Category Archives: Black & White

Andree, Art, Black & White, History, Iowa State, Jesse, Music, Street Photography, Travel

Home of the Blues – Day 2 – Pep Rally

September 6, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I’m leery of posting pictures from the Liberty Bowl Pep Rally and the events around it the day before the Cy-Hawk game considering how terrible the Liberty Bowl went for the Cyclones. However, if the Cy-Hawk game goes poorly for the good guys, it will have more to do with the complete lack of healthy linebackers the Cyclones will be able to put on the field and not with any kind of bad luck. At least I hope.

Here are some pictures from the Pep Rally and other such events:

Still more pictures from Day 2 to come. Next stop… Sun Records!

Art, Black & White, Christianity, Jesse, Street Photography, Travel

Home of the Blues – Day 2 – Art?

August 30, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Before I went to Memphis, I bought a book of odd or weird things to see in the Home of the Blues. On this list was this piece of art, maybe art in front of a megachurch that was so ridiculous, I had to see it. I had to photograph it. Every single person I described it to before the trip thought it was stupid that I wanted to see it. I don’t even think that Jesse was all that onboard. This is how I knew I was on the right track. We drove pretty far out of our way to see… The Statue of Liberation!

How many people do you know, that have seen both the Statue of Liberty and the Statue of Liberation?

After we left this, we went back to the Beale Street area to checkout a pep rally and a parade!

Art, Black & White, Christianity, History, Jesse, Nature, Railroad, Street Photography, Travel

Home of the Blues – Day 2 – Big River Crossing

August 23, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

After getting breakfast on the 2nd day of the Liberty Bowl Road Trip, we hit the road and then hit our feet and did the Big River Crossing. The Big River Crossing is the longest public pedestrian bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. If you are looking for a bit of exercise and some beautiful views, I highly recommend it.

Here are some pictures:

Haters.

But Jesse and I were just getting warmed up. Our next stop was to visit the dumbest or maybe the most brilliant… no the dumbest piece of art I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a painting by Jackson Pollock), and I loved it!

Art, Black & White, Bokeh, Contests, Flowers, Lowell, Macro, Nature, Ruins, State Fair, Still Life, Tenderloining, Teresa

Food Truckin’: Winery Field Work

August 18, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

By the time this publishes, I will be in possession of my entries to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. So it is safe to reveal what pictures got entered and what picture got shown the door. Which picture was told “You’re no good. Get outta here kid. You got no future!” I bet when the rejected image is revealed, there will be more than a few haters out there that will be filled with joy. That is okay. Marty McFly would go on to revolutionize rock music. Some day my photography will do the same.

Here is what I entered:

Class 11 – Colored Leading Lines – Selected for Display – Honorable Mention

Class 17 – Color Flowers, Plants & Trees – Not Selected for Display

Class 18 – Color Animals, Insects, & Wildlife – Selected for Display

Class 23 – Black & White Places & Landscapes – Selected for Display

This is where I tell you that next year I will put more effort into selecting my submissions. I might even look for the opinions of others. And like the mooks that you guys are, you will totally believe me. Then next year in June I will panic and select and order all my pictures in about an hours worth of time. Any ways, it was a good enough showing this year.

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Back in May Teresa and I met Lowell, Leah, and the rest of the Davis fan out at The Cellar Winery to watch the great Shannon Curfman rock the vineyard. A bonus to the fantastic music was food trucks. One food truck sold grinders which meant your boy had a chance to continue his quest to find a replacement for the grinder from Jennie’s Grinders. Widely, nay, universally considered the finest grinder the world has ever know.

Here are some pictures from the evening:

Mojo Grinders

Lowell and Leah checking out Shannon Curfman merch.

The grinder ended up being a little blah, but the onion rings were the truth!

It could have been better, but I still crushed it!

The cookie was dang good too!

Shannon!

Leah got this funnel cake monstrosity. I didn’t try it, but I bet it was deliciousness personified!

A sign in the winery that I found amusing.

The ultimate verdict. It was an okay grinder, but not transcendent. The quest to find a replacement for Jennie’s Grinder will indeed continue. They need to take the kick up a notch and lightly toasted isn’t the way to go for a grinder. As you can tell in the picture the cheese isn’t fully melted. A grinder needs some texture.

But I would eat it again, but if Mojo Grinders comes back into my sphere of influence, I would probably try something else on the menu. Probably the Porker. I definitely get onion rings again. And that parmesan garlic sauce was fantastic!

Next Sunday, I will cover my State Fair food experience OR a food truck that I had up at Fridays on the Green! You will have to wait and see. I know… the suspense is already killing you. Can you imagine what it is doing to me!

Angie, Art, Black & White, Contests, Jesse, Logan, Nathanial, Night, Politics, Road Trip, State Fair, Street Photography, Travel

Home of the Blues – Day 1 Beta

August 9, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

I made it down to the State Fair briefly last night to see what 3 of my pictures made it. And I came home with the photo book:

So if you are going to go to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon, here are your clues to what 3 pictures I have there. A LEADING LINES picture. A color ANIMAL picture. A black & white PLACES & LANDSCAPES (I think that is the name of the category).

But I wasn’t the only person I know that have pictures at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. 3 other regular contributors put up big numbers down there. Angie got 2 pictures in and won the Superintendent’s Choice for Adult Color. I don’t know what the Superintendent’s Choice is and Angie doesn’t know either, but it is one of the biggest awards there. She also got a picture in for color PEOPLE. Nathanial got 3 pictures in and got 1st Place in PLANES, TRAINS, & AUTOMOBILES AND 1st Place in in SPORTS. He also got a picture in for IOWA PLACES & LANDSCAPES. Logan got 3 pictures accepted. One for PANORAMIC. One for black & white PEOPLE. One for color PEOPLE. I’m not fooling when I say that there are some big time talents that participate in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I’ll reveal my images on the last night of the Fair.

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Time for the second collection of images from Day 1 of Jesse and I’s trip down to Memphis to watch the Liberty Bowl. These picture were all took on Beale Streak. Soaking in the ambience, music, night life, and neon lights. A glorious place. 12 our of 10 stars. Would recommend.

Still one more collection of images to share from the night we spent wandering around Beale Street. But not the last time we did.

Animals, Black & White, Nature, Self-Portrait

Ledging

July 31, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Back in October I took a walk around Ledges and snapped some photos. Seems like a good time to clear them out of the back log and put them up for public consumption.

Like the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, Ledges is one of those places in Boone County that a person can take for granted and it is easy to forget how beautiful and photogenic it is. I try not to forget it, but I do.

Animals, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Nature, Railroad

A Scenic Valley

July 27, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Now that all those glorious black and white images have been shared, time to start hammering away on pictures I took back in 2023. This collection of pictures I took of or near the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad back in October.

Sometimes you have to go far from your home to take exotic and interesting photos. But sometimes you have to remind yourself that near where you live are things that are interesting and exotic to the rest of the world. I try to remind myself of that more and more often.

Alexis, Anela, Animals, Black & White, Brandon, Candid Portrait, Carla, Dahlia, Elainie, Event, Jason, Jonah Kahler, Kanoa, Logan, Sabas, Teresa, WPC - Alternate

When You Were Here Before

July 26, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the last collection of glorious BLACK AND WHITE images I took but didn’t use for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. These were also all taken at Logan’s birthday party.

The ink has barely dried on this post and I’m already sad our trip through all the glorious BLACK & WHITE pictures is over. I can’t wait until BLACK & WHITE is a theme again!

Anela, Birthdays, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Dahlia, Elainie, Event, Jonah Kahler, Kanoa, Logan, Sabas, Still Life

She Probably Give You Butterflies

July 24, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Today is Dahlia’s birthday. So I need to wish her a happy birthday.

Happy birthday Dahlia!

I hope your birthday is filled with plenty of play time!

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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.

Art, Black & White, Boone FUMC, Still Life, WPC - Alternate

But She’s Beautiful, She Looks Kind

July 23, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Time to start sharing the final alternate images for the glorious theme of BLACK & WHITE. All of these images are related to the Boone First United Methodist Church in one way or another. I started my day by worshipping an awesome God at Boone FUMC. Then I spent part of my evening at a 30 mile radius church picnic thing. I didn’t take any pictures there cause I was busy talking with Kio, Shannon, Adam, (and others) while dominating the water balloon toss. And I mean dominating. I almost worry the other competitors felt bad about how thoroughly dominated they were. Some will probably never touch a water balloon again.

Here are some pictures, mostly from the church:

We apparently ran out of “O”s for God and had to use a zero.

There are still a ton of pictures from this day left to share. The rest are from Logan’s surprise birthday party. It will probably take 2 days to share them!