Category Archives: Fisheye

WPC – WEEK 268 – FRAMED

A reminder to start of this post. This is the last day to suggest a theme for the next 52 weeks of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. There is only one way to suggest a theme for the next 52 weeks in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Don’t email me a suggestion. Don’t text me a suggestion. Don’t call me with a suggestion. Leave your suggestion(s) in the Comments section of this here journal entry.

All suggestions will be considered, but might not necessarily make the cut. For example, if you suggested CATS, that would be dismissed out of hand. Save your key strokes.

The last time we didn’t hit double digit submissions was September 23, 2019. The theme was STREET PHOTOGRAPHY. If I don’t get a couple of suggestions, I might just make every week STREET PHOTOGRAPHY. Not just out of spite, but also because I do legitimately love STREET PHOTOGRAPHY. Even though, a pandemic that is completely out of control in Iowa, is not a good time for STREET PHOTOGRAPHY.

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57 straight weeks of double digit submissions!! WooHoo! I was worried about FRAMED, but I didn’t even have to send any reminder messages to people.

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


WEEK 268 - FRAMED - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson


Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Kim Barker

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 268 - FRAMED - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

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 269 -TREE
TREE

TREE! What a great theme! But what is a TREE image? It is any image of a TREE or anything that deals with trees, like a leaf, or mulch, or a stump, or lumber or, you get the idea.

Here is a look back at all the times that TREE has been a theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 27 – TREE

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 84 – TREE

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 151 – TREE

WPC – WEEK 196 – TREE

WPC – WEEK 242 – TREE

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.

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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 woody Monday!

A Little Here, A Little There

This post is mostly a catch-all of cleaning up some image collections taken back in August, that were either going to part of bigger journal entries that I have abandoned or just a few rando pictures taken here and there that I just want to clean up and get out of the way.

The first little collection is pictures taken from church when they presented scholarships to Autumn, Summer, and Jentry:


2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

2020 Scholarship Presentation

Church went back to the building in October. They opened all the windows in the sanctuary to increase air circulation. It gets pretty cold in there. Makes me miss warm weather all the more.

The second collection of pictures is of the creamed honey I purchased from Honey Hollow, AKA Shannon and her husband’s business. I got the straight honey, raspberry, and mango. I was going to do a little review and endorsement deal on them, and I still might some day. But I think it is sufficient to say, that it is honey. It is delicious. It doesn’t crystallize because it is creamed.


Honey Hollow Honey

Honey Hollow Honey

Honey Hollow Honey

Honey Hollow Honey

At one point I was going to do an entry on a remote control I bought for the A7 II. I think it is sufficient to say that I bought a remote control and I use it now and again. Usually with long exposures.


A7 II Remote Control

A7 II Remote Control

A7 II Remote Control

A7 II Remote Control

A7 II Remote Control

A7 II Remote Control

Speaking of photo equipment entries I planned and never made. I bought an infrared filter to play with. I have since misplaced this filter. It is one of 3 things in my house that I’m currently keeping an eye out for.


Infrared Filter

Infrared Filter
Test shot.

There there were some night sky photo I took when playing with a new fisheye lens.


Night Sky

Night Sky

Night Sky

Night Sky

I need to do some night photography again before it gets too cold.

Then finally, just a couple rando photos:


Radiation of Happiness - 2020

Beetle

Feels good to get these pictures out there. Real good.

WPC – WEEK 267 – ANIMAL

56 weeks in a row people. We even had double digit submissions before Monday morning! Now this week’s theme is a little more challenging, I feel like we will once again, hit double digits. You can tell that the weather must be getting colder. While the theme is ANIMAL, every single picture taken was of a pet. Wel, one isn’t, but it is also taken inside. I wasn’t going to take a picture of Naima, but my original plan fell through. Or actually fell down. Well, wasn’t inflated anyways.

I’m not saying my submission this week is anything special, but it uses a new technique that is fairly controversial in photography circles. If you were in Iowa last week, you might have a good idea of how it is manipulated. Or you might not. There will be a post on this “new” thing in the future.

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


WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - BILL WENTWORTH
Bill Wentworth

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - AARON BARNETT
Aaron Barnett

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - DAWN KRAUSE
Dawn Krause

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - KIO DETTMAN
Kio Dettman

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - JESSE HOWARD
Jesse Howard

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - ELIZABETH NORDEEN
Elizabeth Nordeen

WEEK 267 - CATHIE RALEY - ANIMAL
Cathie Raley

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - ANDY SHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 267 - ANIMAL - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shanno Bardole-Foley

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 268 - FRAMED
FRAMED

FRAMED! What a great theme! But what is a FRAMED image? A FRAMED image is easier to make than it might sound. All it is, is an image where your main subject is buffeted on a least one side by something that isn’t the main subject. So basically, a subject matter, with negative space on multiple sides of it. For the sake of this challenge we will consider negative space, either something that is nondescript, one color, or out of focus. Of course, there are other ways to define FRAMED. Something that is in a framed is FRAMED. However, the idea here is to create a framed for you subject with other things in the environment.

Here is a look back at the 5 times previously that FRAMED was a theme:

RWPE #5 – FRAMING

RWPE Y2 #29 – FRAMING

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 15 – FRAMED

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 112 – FRAMED

WPC – WEEK 212 – FRAMED

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 framed Monday!

Red Fish, Blue Fish

I meant to publish a post on this subject a week or so ago, but the derecho put those plans on hold. I’ve meant to be more proactive about writing about when I get new equipment, even equipment that is fairly small or seemingly inconsequential to most people. Hopefully this post starts just such a new era for “An Artist’s Notebook”.

The most recent thing I purchased was a fisheye lens for the mirrorless camera setup. Have a look:


Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish


Here are some specs for the lens:
FOCUS TYPE: Manual
CLOSEST FOCUSING DISTANCE: 7.9″
FOCAL LENGTH: 12mm
ANGLE OF VIEW: 180
MAXIMUM APERTURE: f/2.8
MINIMUM APERTURE: f/22

On a 35mm camera or a full frame sensor camera, a 50mm lens is the same as human sight. When you look through a viewfinder with a 50mm lens on the camera, what you see should be about the same as when you aren’t looking through the lens. Your angle of view won’t be the same, but objects should be about the same distance.

To illustrate how a fisheye lens, I took pictures of Jesse with a 50mm lens and with my new fisheye lens so you can see the difference between human sight and a fisheye lens.


Red Fish, Blue Fish
50mm

Red Fish, Blue Fish
Fisheye

Red Fish, Blue Fish
50mm

Red Fish, Blue Fish
Fisheye

Red Fish, Blue Fish
50mm

Red Fish, Blue Fish
Fisheye

Red Fish, Blue Fish
50mm

Red Fish, Blue Fish
Fisheye

I wanted to make this example to be more scientific, but I couldn’t find a football field in Boone with yardlines already painted that wasn’t being used. So these distances are mostly eyeballed, but they are pretty darn close.

Now that you know what it is and what it does, here are a few sample pictures I have taken:


Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

Red Fish, Blue Fish

The next piece of equipment I will talk about is a macro bellow I recently picked up. Then maybe a remote camera trigger. Then I need to purchase some stuff.

Candlelight Service

I have been working on something the last few days that nobody at all will care about, but I think is somewhat of an accomplishment:

I have added a SSL Certificate to my website and now my website is secure.

I know, you don’t care. Even my fellow miners at the Computer Mine aren’t impressed. That is okay. I live with only impressing myself on many a day.

What does it mean for you? Probably, absolutely nothing. But when you look up in the address bar of this here website, you will see a little lock so that you know your information is private when you send it to this site.


It is a beautiful lock. The most beautiful I’ve ever seen!

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The webmaster at my church requested that I take some pictures of the Candlelight Services on Christmas Eve. So I took a few pictures. Have a looksie:


Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

Candlelight Service - 2018

The room with the trees is where we take communion on Christmas Eve.

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Here is an update on my 10 Step Process to buying a drone.

  1. Car paid off. – I got the pink slip daddy!
  2. Training Budget Reimbursement – Bought about 10 books and signed up for an online portrait photography class that I will discuss someday.
  3. Purchase Popcorn Maker – The Union Street theater has procured its very own popcorn maker from Flat Earth Joe. The one that was borrowed from Andy’s friend of a friend has been returned.
  4. Computer Upgrade – I have completed upgrades on my home computer. I’ve put in a solid state drive to run the OS and the applications, I upped the RAM to 16 GB and I replaced the video card with a video card with twice the ram and that is capable of running 3 monitors.
  5. Figure out the effect of the Iowa GOP Tax Scam – The Iowa GOP Tax Scam will indeed result in me paying more taxes. There is about a $7 effect on my paycheck, meaning I am getting a tax cut of roughly $200. (Assuming the withholding from my paycheck is being done right.) However, since the Iowa GOP Tax Scam made it so a 6% sales tax is levied on all online purchases, I will be taxed well more than the $200 benefit. For example, I’ll pay over $100 in taxes on purchasing the drone that I wouldn’t have had to pay before the Iowa GOP Tax Scam became law. 
  6. Rear Brakes – I had the rear brakes replaced on my car last night. It costs me about 40% of what I was expecting Win!
  7. Computer Mine Bonus – Whether or not we get a profit sharing bonus should be determined in the next week or so.
  8. Bank Fraud Resolution – This is supposed to be resolved by January 31. I have my doubts. All indications are that my bank wants me to find a new bank. Perhaps a credit union. Perhaps I should talk to Nate’s friend.
  9. Federal GOP Tax Scam – I want to see if the Federal GOP Tax Scam will hurt my refund or not. I do not anticipate it will, but I don’t want a February surprise to hit the drone budget. 
  10. Change Jar – I want fill and return my change jar to the bank before I pull the trigger on the drone purchase. I think I have about 2-3 inches of coin to collect. This isn’t really a necessity, I just want to do it.

6 out of 10 completed. What isn’t mentioned in the 10 part plan is that I won a $250 gift card to Amazon at the Computer Mine Holiday Party.  That is a bonus 11th step. 

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 159 – ARCHITECTURE

Before we get into the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, here is my plea to help the Boone First United Methodist Church’s Youth Group fund their annual mission trip:


Pizza Ranch Fundraiser

Download and print that flyer. Cut it into 4 coupons. Then, come to the Boone Pizza Ranch this Wednesday night and have supper. Between 5-9.

Where: Boone Pizza Ranch
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Time: 5-9
What: Mission Trip Fundraiser

The Boone First United Methodist Church will be going to Rapid City, South Dakota for a mission trip the last week of June. Help us get the kids there!

Thank you!!!

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It was a good rebound week. More people were moved by the ARCHITECTURE theme than the previous week.

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


WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - JAXON SCHOFF
Jaxon Schoff

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - SHANNON BARDOLE-FOLEY
Shannon Bardole-Foley

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - KIM BARKER
Kim Barker

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE  - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE  - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE  - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 159 - ARCHITECTURE - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

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 160 - MOUTH
Mouth

MOUTH! What a great theme! But what is a MOUTH photo? A MOUTH photo would be any photo that involves a MOUTH. Or things that go in a MOUTH or is used by a MOUTH. Of course, there is more than one definition of MOUTH.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. 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.

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

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 157 – PERSPECTIVE

Here we are. Starting a new 52 weeks of themes. I like to think back at all we’ve accomplished. Really puts things in PERSPECTIVE.

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


WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - MICKY AUGUSTIN
Micky Augustin

WEEK 157 - PERSPECTIVE - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

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 158 - BOREDOM
BOREDOM!

BOREDOM! What a great theme! But what is a BOREDOM photo? I snaked this theme from THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT. A BOREDOM photo is any photo of somebody that is in the throes of BOREDOM or any activity you do when you are fighting BOREDOM.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. 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.

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