Category Archives: Flowers

Black & White, Calendar, Flowers, Jen, Macro

July

January 8, 2010 Christopher D. Bennett

The Solace of Ordinary Humanity

Although this picture is named for the following quote from the enigmatic John Ruskin:

“Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity.”

But the story of this flower is actually more akin to the Tennessee Williams quote:

“The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks.”

This daisy grew in a most unlikely place in my yard. It grew in a little patch of dirt between my driveway and my back porch. It sprouted through the fence and away from the evergreen bush that dominates that little patch of ground. Its existence was unlikely, but nature finds a way.

This picture was also Jen’s birthday present.

Calendar, Flowers, Photoshop

May

January 6, 2010 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

This is the only monthly picture in the calendar that is manipulated in Photoshop in a meaningful way. I could see how somebody could think that June is a Photoshop manipulation, but in the spirit of the way that I see things, it isn’t. But we will open up that can of worms on the morrow.

Calendar, Flowers, Writing

April

January 5, 2010 Christopher D. Bennett

Where Love Waits

This picture was taken on one of my two trips to the Iowa State Fair. Interested in other State Fair pictures? Click on the link below:

Iowa State Fair

The title comes from a line in William Carlos Williams’ Poem “The Rose is Obsolete”. I suppose in retrospect that title would have been better served for a picture of a rose.

The rose is obsolete
but each petal ends in
an edge, the double facet
cementing the grooved
columns of air–The edge
cuts without cutting
meets–nothing–renews
itself in metal or porcelain–

whither? It ends–

But if it ends
the start is begun
so that to engage roses
becomes a geometry–

Sharper, neater, more cutting
figured in majolica–
the broken plate
glazed with a rose

Somewhere the sense
makes copper roses
steel roses–

The rose carried weight of love
but love is at an end–of roses

It is at the edge of the
petal that love waits

Crisp, worked to defeat
laboredness–fragile
plucked, moist, half-raised
cold, precise, touching

What

The place between the petal’s
edge and the

From the petal’s edge a line starts
that being of steel
infinitely fine, infinitely
rigid penetrates
the Milky Way
without contact–lifting
from it–neither hanging
nor pushing–

The fragility of the flower
unbruised
penetrates space

Calendar, Flowers, Monica

March

January 4, 2010 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

This picture was taken in Upper Ledges in one of their prairies. This picture was taken during the same photo sojourn as when I took Monica’s Childhood. A picture that was Monica’s favorite, but not the picture she selected for the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

Monica’s Choice

Animals, Black & White, Blogging, Flowers, Photoshop

Proust Questionnaire Number Three

December 3, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Marcel Proust Quote:
“We are able to find everything in our memory, which is like a dispensary or chemical laboratory in which chance steers our hand sometimes to a soothing drug and sometimes to a dangerous poison.”

Confessions Question:
Your favorite colour and flower.

Confidences Question:
My favorite colour.

There is a separate Confidences question that reads:
The flower that I like.

Proust’s Answers:
The beauty is not in the colours, but in their harmony.

And

Hers/His – and after, all of them.

Ohhhhh, Proust you and your sexual innuendo! Well played, sir.

But I do have to give the man credit. The answer to his color question is brilliant. I don’t have a favorite color. I’d almost say that having a favorite color is borderline foolish. All colors have a purpose and their power is really in how one plays off of each other. If you have spent any time trying to pick out the right color mat for a photo of a flower you know of what I speak.

I don’t think that it is the fact that black and white will always be my primary love in photography that makes me think in this manner.

As for a favorite flower. I admittedly know very little about flowers and I’m not even sure that it is fitting for somebody that is as decidedly manly (I belched as I typed that for emphasis) as I am to even have a favorite flower.

I see flowers how I see colors. They each have a purpose, but since I posed this question to somebody over the weekend and got the answer back immediately (which means it was answered with a decided degree of conviction), daisies and stargazers, I should in fairness at least share my favorite flower pictures from this year.

The Solace of Ordinary Humanity

2009 - Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest Nominee

Monica’s Childhood

The Eternal Seductiveness of Life

A Proud Assertion

Hieroglyphics of Angels

Love’s Truest Language

Where Love Waits

Plant’s Highest Fulfillment

I realize now that one of my many failures this year was not getting to the State Center Rose Garden. That is something I will have to remedy in 2010.

The other day I came across a quote by author Alice Walker that I think also helps tie this question up:

“If you pass by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it, God gets real pissed off.”

That is one of the main tenets of this website as well.

Art, Flowers, Kelly

Window Project #2

November 23, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett 5 Comments

Kelly’s salon recently had their Grand Re-opening after all of their remodeling.

I hadn’t put a picture up in Salon 908 since the remodeling, so I decided to do a window project for the salon.

For a closer look at Window Project #2, you will need to go to Salon 908.

Below is a closer look at the pictures for this project. It should be noted that the pictures below aren’t in the same proportions as they are presented in the window.

4 other pictures were under consideration for Window Project #2, but were rejected for various reasons. The rejected pictures:

I will be starting work on Window Project #3 possibly as early as in a couple of days. But most likely it will wait until the beginning of December. I do need to start giving some consideration to whether or not there will be a Photography 139 2010 calendar in the near future.

Animals, Art, Black & White, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Grandma, Macro, Mom, Road Trip, Teresa, Vacation

Vacation Stuff – One

September 16, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

I was on vacation last week. I had a few mini-adventures. Here are some pictures from one of those mini-adventures.

If you have specific questions about certain pictures, I am willing to answer direct questions. But the answer will be in 5 words or less.

Black & White, Brandon, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Jay, Night, Pufferbilly Days, Sara

Think I’ll Go Eat Worms

September 16, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

Here is a look at the pictures that the committee had to choose from, but received no love.

“Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,

Guess I’ll go eat worms,

Long, thin, slimy ones; Short, fat, juicy ones,

Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.

Down goes the first one, down goes the second one,

Oh how they wiggle and squirm.

Up comes the first one, up comes the second one,

Oh how they wiggle and squirm.

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me,

Think I’ll go and eat worms,

Long ones, short ones, fat ones, thin ones,
See how they wriggle and squirm

I bite off the heads, and suck out the juice,
And throw the skins away,
Nobody knows how fat I grow,
On worms three times a day
Ohh… nobody loves me.”

Great song, isn’t it? I’m kind of partial to this version:

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I’m goin’ down to the garden to eat worms,
Long thin slimy ones, short fat fuzzy ones,
Ooey gooey, ooey gooey worms.

Long thin slimy ones slip down easily,
Short fat fuzzy ones don’t,
Short fat fuzzy ones stick to your teeth,
And the juice goes slurpin’ down your throat

Becky, Black & White, Contests, Flowers, Night, Pufferbilly Days

Becky Perkovich

September 15, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

Becky made the final selection.

Misplaced Plant

Becky also had other pictures that she liked. They are below with the reason she liked them.

“Fire Pit – Everyone can relate to this photo.”

“Fireworks Fallout – This photo is original”

“Color Daisies – This photo feels hopeful.”

“Story St Fire – There may be lots of these photos there (like trains) but it’s relatable.”

The weirdest thing is that I don’t even think that there was a single train photo there this year.

“Interesting.”

“Yes. Provocative.”

Animals, Black & White, Contests, Flowers, Jill, Night, Pufferbilly Days

Jill Gorshe

September 15, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

I was pleasantly surprised by Jill’s choice. Since I had decided to have all people of the female persuasion pick the photos this year, I thought a frog picture would get very little love.

But Jill came through for the frog.

“It’ll Do Fine”

I actually struggled with the naming of this picture. Even now, I think that I’m going to rename it to “So Many Other Ordinary Things”. I’ll have to meditate upon it further.

There was a point when I wanted to name this picture after the prince from The Frog King or Iron Heinrich, but as I looked into the story a little bit deeper, I found that the Frog King doesn’t have a name. But perhaps even more importantly is that I don’t think that the princess really deserves the Frog-King. At least not as the story was originally written.

In the original story, the princess doesn’t break the spell with a kiss. She throws the frog against the wall in disgust.

“Now, thou wilt be quiet, odious frog.” The princess says and throws the frog against the wall. This turns the frog back into a prince. For some reason he still wanted her?!?!?!?

He should have stood up and told her to bugger off. There are other fish in the sea. Some of those fish probably aren’t spoiled little brats that try to go back on their deal. He did get her stupid golden ball for her out of the well. He should have known how small and petty she was then. It is just a stupid golden ball. No need to offer up your clothes, pearls or jewels, princess.

But I digress…

Jill of course had other pictures she liked, before deciding on the frog.

If Jill can pick a frog, I have hopes that one of the guys will pick a flower picture in 2010.