Category Archives: Drone

Postcard Recreation Project – Bird’s Eye View

January 27, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

This round of old-timey postcard recreations for THE POST CARD RECREATION PROJECT don’t really have a history lesson to go with them. They are simply a “bird’s eye view” of downtown Boone.

Have a look:

Bird’s Eye View of Boone, Iowa – Original

Bird’s Eye View of Boone, Iowa – Redux

13599 – Bird’s Eye View of Boone, Ia – Original

13599 – Bird’s Eye View of Boone, Ia – Redux

Bird’s Eye View of Boone, Iowa – Modern Interpretation

The next time we visit THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT, it will involve more views of downtown Boone, but from a more grounded vantage point.

9 Emotions Project, Alexis, Animals, Art, Baier, Black & White, Blogging, Carla, Cousin Amy, Derrick, Drone, Elainie, Elizabeth, Faust, Flowers, Football, Formal Portrait, History, Iowa State, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Joe, Johnathan, Jorge, Logan, Macro, Michelle, Mom, Nature, Photoshop, Politics, Road Trip, Sara, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Shannon, Taylan, Teresa, Vest, Willy

Post #4,000

January 19, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

August 9, 2006. That was the date where I first took keyboard in hand and began typing out the blog that I entitled “An Artist’s Notebook”. I entitled that first post “First Journal Entry”. The categories for that first post were “Blogging”, “Contests”, “Jay”, and “Sara”.

This is the first paragraph I posted:

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”.

Then it goes on to talk about how I attended the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Reception with Sara to see what two pictures had been accepted for display that year. Then I would go on to talk about how Jay had talked me into entering the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

The last line of the entry was simply:

I don’t want to mail it in.

While I was actually referencing the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest, it is my hope that I also didn’t choose to “mail it in” as it pertains to “An Artist’s Notebook”.

It has been 5,276 days since that first post. 5,276 days to reach this day and the 4,000th post in this blog, or “online journal” like I sometimes call it when I don’t like calling it a blog. It is hard to believe I have made it this far, for this long.

It hasn’t been necessarily smooth sailing the whole time. My website has been through a couple different servers. I have been through a couple different hosts for the blog part of the website. I have been through 4 (I think) different image hosting options in those 5,275 days. That jumping around for image hosting solutions did cause the problem that images from my posts from the first few years of this website’s existence have had to be “restored” slowly over time. So far I have semi-successfully restored all the entries though June of 2010. Which means, I still have a full year’s worth of entries left to restore. Somewhere in 2011, was when I fully made the move to my current SmugMug image hosting solution. I have unfortunately lost a few images, probably forever, mostly old phone pictures, but those old posts are as complete as they will ever be.

When I hit these milestones, I like to publish a lot of fairly meaningless stats. This one will be no different. So, here are the “An Artist’s Notebook” categories that I have used the most often:

Top 10 An Artist’s Notebook Categories

#1. Black & White – 698 Entries

#2. Flowers – 693 Entries

#3. Animals – 620 Entries

#4. Jesse – 495 Entries

#5. Portrait – 472 Entries

#6. Shannon – 421 Entries

#7. Carla – 391 Entries

#8. WPC – Submissions – 381 Entries

#9. Teresa – 364 Entries

#10. Mom – 363 Entries

Top Ten An Artist’s Notebook People Categories

#1. Jesse – 495 Entries

#2. Shannon – 421 Entries

#3. Carla – 391 Entries

#4. Teresa – 364 Entries

#5. Mom – 363 Entries

#6. Jay – 320 Entries

#7. Derrick – 295 Entries

#8. Willy – 268 Entries

#9. Vest – 258 Entries

#10. Jen – 254 Entries

Top Ten Non-People An Artist’s Notebook Categories

#1. Black & White – 698 Entries

#2. Flowers – 693 Entries

#3. Animals – 620 Entries

#4. Portrait – 472 Entries

#5. WPC – Submissions – 381 Entries

#6. Nature – 349 Entries

#7. Macro – 332 Entries

#8. Photoshop – 327 Entries

#9. Road Trip – 326 Entries

#10. Art – 314 Entries

People often ask what is the best way to improve their Photography 139 Category Score. The easiest way is to submit pictures to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. But posing for and assisting me with photo project or photo adventures is also a very good way.

What people have a shot at cracking the Top Ten by the time we hit Post #5,000? Kim, Sara, Logan, and Micky all have a shot. But 1,000 posts is a long ways away. So anybody has a shot!

But what are the Ten Most Popular Photo Galleries in Photography 139 history? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that question. I can only process stats up to 365 days ago. However, I can tell you the Ten Most Popular Photo Galleries of the last 365 Days are.

Click on the image to peruse that gallery.

Top Ten Most Popular Photography 139 Galleries (by view) of the Last 365 Days

WEEK 209 - ARCHITECTURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

#1. WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – YEAR 7 – 57697 Views

#2. Christopher D. Bennett – 41080 Views

#3. 9 Emotions Project – 36972 Views

#4. Taylan Howard – 2020 – 34075 Views

#5. Daisies – 26800 Views

#6. Drone – 24659 Views

#7. Weekly Photo Challenge – HOF – 24603 Views

#8. Family Happenings – 18,231 Views

#9. Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020 – 17057 Views

#10. Black Lives Matter – Boone – 2020 – 16160 Views

The Ten Most Popular Photography 139 Images of the Last 365 Days (by Views)

#1. 7254 Views

#2. 3153 Views

#3. 2460 Views (Photo by Logan Kahler)

#4. 2228 Views

#5. 2127 Views

#6. 2111 Views

#7. 1971 Views

#8. 1916 Views

#9. 1891 Views

#10. 1830 Views

Now the secret to the popularity of some of these images is that they are cover photos for albums, but shhhh… don’t tell anybody!

Another category of meaningless statistics, I’d like to share is what have been the most popular posts since the inception of “An Artist’s Notebook”. Although it might not be the most accurate way to judge such things, the only statistic I can use to judge this is “Comments” left on each post. That doesn’t mean emails or text messages or comments I received in person. These are comments that were left in the Comments section of each post.

Most Popular An Artist’s Notebook Entries (by Comments)

#1. The People’s Choice Round Two – 24 Comments

#2. Weekly Photo Challenge – Week 9 – Food – 22 Comments

#2. Weekly Photo Challenge – Week 43 – Sunrise/Sunset – 22 Comments

#4. Town Sign Project: Hamilton County – 21 Comments

#4. Town Sign Project: Dallas County – 21 Comments

#6. Postcard Recreation Project: Some Churches – 20 Comments

#6. Rodan139: Swede Valley Lutheran Church – 20 Comments

#8. Will History Blame Me… – 19 Comments

#9. Yo, Ya Just Get in that, You Get in that Head Space, Ya Know – 15 Comments

#9. You Can Call it a Comeback – 15 Comments

#9. Wild Goose Chase – 15 Comments

#9. Sorry Not Sorry – 15 Comments

One thing to note is that each “An Artist’s Notebook” entry has its Comments section close 30 days after being posted. Some of those still have a chance to grow, but most have been locked into place forever.

The last statistic I want to share before closing out Post #4,000 is kind of a loyalty score. To even be considered for this list, you first have to have a Photography 139 Email Subscription. The following is a statistic based on “loyalty” for lack of a better term to that service.

Top Five Most Loyal Photography 139 Subscribers

1. Michelle Haupt – 99%
2. Joe Duff – 97%
3. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 94%
4. Sara Lockner – 90%
5. Corey Faust – 89%

Thanks to everybody that has supported this adventure for 14 years, 5 months, and now 10 days!

Drone, Nature, Panorama

Rodan139: Des Moines River Valley

January 12, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back, I took Rodan139 for a little flight around the Des Moines River Valley. Just off the boat ramp that is next to US30. It was a little late in the day, so it was a short flight before it got dark, but still got plenty of good pictures.

This might be it for drone pictures for a bit. I don’t have any more in the hopper. It kind of depends on the weather and lighting on whether or not Rodan139 will take to the skies again before spring. I am hopeful though!

Black & White, Drone, Railroad

Rodan139: Humpback Bridge

January 5, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

A couple weeks back I took Rodan139 for a flight around the Humpback Bridge. It was probably too late in the evening so some of the images have too much noise for my liking, but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t plenty there for the liking.

Here is some fun facts about the Humpback Bridge:

+Built in 1900
+Riveted double intersection Warren pony truss
+Length of largest span: 69.9 feet
+Total Length: 140.1 feet
+Deck Width: 18.4 feet
+Bridge is likely built using a former Chicago & North Western Railway span, which has been reconstructed for road use.

All of that is according to Bridgehunter.com.

Christianity, Drone, Nature, Panorama, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

TOWN SIGN PROJECT: POLK COUNTY

December 30, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 12 Comments

The November image of the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar is actually a combination of 3 panoramic images taken with Rodan139. Something that was rekindled in 2020 was a love for panoramic photos. However, it is hard to include such an image in a calendar, so I combined 3 of them to fill up a page. I don’t know if it works, but at least one person told me that this was their favorite month in the calendar. So, that is something at least.

The top image is of Horseshoe Bluff in Mines of Spain. The middle image is of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in northeast Boone County. The bottom image is of the Loess Hills, taken in Monona County.

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When I looked the map for the TOWN SIGN PROJECT and knew that getting the town signs in Polk County was going to be next, I wasn’t overly excited. My excursion to West Des Moines to complete Dallas County was less than enjoyable and I anticipated finding town signs in places like Windsor Heights and and Pleasant Hill was going to be equally horrible. And it was. Only, I actually found decent signs for Windsor Heights and actually like the sign for Pleasant Hill. Now it took some time with Google Maps Street View before I even left on the trip to find those signs. Strike that, before I left on my second trip. I ran out of time and couldn’t find signs for Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Des Moines, and Windsor Heights on my first trip. I had to research it at home before I made a second trip, that doubled as a calendar delivery trip for Baier, Russell, Dre, and Sara. I don’t like doing that much research ahead of time. I like being surprised by what I find, but there is no way around it in Suburbia. Besides, this really is more of a small town project.

I will concede, I never really found a Des Moines “sign”. So I’m throwing in a downtown Des Moines Mural. I’m not going to consider it for Best in Show for Polk County though. Even though it is a pretty sweet mural. Think there is a fair chance that this spring I’m going to spend sometime photographing the murals in downtown Des Moines, cause there are some pretty cool ones.

If you don’t know Polk County, here is a look at it on the TOWN SIGNS PROJECT PHOTO MAP:

POLK COUNTY

Polk County is the 7th County I have completed:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

Here is a look at the town signs of Polk County. Population Data is from 2010, so it is probably not remotely correct for Polk County:

Des Moines, Iowa
Greater Des Moines – Better Together – Better Forever
Population: 203.433

West Des Moines, Iowa
The City of West Des Moines
Population: 56,609

Ankeny, Iowa
Ankeny
Population: 45,582

Urbandale, Iowa
Welcome to… Urbandale – Uniquely Urbandale

Johnston, Iowa
Johnston
Population: 17,278

Clive, Iowa
Clive – District by Nature
Population: 15,447

Altoona, Iowa
Altoona
Population: 14,541

Norwalk, Iowa
Norwalk Welcomes You
Population: 8,945

Pleasant Hill, Iowa
Welcome to Pleasant Hill
Population: 8,785

Grimes, Iowa
Grimes
Population: 8,246

Windsor Heights, Iowa
Welcome to Windsor Heights – the heart of it all
Population: 4,860

Carlisle, Iowa
Carlisle – The Natural Choice – Established 1851
Population: 3,876

Bondurant, Iowa
Bondurant
Population: 3,860

Polk City, Iowa
Welcome to Polk City – A City for All Season
Population: 3,418

Mitchellville, Iowa
Welcome to Mitchellville
Population: 2,254

Granger, Iowa
Welcome to Granger
Population: 1,244

Elkhart, Iowa
Welcome to Elkhart – Est. 1902
Population: 683

Runnells, Iowa
Runnells Welcomes You
Population: 507

Alleman, Iowa
Welcome to Alleman
Population: 432

Sheldahl, Iowa
The People of Sheldahl Welcome You – Biggest Little Town in Three Counties
Population: 319

So what is Best in Show for Polk County. Normally the no-brainer would be Sheldahl or Granger. There are 21 town in Polk County or partially in Polk County. It is amazing that most of them are below average. My biggest disappointment is Mitchellville. There is a prison in Mitchellville! How does a town that has a prison not have a cool sign?

However, since Granger is really almost entirely in Dallas County, I’m going to put it aside. Sheldahl is fairly evenly split amongst Polk County, Story County, and Boone County. However, while I was driving home from Polk County, I made the most alarming discovery cruising through Sheldahl. They took down their town sign! It doesn’t exist any more. I’m going to assume that it was a victim of the derecho and the good people of Sheldahl will make amends for this and get it back up in the very near future.

Putting those aside, I’m going to give Best in Show to Bondurant:

Best in Show – Polk County

I know it definitely isn’t my style of Best in Show, but while it has no art or a snappy town slogan, it is original and cool looking. I give the highest marks for originality and I have never seen a sign like it.

The worst signs in Polk County? Take your pick from Urbandale or West Des Moines or Norwalk. Although Grimes and Johnston are literally on the opposites sides of the same brick wall, so maybe they should share last place.

Time for the BENNETT TOWN SIGN POWER RANKINGS.

#10. Collins

#9. Sheldahl

#8. Badger

#7. Granger

#6. Scranton

#5. Boone

#4. Dexter

#3. Farnhamville

#2. Pilot Mound

#1. Moingona

Nothing has changed. However, I’m putting Sheldahl on notice. If the sign doesn’t return, I’m going to have to drop them from the power rankings. They’ll still make a book, but with several demerits.

The next time we visit THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Marshall County, the site of the deadliest train crash in Iowa history.

Boone FUMC, Calendar, Drone

Rodan139: Downtown Boone

December 29, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

The October picture from the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar was taken out at the Ensley Farm. It was taken during harvest season while the combines were out in the fields. It was taken on October 18, 2020.

Here are the photo details:

DETAILS
CAMERA: Hasselblad L1D-20c
LENS: 28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 10.3mm (28mm – 35mm equivalency)
APERTURE: f/4.5
EXPOSURE: 1/200
ISO: 100
FIELD OF VIEW: 65.5 degrees
LATITUDE: 42.11372
LONGITUDE: -94.02925
ALTITUDE: 409 meters above sea level.

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A few weeks back, when I went to the Boone First United Methodist Church to take my modern interpretation picture for THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT, I also took a few other pictures.

The weather has already started to turn and probably won’t be many drone pictures in the future for a few months. Although, I should have taken Rodan139 out on Saturday. I took a nap instead. Just being honest.

Black & White, Calendar, Drone, Flowers, Macro, Nature, Photoshop

2010-06-01

December 26, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

The July picture for the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar was taken by Rodan139 of the High Trestle Trail Bridge looking east early one morning. This picture is the one that I’ve gotten the most feedback on from calendar recipients. It was taken on August 30, 2020.

Here are some details on the photo:

DETAILS
CAMERA: Hasselblad L1D-20c
LENS: 28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 10.3mm (28mm – 35mm equivalency)
APERTURE: f/6.3
EXPSOURE: 1/500
ISO: 100
FIELD OF VIEW: 65.5 degrees
LATITUDE: 41.86697
LONGITUDE: -93.86821
ALTITUDE: 302 meters above sea level

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I hope everybody had a great Christmas. Or at least, as great of a Christmas as anybody can have under current conditions.

The pictures in the folder 2010-06-01 were taken on Memorial Day. They are almost exclusively flower pictures. Some that are part of the “Girl in the Blue Skirt” series. Others that are, I think from my Grandma’s house. But I’m not 100% sure. But she always had peonies. Plus the roses look like the roses from her yellow rose bush.

The new occupants of her house, pruned that bush too much this year, but I hope it returns to form in 2021.

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:

Memorial Day Weekend

Social Networking and the Beast

PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT OF THE WEEK NO. 24 BETA

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve Jen and Derrick.

Boone FUMC, Calendar, Drone, Flowers, History, Macro, Photoshop, Postcard

Postcard Recreation Project – Boone FUMC

December 24, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Happy Christmas Eve everybody! This is always my favorite worship service of the year. However, it is just one of the many things taken away by a horribly mismanaged pandemic. But I thought I would share a picture from the 2016 service as hopefully a reminder of what is coming in 2021.

I believe my church is doing some kind of Zoom service tonight, but I haven’t received any details on it yet. Maybe they are still coming.

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The May 2021 Photography 139 Calendar image is a picture of a dandelion that I had sprayed down with water. It was taken with extension tubes. It was taken on May 23, 2020.

Here are the details of the photo:

DETAILS

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M2
LENS: Not Recorded
EXPOSURE: 1/60
ISO: 250
LATITUDE: 42.05333
LONGITUDE: -93.87070

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A couple weeks back I decided that churches would be a good subject for THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT during this time of year. So I decided, why not start with my own church. I am prejudiced, but I do believe it to be the prettiest church in Boone. At least from the outside. I’m not sure that we have the most beautiful sanctuary. It might not be the most useful setup building, but I would rank it as the prettiest church in town. I’d give second to the Presbyterian Church and third to the Catholic church.

Often, in this process I’ve looked up the history of the places I was photographing. For an upcoming project, I did a lot of research on the history of different congregations in town. Almost every church I looked up had a decent “History” section on their website. I assumed their would be one on our church website.

I was badly mistaken. I knew our website wasn’t the best, but I was pretty surprised to see that there isn’t a history section on the website. Actually our website could use a ton of TLC. There is probably more misinformation on there than a FoxNews broadcast. But less than a NewsMax broadcast.

I probably should know more about the history of the church I attend, but I don’t. This is what I can tell you. The original building was built in the 1890s. The education addition was added in the 1950s. There was a considerable remodel to the education wing in the 1990s.

This year, we were supposed to celebrate, I believe the 125th Anniversary of the church building, but I believe this congregation was established in 1865.

Despite the best efforts of Pastor Phil Webb, it has never burned down. Which I’ve learned, a building in Boone that was built in the 1890s, to have never burned down, is quite the accomplishment.

Here are the postcard recreations:

First M. E. Church – Boone, Iowa – Original

First M. E. Church – Boone, Iowa – Redux

When I first saw this postcard, I thought it was so strangely designed. I didn’t believe it was a postcard, but a scan in a book. However, when I found a website selling it, they showed both sides, and it is a postcard, with an incredibly bizarre design. One thing that has stuck with me during this project is the old-timey postcard designers insistence on putting periods all over the place.

Methodist Church – Boone, IA – 2228 – Original

Methodist Church – Boone, IA – 2228 – Redux

One thing that is maddening about this angle is that the power line is always in the picture from these angles. Something they didn’t have to deal with back then.

M. E. Church – Boone, Ia – Original

M. E. Church – Boone, Ia – Redux

I actually used the Photoshop Sky Replacement Tool on this one. Not a tool I’d use often, but when this one is already so Photoshop heavy with the use of the Watercolor Filter, what does a little more “lying” matter?

Finally, my modern interpretation of what a modern postcard of the Boone First United Church would look like:

Boone First United Methodist Church – Modern Interpretation

I actually took the drone up to get the church’s angles. Mostly did it to avoid that blasted power line in the composition. I also like that in the background you can see the Presbyterian Church, the Central Christian Church, and a little bit of the Grace Episcopal Church.

Next time we hit up THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT, it will also involve churches. The pre-work has been done, but the Photoshop work on this one will be time consuming. Not sure how much of the style I’m going to try to emulate. Because, frankly, I’m not even sure how to do part of it at this time.

Boone FUMC, Calendar, Drone, Event, Flowers, Johnathan, Lensbaby

Rodan139: Community Thanksgiving

December 22, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

The March image from the 2021 Photography 139 Calendar was taken at Badger Creek Recreation Area. It was taken in the sunflower field there. It was taken on July 25, 2020. It was taken with a Lensbaby lens.

Here are some details on the picture:

DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M2
LENS: Lensbaby Burnside 35mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 35mm
ISO: 50
APERTURE: f/2.8 (probably, didn’t record)
EXPOSURE: 1/320
LATITUDE; 41.47915
LONGITUDE: -93.91051

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Back on Thanksgiving, when I was taking pictures of Boone First United Methodist Church’s Free Community Thanksgiving, I decided to take Rodan139 up in the air to take a few pictures of the line.

Hopefully this is the last time I have the opportunity to use the drone for the Thanksgiving meal. Hopefully next year this meal is back inside the church.

Christianity, Drone, Panorama

Rodan139: Swede Valley Lutheran Church

December 17, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 20 Comments

A few weeks back I took Rodan139 out to Swede Valley Lutheran Church and took a few pictures. A very pretty country church, that unfortunately doesn’t have the pretties setting. The farm fields in the background are okay. It is just unfortunate that what I’m sure was a parsonage at one time, is so close to the church to the north. I also, didn’t wish it was on a fairly major highway. All that being said, it is very photogenic.