather lately has really triggered my urge to do some flowertography. I almost bought some flowers the other day, just to feed the beast. But I didn’t. However, I have today and tomorrow off and depending on how this morning went, I just might.

Animals, Candid Portrait, Jay, Jesse, Nature

Birthday Hikin’

January 27, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

When I celebrated my birthday with Jesse and Jay it was actually a split affair. We celebrated my birthday and Jay’s birthday. We played miniature golf for me. Then Jay chose the restaurant. We ate at a Mexican restaurant in Granger. I took pictures and was going to make it a Sunday food adventure entry, but I found it a little hard to quantify. Then we went to Picket Fence Creamery and got ice cream. Then for the pièce de résistance, we made the hike to the High Trestle Trail Bridge. It was Jay’s first ever trip to the bridge. So while that may have been more for Jay, making this happen was definitely for me.

Some of the pictures here might confuse. Some of you might think they are HDR. Some might think they are Photoshopped. They are neither.

Here they are:

The 1st Step!

Every trip to the High Trestle Trail Bridge is a great trip. Now that Jay has been to the bridge there is only one person left that I badly want to make a trip there. But that is probably a pipe dream. But if I have to smoke opium to make it happen, I guess that is what has to happen.

Anders, Animals, Birthdays, Pufferbilly Days, Street Photography

Pufferbilly Days Parade Three

January 26, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Anders’ birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDERS!

I hope your birthday is filled with all the British and 70s science fiction you can handle!

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Time to share the final collection of images from the Pufferbilly Days Parade and the final collection of Pufferbilly Day images altogether. Man… you will have to wait until September for more Pufferbilly Day images. Stay strong.

Probably would be a good time to start sharing pictures from my many trips to the Iowa State Fair.

Animals, Flowers, Nature

High Trestle Trailin’ It!

January 13, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Back on June 23 I took a little jaunt out to the High Trestle Trail Bridge. If you are going to go out there, it would be tragic if you didn’t take a picture or three. So I took a few. Here are some of those pictures:

It has been awhile since I’ve been out there. Maybe I should go tomorrow. Anybody know what the weather is supposed to be like?

Animals, Art, Baseball/Softball, Black & White, Calendar, Christianity, Drone, Flowers, Iowa State, Macro, Nature, Night, Slice of Life, Street Photography

2024 Photography 139 Calendar Rejects: The Ending

January 9, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the rest of the images that were rejected for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. Some of these are similar to ones included in the calendar. They come from a wide range of projects. From auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to alternates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE to some just good old flowertography

There is still one more post about the 2024 calendar left. Then we can put it to bed or up on some walls.

Animals, Art, Black & White, Calendar, Christianity, Flowers, Kim, Lensbaby, Macro, Nature, Night, Ruins, Street Photography, Travel

2024 Photography 139 Calendar Rejects: The Beginning

January 7, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the final image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. The December image. It is an image of an abandoned (methinks) church I found in northeast Iowa on a THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT road trip:

DECEMBER

I chose this image for December because I usually like to either use a cold picture or some religious imagery for the December image. This picture might not scream “Christ is born!” but it is of a church. Not a lines are straight.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: August 20, 2022 – 12:34 PM
LENS: 28-75 f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 28mm
EXPOSURE TIME: 1/5000
ISO: 100

It was converted to black & white in Photoshop.

That is it, that is the final image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. But while those 13 images were selected for the calendar, they weren’t the only ones considered. Not by a long shot. There were 73 other images considered and not included. But I would like to give them some love.

Here is the first collection of reject images:

There still another 36 images that didn’t make the cut. That doesn’t mean that won’t make the cut next year. The cover image for the 2024 Calendar was rejected for the 2023 calendar. Share the rest on Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday.

Andy, Animals, Art, Black & White, Calendar, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Naima, Nature, Ruins, Town Sign Project, WPC - Alternate

And They’ll Think that I am So Exciting

January 6, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

It is time to share the November image from the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar image. It is a picture of the redbud trees in Red Haw State Park.

NOVEMBER

I chose this picture for November because it had purple in it.

TECHINICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: April 29, 2023 – 12:23 PM
LENS: 17-28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 17mm
APERTURE: f/6.3
EXPOSURE: 1/160
ISO: 100

Tomorrow I will show the last image from the 2024 calendar.

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Now is the time to clean up the May backlog. These images were taken in May, but never really fit into a previous “An Artist’s Notebook” post. Some of are Naima. Some were alternate images for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Hopefully all are of interest.

It definitely feels good to get some of the backlog cleared out!

Animals, Black & White, Calendar, Football, History, Iowa State, Jesse, Music, Night, Ruins, Street Photography, Travel

Liberty Bowl Trip Cell Phone Pictures

December 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the May image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. It is a picture taken off of I-80 near the exit that takes you to the Amana Colonies:

MAY

I chose this picture for May because I usually put a picture in May that is a picture that I love that I think most people won’t. Frequently that is an image of ruins. Which of course I love. Particularly black and white picture of ruins.

TECHNICAL DETAIL

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: August 8, 2022 – 9:06 AM
LENS: E 28-75MM f/2.8
FOCAL LENTH: 75mm
EXPOSURE: 1/1000
ISO: 100

Tomorrow I will share the June image!

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While the football game didn’t go the way I had hoped. It was a full on embarrassment, but that is how the cookie crumbles. It still was an incredible trip. Thought I would go ahead and share some cruddy cell phone pictures from the trip to start:

I’ll get into details about the trip at a later date.

Animals, Art, Becca, Bethany, Billy, Candid Portrait, Colleen, Dory, Formal Portrait, J.T., Laura, Nate, Nora, Road Trip

Minnesota Independence Day Road Trip – Day 1

December 20, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in July I took a road trip up to Minnesota near the 4th of July to visit family. Here are a few pictures from Day 1 of the trip:

Independence Day Minnesota Road Trip - Day 1

Coming across Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store was a welcome surprise. Apparently Nora has wanted to go there forever, but Bethany has always shot her down, but this time I talked them into guy. Cause that is what I do. I make dreams come true. Especially dreams that involve candy.

A collection of pictures from Day 2 is still to come!