Category Archives: Drone

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.

I’m sure I’ll be back here to photograph this church some more, but probably a couple other country churches I will have to photograph first.

Drone, Nature

Rodan139: Turtle Pond

December 8, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back, I took the drone for a very brief flight around McHose Park’s Turtle Pond. It was very windy, so it was very brief. I just needed to get a quick “Cool” Drone Video of the Week. While I was there, I snapped a few photos:

If you look closely, in some of these pictures, you can see how low the pond is. It has atrophied at least a yard from its normal banks. Not as bad as the pond a Dickcissel, but you can see how the drought this year has really did a number on ponds in Iowa.

Black & White, Drone, Nature, Panorama

Rodan139: Jay Carlson Wildlife Area

December 1, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I took Rodan139 out to the Jay Carlson Wildlife Are for a quick flight around before the sun went down. It is a great place for flying the drone. I should really go out there more. At least before weather shuts drone season down for a few months:

I’m hope I still have a few flights left in the bird before 2020 is over. But it has been getting crazy windy lately. At least crazy windy on weekends. stupid short winter weekdays.

Drone, Nature, Panorama

Rodan139: Peas Creek

November 24, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

A few weeks back I went out to Ledges late in a Sunday evening and flew Rodan139 around and where Peas Creek empties into the Des Moines River.

Here are a few pictures:

On Sunday nights I send out a “Cool” Drone Video of the Week to a couple of friends that have requested it. It has been a blessing because it provides me with motivation to get out there with the drone on several weekends where I would’ve left Rodan139 in the hangar. This set of pictures is a set of pictures that exists for that reason.

Christianity, Drone, Panorama

Rodan139: Mackey United Methodist Church

November 18, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks ago I took Rodan139 on a flight around the Mackey United Methodist Church. The church recent closed its doors after 134 years. It will still be used for weddings, funerals and other gatherings.

Here is a few bits about the closing of the church from a recent “Boone News Republican” article:

Mackey United Methodist Church of rural Boone closed its doors at a ceremony ending its 134 years in formal ministry. Members, family and friends, numbering about 60, gathered outside the church on Sunday, Oct. 4 to remember, to pray, and to turn the page on a new chapter of serving the farming community of Mackey nestled in the corn and bean fields of northeast Boone County.

Keith Carlson, a lay leader of the church and a long time member, acknowledged, “Because of our aging congregation, we knew that the doors would be closing soon, and then along came the coronavirus that made it clear the time had come.”

But this little building is not finished yet. Jaime Beyer and Laura Loots, trustees for the Harrison Township, announced the establishment of a newly formed charity with the mission to ensure the continuation of the building for community weddings, funerals and other gatherings that would honor the history of this church. And just recently a generous family contributed $20,000 of support.

Here are some pictures I took on the flight:

Rodan139: Mackey United Methodist Church

There are a handful of countries churches in Boone County. This is the second one I took Rodan139 to photograph. I hope to hit up all of them at some point. Some point…