Category Archives: Macro

Animals, Candid Portrait, Flowers, Macro, Naima

Happy International Workers’ Day

May 1, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Happy International Workers’ Day! Also, sometimes known as May Day and one of the few holidays I haven’t heard some humbug grouse about how it is a fabricated holiday forced upon us by the greeting card cartels.

On this International Workers’ Day, remember the old parable about how the world works:

A billionaire, a worker and an immigrant are sitting at a table with 1000 cookies. The billionaire takes 999 cookies and says to the worker, “watch out, that immigrant is going to take your cookie.”

On this day, I wish to share a few pictures from the 2018 backlog that I took when I was experimenting with focus stacking. Here are a few leftover images that weren’t involved in focus stacking:

Look at that face!

Don’t think I don’t know that Naima is spoiled. But the record will show that I am by far, not the only person to spoil her.

I also realize that Naima poses better for pictures with other people that she does with me. I might start an Instagram account for Naima where she is getting pictures taken with people other than me.

An idea that was recently born when she posed perfectly for a selfie with Brandon’s lady friend KJ. Something she will next to never do with me.

Animals, Flowers, Macro, State Fair

Having New Eyes

April 16, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

I’ve been ignoring the 2018 backlog quite a bit lately, so I thought I better get back at it.

This collection of images comes from the Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair. I visited the Iowa State Fair twice in 2018. The first time was to compete in the barbecue contest. It was this day where I took this collection of images after the contest had ended.

I actually probably have a tremendous lot of pictures from last year’s Iowa State Fair that I need to get to editing. I also need to figure out what pictures I’m going to enter in this year’s Iowa State Fair. A project I need to start on in the next few weeks.

Black & White, Equipment, Flowers, Macro, Self-Portrait

Blue Steel Redux

March 13, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Cleaning up some of the May 2018 backlog brings us to even more “reimaginings” of classic Photography 139 image “Blue Steel”.

These pictures were taken when I was playing with extension tubes. Extension tubes are fun for the whole family. The family that loves super macro photography. And what family doesn’t? No family that is worth know, that is who!

Have a quick peek:

I’m thinking of adding a Blue Steel Redux picture to The Canvas Project, but I already have the original “Blue Steel” hanging up in my hallway. That might just be too much Blue Steel for one house.

Who am I kidding? You can never have enough Blue Steel.

Flowers, Macro, Nature

Macro for Days

February 20, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in July we had a brief bit of rain. The resulting wetness in my yard gave me a chance to take some macro raindrop images.

I enjoy them, hopefully you will too.

As we sit and shiver through the 45th snow “storm” of the year today, I hope these flowers warm some people up. It is only about 4 weeks from spring and with it flowers and green grass and cherries and rhubarb and raspberries and fire pit Friday Night Supper Clubs and maybe, I’ll actually get to take the drone out for a spin!

Holidays, Macro

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day from Photography 139! I love you all! Except those of you I don’t.

While some like to dismiss Valentine’s Day as a “Hallmark holiday”, they should remember that Hallmark holidays don’t get banned in countries like Pakistan.

I hope your Valentine’s Day was filled with exactly what you wanted from it.

Formal Portrait, Kim, Logan, Macro, Self-Portrait, Steph, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 178 – EYE

February 11, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

I would describe the amount of submissions this for the theme EYE as fair. People might be coming out of the winter doldrums even though winter weather doesn’t seem to be going anywhere for this week. Maybe next week won’t be so bad.

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

Logan Kahler

Stephanie Kim

Stephanie Kim – These mosaics are in the Chambers Street station in Manhattan.

Kim Barker

Christopher D. Bennett

Tamara Peterson

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:

SELF-PORTRAIT

SELF-PORTRAIT! What a great theme! What is a SELF-PORTRAIT? It is a picture of yourself. Sometimes called a selfie, but a selfie and a SELF-PORTRAIT aren’t the same thing. A selfie is a SELF-PORTRAIT, but a SELF-PORTRAIT isn’t necessarily a selfie. A selfie has to be taken on a cell phone to be a selfie. Regardless, take a SELF-PORTRAIT with your cell phone camera, your 35mm camera, your pinhole camera, or your DSLR camera. Doesn’t matter. Just take a SELF-PORTRAIT and submit it.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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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. 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 self involved Monday.

Animals, Automobiles, Becky, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Commercial, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Jay, Macro, Mom, Politics, Road Trip, Shannon, Still Life, Teresa, Travel, Work

10-13-08

February 2, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

There is quite the collection of images in the folder called 10-13-08. I can’t possibly include all of them in this here entry, so I’ll just have to pick out a few that I like the most.

The pictures range from Gyro Day at the Computer Mine to the Ames Party Bus in action to a road trip to Kalona with Mom, Teresa, and Jay.

Have a looksie:

While I’m not 100% sure, I believe that is the last of my Ames Party Bus pictures. Which means I should explain why you haven’t seen Becky driving around the Ames Party Bus in 10 years.

I might not be getting the details 100% correct, but the spirit of what I’m writing is dead on.

Shortly after Becky finished restored the Ames Party Bus and began putting out an APB on fun, Big Party Bus felt threatened. In fact they were scared. Petrified.

Big Party Bus checked their address book to look up which state representatives they had in their back pockets. Then they went to these bought politicians and pulled their chains.

The bought politicians reacted by passing a law that made party buses carry an exorbitant amount of insurance. Like an incredible amount of insurance. Insurance that was price-prohibitive.

This effectively shutdown the small-time party bus. Becky was out of business, shortly after the party had begun. Rich people win again.

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:

Spoiled

Euphonious

Kalona (Part 1)

Kalona (Part 2)

Next week’s walk down memory lane will involve an Iowa State football match with the Bugeaters of Nebraska.

Flowers, Macro

Be Honest, Be Nice

January 31, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Flowers. A staple of “An Artist’s Notebook”.

I took these pictures back in July. I found them in my Mom’s yard

Have a look:

I figured that since it is going to warm up above negative temperatures soon, flowers would be a good subject for today.

Andy, Carla, Kim, Macro, Self-Portrait, Steph, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 175 – MACRO

January 21, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, I want to acknowledge that today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

While the day is named after and honors Martin Luther King Jr. it is important to acknowledge that it also celebrates this country’s advancements (and recent attempts at regression) in Civil Rights.

To honor his legacy and the tremendous amounts of work that still need to be accomplished on ALL civil rights fronts, I’d like to share some words from his final speech he gave before being brutally shot down outside his hotel room in Memphis:

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life — longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything, I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

He was in Memphis supporting the Sanitation Workers Strike. May we all strive to continue his legacy.

There were a decent amount of submissions this week for what can be a somewhat technically demanding theme in MACRO.

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

Kim Barker

Tamara Peterson

Stephanie Kim

Carla Stensland

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp

SURPRISE!

SURPRISE! What a great theme! But what is a SURPRISE image? A SURPRISE image is a picture o somebody in the state of SURPRISE or somebody that is about to be in the state of SURPRISE or the result of a SURPRISE or somebody that is about to somebody is the state of SURPRISE.

I think this one might be one of the harder themes and I expect participation to take a dip this week. Hopefully some of you will SURPRISE me! That being said, I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

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HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

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 surprising Monday.

Animals, Becky, Candid Portrait, Commercial, Flowers, Macro, Shannon

10-01-08

January 19, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

There are two types of pictures in the folder called 10-01-08. The first types are pictures taken during the restoration process of the Ames Party Bus. The second type is everybody’s favorite: flowers!

Have a looksie!

ON a future blog I will rehash the rise and ultimate demise of the Ames Party Bus, but this isn’t that post.

By adding these pictures to the Photography 139 Gallery, I was able to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” blogs to their original glory:

Volt-Face

Restoration

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve Iowa State football.