Category Archives: Black & White

WPC – WEEK 265 – SELF-PORTRAIT

I need to start by wishing everybody a happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I don’t have a picture to represent this holiday, but I do have a suggestion on a way to celebrate it.

I suggest listening to THIS LAND podcast by Crooked Media. It is pretty incredible and infuriating and addictive. Click on the link below:

This Land

A synopsis of the podcast:

Patrick Murphy was convicted of murder by the state of Oklahoma in 2000. But defense attorneys soon discovered that his conviction may have been based on a lie. Hosted by Rebecca Nagle, an Oklahoma journalist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this podcast will provide an in depth look at how a cut and dry murder case opened an investigation into half the land in Oklahoma and the treaty rights of five tribes. Follow along to find out what’s at stake, the Trump administration’s involvement, the larger right wing attack on tribal sovereignty and how one unique case resulted in the largest restoration of tribal land in US history.

If you find that interesting, and you should because it is fascinating, click on the link above!

+++++++
We did it! WooHoo! 54 straight weeks of double digit submissions!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about the submission rates. You came to see the submissions:


WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - MONICA HENNING
Monica Henning

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - JEN ENSLEY-GORSHE
Jen Ensley-Gorshe

WEEK 265 - SELF-PORTRAIT - DERRICK GORSHE
Derrick Gorshe

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:


WEEK 266 - BLACK AND WHITE
BLACK AND WHITE

BLACK AND WHITE! What a great theme! In fact, I think you all know by now that is it my favorite theme! BLACK AND WHITE photography was my first love. Still my greatest love. What is a BLACK AND WHITE image? Literally any subject, as long as it is taken in BLACK AND WHITE.

BLACK AND WHITE has been a theme six times. It was not included in the first set of 52 themes. A terrible oversight and I blame Vest. Here is a look back at the six times BLACK AND WHITE was a theme:

RWPE Y2 #27 – BLACK & WHITE

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 14 – BLACK AND WHITE

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 74 – BLACK & WHITE

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 133 – BLACK & WHITE

WPC – WEEK 202 – BLACK & WHITE

WPC – WEEK 251 – BLACK AND WHITE

I look forward to seeing your new interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION
The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

+++++++

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very monochrome Monday!

The Last Derecho

This is a collection of pictures I took a few days after the derecho struck Iowa. It is the last of damage caused by the derecho pictures that I have.


Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

Derecho Damage

I happened about 7 weeks ago, but it feels like it was forever ago.

+++++++

This is your reminder that this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is SIGNS:


WEEK 264 - SIGNS
SIGNS

A SIGNS image is any photo where a SIGN is an important compositional element of the picture.

Happy photo harvesting!

If You’re Looking for Hope

The inspiration for today’s picture collection was beautiful flowers. The inspiration for today’s “An Artist’s Notebook” journal title is from a for King & Country song entitled “Together”. Think we are all probably looking for a little hope after the sh!tshow that was the Presidential Debate on Tuesday.

This is for the busted heart
This is for the question marks
This is for the outcast soul
Lost control, no one knows
Sing it for the can’t-go-back
Sing it for the broken past
Sing it for the just found out
Life is now upside down
If you’re lookin’ for hope tonight, raise your hand
If you feelin’ alone and don’t understand
If you’re fightin’ in the fight of your life, then stand
We’re gonna make it through this hand-in-hand
And if we fall
We will fall together
Together
This is for the second chance
This is for the new romance
Sing it for the loved in vain
Overcame, it’s not too late
If you’re lookin’ for hope tonight, raise your hand
If you feelin’ alone and don’t understand
If you’re fightin’ in the fight of your life, then stand
We’re gonna make it through this…

It doesn’t hurt to read that with an Australian accent.

The flowers represented are hollyhocks, lilies, and gazanias. Might be a few golden retriever flowers in there too.


Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

Nature's Amen - 2020

If You're Looking for Hope

If You're Looking for Hope

If You're Looking for Hope

If You're Looking for Hope

If You're Looking for Hope

Last Penny - 2020

Last Penny - 2020

Last Penny - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

Girl in the Blue Skirt - 2020

I could see one of these pictures making the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar. However, it can’t be all flower pictures, can it?

2010-04-08

The pictures in the folder 2010-04-08 are from a photo shoot for my 2010 Birthday Party invitation. The theme for the invitation was “Done Got Old”. The pictures were taken by Sara. The guitar in the pictures was donated by Derrick. The cane was from Sara’s personal collection of canes. And yes, the white shoes were intentional. I was asked this question frequently for some reason.


Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

I hope to have a birthday party in 2021. Hopefully by the we will be through this completely mismanaged pandemic.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” entry to their original glory:

Personal Photo Project of the Week No. 16

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a benefit I photographed.

Rodan139: Water Alternate

I need to start today off by wishing my Mom a happy birthday. Without here, none of this would be possible. Not only would I never exist, she also bought me my first camera. A Minolta Maxxum 450si.

Happy birthday Mom!


Mom and Grandma

WEEK 34 - PORTRAIT - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

Photo of the Day 0036 - June 7, 2014

Custer State Park

Bennett Family Photo Shoot - 2017

December 25, 2019

Bennett Family Photo Shoot - 2017

Vacation 09/23/18 - 10/01/17

Mom

Mom

It hope is as amazing a birthday as you want it to be!

+++++++

I went to Ledges on Sunday morning to take my WATER picture for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I took several pictures. Here are some of the others I took that weren’t ready for the world on Monday.


WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

WPC - WEEK 262 - WATER ALTERNATE

I hope to take Rodan139 out again this weekend. On Tuesday I came off a self-quarantine from a potential exposure from a previous Sunday. As it turns out, I wasn’t exposed, so good news for the friendly skies!

+++++++

This is your reminder that STILL LIFE is this week’s theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:


WEEK 263 - STILL LIFE

A STILL LIFE image is a picture of an inanimate object. Usually posed.

Happy photo harvesting!

2010-04-05

The pictures in the folder 2010-04-05 are from a combination of us introducing Jackson to the greatness of Homerun Derby and then the rest are pictures for a MACRO theme of the first year of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, then known as THE RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT.


WEEK 13 - MACRO - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

WEEK 13 - MACRO ALTERNATE

WEEK 13 - MACRO ALTERNATE

WEEK 13 - MACRO ALTERNATE

WEEK 13 - MACRO ALTERNATE

WEEK 13 - MACRO ALTERNATE

WEEK 13 - MACRO ALTERNATE

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

Makes me want to get a big red bat and knocks some balls around the yard again!

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:

Home Run Derby: The Next Generation

The Virtue of the Bored

RWPE #13 – Macro

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve the most beautiful campus in the entire world.

WPC – WEEK 260 – SKY

We did it! 49 straight weeks of double digit submissions! This week, I did have to pull over next to Ulysses S. Grant’s house and rattle a few cages, but we did make it to double digit submissions!

This is a wrap on the 7th year of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. There were 857 submissions for this set of 52 themes. If you want a walk down memory lane, click on the link below:

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 7

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:


WEEK 260 - SKY - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 260 - SKY - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler

WEEK 260 - SKY - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler

WEEK 260 - SKY - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 260 - SKY - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 260 - SKY - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 260 - SKY - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause

WEEK 260 - SKY - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 260 - SKY - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 260 - SKY - JODIE CUE
Jodie Cue

WEEK 260 - SKY - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

WEEK 260 - SKY - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 260 - SKY - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee

WEEK 260 - SKY - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler

WEEK 260 - SKY - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

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:


WEEK 261 - MACRO
Macro

MACRO! What a great theme! But what is a MACRO photo? It is basically a close-up photo of something.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

+++++++

HOUSEKEEPING


A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

+++++++

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very close Monday!

2010-03-31

The pictures from the folder 2010-03-31 are from when I was officially given the title of Lone Wolf. Willy had been out there masquerading as a lone wolf for years. He had to have his wings clipped by Jay. Jay made me a mask that was presented to me and the title of Lone Wolf was officially bequeathed to me.

To celebrate a title that I have scientifically backed up over the years, I went out and had a photo session with the mask. Sara was the photographer.


The Story

The Story

The Story

The Story

The Story

The Story

The Story

Unfortunately, the mask did fall about a few years ago, but my claim to being the true Lone Wolf never has!

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

The Story

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a transformer and a big red bat. Not together though.

Morning in America

Last Saturday morning I was able to take get up at the crack of dawn and drive down to the High Trestle Trail to take Rodan139 on a flight around the Des Moines River Valley. Well, we didn’t go much around the valley as a I was pretty cautious with flying it there, since it was our first flight in that area.

Here are some of the pictures from the flight:


Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

Morning in America

If anything, I need to leave my house even earlier next time. Although as we quickly approach the fall, sunrise keeps getting later and later. Sunset keeps getting earlier and earlier.

I’m 95% sure one of these pictures will grace the pages of the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar.