Category Archives: Macro

Mad with Joy

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.
-Iris Murchoch

I am inclined to agree with Iris Murdoch, even though she is obviously prejudiced by the fact that she is named after the worst flower. Irises, the open-faced sandwich of the flower world. Yeah, I said it.

Fortunately for you, I don’t have any iris pictures in this collection. These flower pictures are from the 2016 backlog. It consists of pictures of gazania and hibiscus. Gazania are African daisies.

Here are some pictures:


African Daisy

African Daisy

African Daisy

African Daisy

Hibiscus

Hibiscus

Hibiscus

These flowers were all in my personal flower garden.

With any luck, I will have cleared out the 2016 backlog by 2019.

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 149 – NIGHT

I think NIGHT can be one of the tougher themes, but we still had plenty of submissions!

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

So without further adieu, I present the NIGHT photos:


WEEK 149 - NIGHT - ANDYSHARP
Andy Sharp

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - BECKY PARMELEE
Becky Parmelee

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - CATHIE RALEY
Cathie Raley

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT
Christopher D. Bennett

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - CARLA STENSLAND
Carla Stensland

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - TAMARA PETERSON
Tamara Peterson

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - MICHELLE HAUPT
Michelle Haupt

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - MIKE VEST
Mike Vest

WEEK 149 - NIGHT - TAMARA PETERSON
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:


WEEK 150 - FEET
FEET!

FEET! What a great theme! But what is a FEET picture, you might ask? A FEET picture is any picture that involves FEET. Most people have FEET! And did you know that humans aren’t the only animals with FEET. Many other animals have FEET as well. Even tables have FEET.

As always, feel free to define FEET any way you see fit. I look forward to seeing all the 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.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE THEME DIVISION

At this point, there is only a handful of week’s left in this 52 week run of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. If you wish to make suggestions for the next set of 52 themes, you should leave them n the Comments section of this here blog.

So far Andy has provided many solid suggestions:

Desert/dessert”the ice cream one”
Your vehicle
Family
Your pet(cats excluded)
Favorite color
Chris’s beard look alike
Pet peeves
Favorite wall of your house/inside or out
Pizza
Sporting event(ANF vs Actually Helping Farmers, for example)
Footwear
Halloween costume
Hat/headwear
Hair
Breakfast
Screenshot
License plate close or farthest away on flat earth
Favorite restaurant
Good deed
Water
Sunrise
Sunset
Samwich”southern pronounceiation”/sandwich
Music”the type baptists appose
Outhouse/old town sign

Now obviously, nobody could match my beard, so that one in an obvious non-starter, but I bet you’ll see a few of those make their way into the next set of 52.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 COMMENTS AVATAR DIVISION

Congratulations to Dawn for becoming the latest person to earn a Photography 139 Comments Avatar. Every time that Dawn comments on “An Artist’s Notebook”, she now has a customized avatar that will show up next to her commentary.

Would you like a spiffy Photography 139 comment avatar? All you have to do is leave some form of commentary in the Comments section of a blog entry and I will make you one. Guaranteed!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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 footed Monday.

After Women

After women, flowers are the mostly lovely thing God has given the world.
-Christian Dior

This collection of flower pictures comes from the Iowa State Fair in 2016.

There is good news about this collection.

#1. I am now almost finished editing the pictures from 2016 that need to be edited.
#2. I came to a conclusion while editing these photos that may take me in a different direction with an entirely different photo project.

Here are the rest of the 2016 Iowa State Flower Pictures:


Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Iowa State Fair - Discovery Garden

Now maybe I can start editing pictures from my 2017 trip to the Iowa State Fair!

Take the Time to Plant

I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.
― Herbert Rappaport

Digging deep into the backlog here. The following are pictures from an August 2016 trip to the Iowa State Fair. Yes, I have pictures from 2016 I still haven’t even edited.

As many of you know, I the Discovery Garden is my favorite place on the Iowa State Fair fairgrounds. Every trip to the State Fair I make a stop there. This is often when I tell the people that go with me, go do something else. I’ll meet up with you later.

This particular trip to the State Fair was when Baby Got Rack was competing in the Farm Bureau Barbecue Contest. While the meat was smoking, I snuck over and grabbed these photos.


Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair
Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair

Without Troubling a Star

All things by immortal power. Near of faR, to each other linked are, that thou canst not stir a flower without troubling a star.
-Francis Thompson

This post signifies the final batch of photos from Donna’s flower garden. However, before we get into that, I need to make an announcement.


Results for 2018 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon

I got two pictures into the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon this year!

A few things I want to clarify:

#1. The Iowa State Fair Photo Contest and the Boone County Fair Photo Contest are not connected. They are completely independent and couldn’t be more unrelated. The Iowa State Fair Photography Salon is one of the hardest photo contests in the country. People from all over enter it. They only display 20% of the pictures that are displayed. Full-time professional photographers often don’t get photos in. Past judges don’t get photos in. The judges change every year, so it is impossible to guess what the judges are looking for every year. I pick the photos I enter into that contest. It is the contest I take seriously, even though I know it can be very arbitrary.

#2. Therefore, the photos I entered were not the same photos that I had people voting on last week. Those photos are for the Boone County Fair. The Boone County Fair doesn’t start for another week. I will enter the photos that people voted on July 21.

#3. I have a rule that I don’t enter a picture in more than one photo contest. Therefore, none of the pictures I entered in the Iowa State Fair were in the list of 50 pictures that people could vote on for the Boone County Fair.

#4. I don’t know what pictures were selected. You are allowed to enter up to 4 pictures. I entered 4, but I Don’t know what 2 were accepted for display. 2 of the 4 entered I haven’t released yet for public consumption. No real reason for that, other than I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

#5. I’ll get to find out what two got accepted for display when I go to the Photographer Reception. I think that is the Sunday before the Iowa State Fair, but I haven’t really looked into that yet.

#6. Finally, if you go to the Iowa State Fair and want to see the pictures in person, the Photography Salon is on the top floor of the Cultural Building. You can ask the attendants where pictures by certain photographers are and they will show you, if you don’t want the challenge of trying to find them on your own.

#7. In about a month I’ll unveil the process of picking the photos for the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. It will be similar-ish to the way we did the Boone County Fair Photo Contest, but with some slight tweaks.

I’m pretty stoked. Glad I came out of Photography Contest Retirement!

+++++++

Here are the rest of the flower pictures:


Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Don’t worry Russell, there is plenty more flower pictures in the backlog!

06-01-2008

Today’s pictures came from the folder 06-01-2008.

Many of these pictures were taken when Nader came back from visiting his family in London. He came back with a horrible mustache. I’m still not quite over it a decade later.

Let this be a warning to you. You want to be my friend, don’t grow a mustache. I will forgive most things, but some things are beyond forgiveness.

Also some flower pictures.


06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

06-01-08

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

Real American

Random Flower Day

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve anther night at Ames on the Half Shell.

Stacked!

The other day I decided to play with a new photography technique called “focus stacking”. Here is the resulting image:


FOCUS STACK - FINAL


Focus stacking has become trendy lately. It is sorta the current HDR, which was way too trendy about 4 or 5 years ago.

Focus stacking involves stacking multiple images with different focus points together to extend the depth of focus of an image.

These are the images I stacked:


Focus Stack - Base

Focus Stack - Base

Focus Stack - Base

On a personal note, these are the first time I’ve had hollyhocks in a couple years. I’m ecstatic that they are back Ecstatic I say!!

Freedom and Flowers

With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?
-Oscar Wilde

Before we get into the meat of today’s blog, we need to start with…


Iowa State 14 TCU 7
Happy 4th of July!

I hope you had an continue to have an enjoyable 4th of July!

+++++++

Time to hit up the back log and publish more pictures from Donna Jones’s flower bed!


Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

Donna Jones' Flowers

There are more of Donna Jones’ flowers in the hopper. For those of you that are fans of “flower porn” as Micky likes to call it.

+++++++

The votes have been tabulated and these are the photos that I will be entering in the Boone County Fair:


No. 8
#1

No. 45
#2

No. 43
#3

No. 12
#3

No. 21
#5

Technically there was a frog picture that got more votes than the picture of Shorty, but I’m not going a photo contest without entering a black & white image.

Thanks to the people that voted: Sarah Karber, Michelle, Micky, Vest, Mom, Teresa, Shannon, Kio, Aunt Linda, Jordan, Andy, and all of the fellow SmugMuggers that voted.

If you want to see the photos in the flesh (so to speak) they will be on display at the Community Building at the Boone County Fairgrounds. on July 21 and 22.

Baby Got Rack will also probably be competing on July 21. So mark your calendar!

We will do something similar when it comes to the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

The 9 Emotions Project – Bethany

Reminder, tonight at midnight is the deadline to vote on what pictures I enter at the Boone County Fair Photo Contest. Click on the link below to vote:

If the website isn’t working for you, email/text me your votes.

BOONE COUNTY FAIR PHOTO CONTEST ENTRY SELECTION

You must have a Facebook account or a Google+ account to vote. You vote by leaving a comment on a photo. You can vote for up to 5 photos.

If the website isn’t working for you, email/text me your votes.

Here are the currently leaders:


No. 43

No. 8

No. 9

No. 12

No. 45

There are several pictures that are tied for the last 2 spots.

+++++++

Bethany was the most recent victim… subject of THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT. She is the 23rd person to participate in the project. I always have my eye on the next person to participate in the project. I can think of at least 3 people that have claimed that they were interested, but have yet to full under the aperture blades.

If you want to be #24, just contact me and we will get you on the calendar.

Bethany’s sitting was unique in the fact that I was experimenting with a new lighting set up for her session. She was a good sport.


9  Emotions Project - Bethany
Bethany – The 9 Emotions

In case you have forgotten, these are The 9 Emotions:


Bethany - Joy
Joy

Bethany - Sadness
Sadness

Anger - Bethany
Anger

Bethany - Amusement
Amusement

Bethany - Fear
Fear

Bethany - Jealousy
Jealousy

Bethany - Surprise
Surprise

Bethany - Sympathy
Sympathy

Bethany - Boredom
Boredom

Hopefully I’ll publishing #24 very soon.

If you want to see past THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT subjects, click on the link below:

THE 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT

Maybe you’ll be inspired!