Category Archives: Drone

Post 5,250

Can you believe that this is the 5,250th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats.

As always on these posts, I like to start by quoting the very first “An Artist’s Notebook” entry that published on August 9, 2006. That first post that published 6,296 days.

That post that started with these words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 5,250 journal entries. This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #5005 & INCREASE SINCE BEGINING OF 2024)

10. Carla – 632 (#10 – 39)
9. Formal Portrait – 655 (#6 – 6)
8. Teresa – 657 – (#9 – 49)
7. Road Trip – 657 (#8 – 32)
6. Macro – 662 (#7 – 26)
5. Jesse – 754 (#5 – 54)
4. Animals – 833 (#3 – 34)
3. Art – 842 – (#4 – 75)
2. Flowers – 1,010 (#2 – 40)
1. Black & White – 1,221 (#1 – 27)

No categories dropped from the Top 10. The categories with the best shot at cracking the Top 10 in the next 250 posts are Shannon, Nature, WPC-Submissions, Candid Portrait, & Still Life.

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Candid Portrait – 504 (#9 – 16)
9. WPC-Submissions – 563 (NR – 27)
8. Nature – 568 (#8 – 26)
7. Formal Portrait – 655 (#5 – 6)
6. Road Trip – 657 (#7 – 32)
5. Macro – 662 (#9 – 26)
4. Animals – 833 (#3 – 34)
3. Art – 842 – (#4 – 75)
2. Flowers – 1,010 (#2 – 40)
1. Black & White – 1,221 (#1 – 27)

Photoshop dropped out of the Top 10.

The categories with the best shot of cracking the Top 10 in the next 250 posts are Still Life, Photoshop, Naima, History, and Self-portrait.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES

10. Willy – 379 (NR – 27)
9. Vest – 388 (#10 – 29)
8. Micky – 399 (#8 – 29)
7. Logan – 428 (#7 – 37)
6. Kim – 441 (#6 – 35)
5. Mom – 473 (#5)
4. Shannon – 615 (#4 – 30)
3. Carla – 632 (#3 – 39)
2. Teresa – 657 (#2 – 49)
1. Jesse – 754 (#1 – 54)

Jay dropped out of he Top 10. The categories that have the best chance of breaking into the Top 10 in the next 250 posts are Andy, Jay, Jen, Sara, and Derrick.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 208 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but no real reason. Some of those categories probably need to be purged. I do like to cover the Top 10 of the Bottom 100 though.

THE BOTTOME 10 OF THE TOP 100

10. Nathanial – 82 (+29)
9. Layla – 84 (+8)
8. Commercial – 84 (0)
7. House – 91 (+1)
6. Writing – 92 (0)
5. Becca – 92 (+2)
4. Pastor Sarah – 93 (+2)
3. Pufferbilly Days – 95 (+4)
2. Tenderloining – 96 (+25)
1. Faust – 96 (+4)

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:
Andree, Flat Earth Joe, Self-Portrait Project, and Sabas

The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Russell, Nate, Jill, Blogging, Sabas, and Lowell.

The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Andree, Photo Journal, Self-Portrait Project, Flat Earth Joe, and Mary.

I’m now starting to track what categories have had the greatest gain. These are the ones that have the greatest gain since the beginning of 2024.

THE TOP 10 CATEGORIES BY GAIN

10. Kim – 35
10. Andy – 35
10. Michelle – 35
8. Logan – 37
8. Elizabeth – 37
7. Carla – 39
6. Flowers – 40
5. Teresa – 49
4. Jesse – 54
2. Still Life – 72
2. Street Photography – 72
1. Art – 75

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES BY GAIN

9. Nature -26
9. Nature – 26
7. Black & White – 27
7. WPC – Submissions – 27
6. Road Trip – 32
5. Animals – 34
4. Flowers – 40
2. Still Life – 72
2. Street Photography – 72
1. Art – 75

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES BY GAIN

9. Scottie. D. – 33
9. Linda – 33
9. Sabas – 33
6. Kim – 35
6. Andy – 35
6. Michelle – 35
4. Logan – 37
4. Elizabeth – 37
3. Carla – 39
2. Teresa – 49
1. Jesse – 54

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

Naima at Dickcissel Park
10. Naima – 72,941 views

Rodan139: Des Moines River Valley
9. Drone – 73,421 views

9 Emotions Project - Anders Runestad
8. 9 Emotions Project – 98,062 views

WEEK 32 - COUNTRY - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
7. Weekly Photo Challenge Year 3 – 124,533 views

Bonaparte, Iowa
6. Town Sign Project – 127,555 views

Tenderloin Trail 2.0: The Feed Mill Restaurant
5. Tenderloining – 134,777 views

Jackson County - Saint Donatus
4. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 172,671 views

WPC - WEEK 449 - TIME - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
3. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 11 – 192,976 views


2. Instagram – 212,131 views

WEEK 388 - FRAME - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 11 – 289,984 views

Galleries that fell out of the Top 10 are:
Las Vegas 2023, Weekly Photo Challenge Year 9, Selfie Project – 2022,

Galleries that fell just outside of the Top 10 are:
Life, 365 Day Photo Project -2013, Memphis – 2023, New Orleans – 2024, Phot Journal Rejects.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - 2023
10. 2,475 views

RedzBand - 05-30-2008
9. 2,508 views

Watermelon Day - 2023
8. 2,812 views


7. 3,774 views


6. 3,875 views

Color the Wind - 2023
5. 3,999 views

Ben Baier - 2024
4. 4,020 views

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023
3. 4,305 views

Kentucky Road Trip - 2013
2. 4,816 views


1. 20,050 views

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500
Post 4,757
Post 5,005

I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 250 posts.

2024 Photography 139 Calendar Rejects: The Ending

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


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

Rancho Deluxe – I

It is time to share the August image from the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. It was a picture taken with Rodan139 of RAGBRAI east of Luther.


2024 Calendar - August
AUGUST

I chose this RAGBRAI picture for August because RAGBRAI is a summer activity.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

CAMERA: Hasselblad L1D-20c
DATE: July 25, 2023 – 4:30 PM
LENS: 28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 28mm
APERTURE: f/4.5
EXPOSURE: 1/200
ISO: 100

Tomorrow I will reveal the September image!

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High up on my list of things to see in 2023 is that kind of private art garden in Mason City known as Rancho Deluxe. Jesse and I stopped there on our way to Minnesota and it didn’t disappoint.


Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe
Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

Rancho Deluxe

There is another collection of images from this sweet place left to share.

WPC – WEEK 433 – HUMANS

It is time to share the July image from the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar image. It is a picture taken with Rodan139 of somebody setting off fireworks on the 4th of July in my neighborhood.


2024 Calendar - July
JULY

I chose this image since I felt the fireworks represented the 4th of July well.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

CAMERA: Hasselblad L1D020c
DATE: July 24, 2023 – 1010 PM
LENS: 28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 28mm
APERTURE: f/5.6
EXPOSURE: 3 seconds
ISO: 400

Tomorrow I will share the August image!

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HUMANS! They are all over the place! But are there enough of them kicking around to make HUMANS a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, December 25, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Evie Gorshe – 1 week
2-Mary Green – 1 week
3-Elainie Hernandez – 1 week
4-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
5-Alexis Stensland – 1 week
6-Scott Degeneffe – 18 weeks
7-Sabas Hernandez – 19 weeks
8-Mike Vest – 24 weeks
9-Sheri Fakhouri – 28 weeks (3)
10-Logan Kahler – 29 weeks (3)
11-Nathanial Brown – 30 weeks (2)
12-Jesse Howard – 30 weeks
13-Tamara Peterson – 33 weeks (2)
14-Mindi Terrell – 45 weeks (3)
15-Linda Bennett – 74 weeks (2)
16-Sarah Toot – 75 weeks (2)
17-Angie DeWaard – 79 weeks
18-Dawn Krause – 83 weeks
19-Kim Barker – 89 weeks
20-Joe Duff – 90 weeks (2)
21-Teresa Kahler – 101 weeks (3)
22-Carla Stensland – 101 weeks (2)
23-Micky Augustin – 103 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 104 weeks
25-Bill Wentworth – 105 weeks (3)
26-Cathie Morton – 109 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 110 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 112 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 114 weeks (3)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:


WPC 433 - HUMANS - BRANDON KAHLER
Brandon Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SARA LOCKNER
Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 433 - HUMANS - CARRIE MOELLERS
Carrie Moellers (Mambai, India) – 1 week

WPC 433 - HUMANS - AMY PETERSON
Amy Peterson (Jewell, Iowa) – 1 week

WPC 433 - HUMANS - AMY PETERSON
Amy Peterson (Ames, Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Michigan) – 2 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MARY GREEN
Mary Green (Michigan)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SCOTT DEGENEFFE
Scott Degeneffe (Goldie’s – Prairie City, Iowa) – 19 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SABAS HERNANDEZ
Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 20 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest (Noel, Missouri) – 25 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 29 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SHERI FAKHOURI
Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 30 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - LOGAN KAHLER
Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - NATHANIAL BROWN
Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 31 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS -JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Sun Records – Memphis, Tennessee) – 31 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS -JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard (Big River Crossing – Memphis, Tennessee)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson (Swede Valley Church – Rural Boone County) – 34 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 46 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MINDI TERRELL
Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 75 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - LINDA BENNETT
Linda Bennett (Kansas)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SARAH TOOT
Sarah Toot (Kansas City, Missouri) – 76 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - ANGIE DEWAARD
Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 80 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 84 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker (Iowa) – 90 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - JOE DUFF
Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 91 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 102 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - TERESA KAHLER
Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa) – 102 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa)

WPC 433 - HUMANS - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin (Story County, Iowa) – 104 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 105 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth (Saint Louis, Missouri) – 106 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - CATHIE MORTON
Cathie Morton (Waukee, Iowa) – 110 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 111 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley (Tursi’s Latin King – Des Moines, Iowa) – 113 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 115 weeks

WPC 433 - HUMANS - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett (Beale Street – Memphis, Tennessee) – 537 weeks

30 participants! That is a pretty great week, considering the holiday! Thanks to Cathie’s sister we end the year with a new country. India! I believe that to be the first submission from Asia ever for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Kansas
+ India
+ Iowa
+ Missouri
+ Tennessee
+ Texas

Here is the final calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Indiana
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Virgin Islands
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

41 states and 1 district and 1 territory! That is pretty impressive! Over 80% of the way there!

The state nobody submitted from are:
+ Alabama
+ Alaska
+ Connecticut
+ Delaware
+ Maine
+ Massachusetts
+ Rhode Island
+ Virginia
+ West Virginia

Here is the final map for 2023:



The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Canada
+ Peru
+ France
+ Austria
+ Germany
+ Italy
+ India
+ Slovenia
+ Belize

The big milestone this week was Micky joining the 2 Year Streak Club! WooHoo!

But not everybody rang in the new year with their streak intact. Evie’s couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Either could Elainie. Or Willy. Or Alexis.

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 434 - Sunday Morning
SUNDAY MORNING – SUGGESTED BY SARAH TOOT

SUNDAY MORNING! What a great first theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

This year I’m not going to give a description of the theme. I’m going to trust you can figure it out on your own and through the theme reveal image. However, if you do have a question, don’t be afraid to ask.

Here is an updated list of the rules for Year 11:


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.
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 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.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of SUNDAY MORNING in this place that likes to have plenty of submissions by Sunday morning next Monday.

Rodan139: Boone FUMC Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving I took Rodan139 out for a very brief spin to take some pictures of the Boone First United Methodist Church’s Community Thanksgiving Dinner. It was very brief as Rodan139 was constantly be harassed by a flock of birds (the same flock of birds I photographed for my ANIMAL submission) so I brought the drone down after only a few minutes.

Here are some of the pictures I took:


Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Community Thanksgiving - 2023

Hopefully I can get Rodan139 out again sometime soon. We will have to see.

Post 5,005

I need to start this milestone post by wishing Elainie a happy birthday!


Day 57 - February 26, 2022
Happy birthday Elainie!

I hope your birthday is amazing!!

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Today is also Layla’s birthday!


Day 278 - October 5, 2021
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAYLA!

I hope you have an awesome birthday!

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Can you believe that this is the 5,005th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats. I meant to post this post on Sunday night when it would have been Post #5,000, but you know how my week went. Not great.

As always on these posts, I like to start by quoting the very first “An Artist’s Notebook” entry that published on August 9, 2006. That first post that published 6,296 days.

That post that started with these words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 5,005 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

5,005 posts. I can’t even measure the elevation changes my life have taken since then. Major ups. Major downs. Peaks and valleys. 5,005 posts and I vow to keep on chugging along.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #4757 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Carla – 582 (#8 – +52)
9. Teresa – 590 (#9 – +65)
8. Road Trip – 611 (#6 – +42)
7. Macro – 627 (#10 – +132)
6. Formal Portrait – 638 (NR)
5. Jesse – 684 (#4 – +54)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

Dropping from the from the Top 10 was Shannon, a category that was #7 in Post #4757.

The 5 categories that have the best shot at making the Top 10 in Post #5,250 are Shannon, Nature, WPC-Submissions, and Candid Portrait.

It should be noted that some of these increases are caused by my working on the categories on some older posts.

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 432 (#10 – +43)
9. Candid Portrait – 475 (NR)
8. Nature – 538 (+101 – #8)
7. Road Trip – 611 (#5 – +42)
6. Macro – 627 (#6 – +132)
5. Formal Portrait – 638 (#8 – +191)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

WPC-Submission fell out of the Top 10. It was ranked #7 in Post #4757.

The categories that are just right outside of the Top 10 are Still Life, Naima, History, and Self-Portrait and Christianity.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Vest – 350 (NR)
9. Jay – 353 (#6 – +5)
8. Micky – 359 (NR)
7. Logan – 380 (#9 – +61)
6. Kim – 395 (#7 – +53)
5. Mom – 464 (#5 – +6)
4. Shannon – 576 (#2 – +37)
3. Carla – 582 (#3 – +52)
2. Teresa – 590 (#4 – +65)
1. Jesse – 684 (#1 – +54)

Dropping from the rankings was Willy and Derrick.

The categories that have the best shot at cracking the next Top 10 are Willy, Derrick, Jen, Andy, and Sara.

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 203 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #203 probably needs to be purged.


THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100

#10. Andree – 77
#10. Flat Earth Joe – 77
#10. Self-Portrait Project – 77
#9. Photo Journal – 79
#8. Commercial – 83
#7. Sabas – 84
#6. Becca – 89
#3. Pufferbilly Days – 91
#3. Pastor Sarah – 91
#3. House – 91
#1. Faust – 92
#1. Writing – 92

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:
Kelly, Lowell, and Suzie.

The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Sarah Toot, Lowell, Suzie, Russell, and Nate

The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Layla, Kelly, Vacation, Saydie, and Kalista

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

Now I don't want your sympathy
10. Naima – 64,796 views

Tenderloin Trail 2.0 - Stumble Inn
9. Tenderloining – 75,558 views

9 Emotions Project - Elainie
8. 9 Emotions Project – 81,405 views

Day 267 - September 24, 2022
7. Selfie-Project – 2022 – 88,632 views

Rodan139: Water Works Park
6. Drone – 99,708 views

WEEK 364 - COLORFUL - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
5. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 108,852 views

Anita, Iowa
4. Town Sign Project – 118,563 views

Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Las Vegas 2023 – 169,257 views

Plymouth County - Le Mars
2. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 219,546 views

WEEK 414 - ART - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 10 – 323,781 views

Galleries that fell out of the Top 10 are:
Christopher D. Bennett, Miami Beach, Jayton Poole, and Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020

Galleries that fell just outside of the Top 10 are:
Sleeping Angels – 2023, Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 6, Photo Journal Rejects, Iowa State Cyclones Football – 2008, and Christopher D. Bennett.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

Sleeping Angels Fun Run - 2023
10. Sleeping Angels Fun Run – 2,772 views

Maven's Birthday Party - 2022
9. Maven’s Birthday Party – 2022 – 2,820 views

Community Thanksgiving - 2022
8. Boone FUMC Thanksgiving – 2022 – 3,073 views

Color the Wind - 2023
7. Color the Wind – 2023 – 3,149 views

Celtic Dancing - Renaissance Fair - 2022
6. Renaissance Fair – 2022 – 3,302 views

Fran & Pepper - 2022
5. Fran and Pepper – 3,687 views

World Food Festival - 2022
4. World Food Festival – 2022 – 3,754 views

Howards - 2022
3. Howards – 2022 – 3,976 views

Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest - 2023
2. 2023 Barbecue Contests – 4,168 views

2023 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Game
1. Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship – 18,045 views

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500
Post 4,757

I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 245 posts.

Rodan139: Fraser

A couple of weeks ago I took Rodan139 out for a flight around the Des Moines River valley near Fraser. My intent/hope was to maybe get some pictures of the Boone Scenic Valley steam engine back in action, but it turns out it doesn’t go as far into Fraser as it used to. But I still got some pictures of leaves turn and only had a mildly disconcerting run-in with an area pit bull.


Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

Rodan139: Fraser

The next collection of drone photos will also be of the Des Moines River valley.

Rodan139: Homecoming Art

I got a chance to take Rodan139 out of the hangar recently to stretch its wings and check for a new firmware update that was rumored, but it was not there. I took it to Goeppinger Field to photograph some of the street art done by Boone High students for their Homecoming game a couple of weeks ago.


Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

Rodan139: Goeppinger Field

I did take Rodan139 out a couple of different times this weekend. So there are more pictures coming! One of those trips including a run-in with a pit bull, but that is a story for another day.

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Today is Sara’s birthday, which means I have to wish Sara a happy birthday!


June 11

Happy birthday Sara!!! I hope your day is filled with a bunch of Brandi Carlile and some Tres leches cake!

+++++++

Today is also Scottie D.’s birthday! Which means I get to say Happy birthday Scottie D.!!


June 15

I hope your birthday is filled with good food, expensive bourbon, and even just a little bit of DMB!

+++++++

It is getting near the end of drone season so I really need to start taking Rodan139 out as much as possible. Although I need to sort out a firmware update and some Remote ID stuff here shortly. I did take Rodan139 out for a brief flight around Water Works Bridge recently though. Here are some pictures:


Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

Rodan139: Water Works Park

I don’t have any other drone pictures in the can right now, but I’m sure I’ll take it out for a flight sometime in the near future.