Category Archives: Macro

Animals, Art, Automobiles, Black & White, Calendar, Christianity, Drone, Flowers, Macro, Nature, Ruins, Street Photography, Teresa

I Know that You Loved Before

December 27, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

It is time to reveal the August image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar:

August

This picture is of the only fire watch tower in the state of Iowa. It is located in the Yellow River State Forest in northeast Iowa. It is only accessible via forest road. So if you plan on going to see it, don’t take a sedan. That isn’t to say the road is really rough. It doesn’t require a 4×4, but you definitely want something with some ground clearance. It is also basically a one lane road, so if you meet somebody coming the other way, you do need to make some room.

You can not climb up the fire watch tower. There is a fence around it. If you stand near it and look straight up, there is no floor.

I took this picture with Rodan139. There is not necessarily a strong reason for it to be with August. Teresa was with me when I took the picture and she was born in August. However, she never got out of the vehicle. She might have thought what we were doing was illegal. Which it wasn’t. I will let you know if what we are doing is illegal or questionably legal.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

CAMERA: Hasselblad L1D-20c
DATE: June 25, 2022 – f/2.8
LENS: 28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 28mm
APERTURE: f/5.6
EXPOSURE: 1/400
ISO: 100
EXPOSURE BIAS: -.7
ALTITUDE: 363m Above Sea Level

Tomorrow I will reveal the September image of the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar.

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Time to share a second collection of the 90 images I rejected for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar:

I still have one more collection of rejected calendar images left to share.

Art, Bethany, Calendar, Flowers, Macro, Michelle, Naima, Nora, Photoshop

Caroline

December 22, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Today I reveal the March image for the 2023 Photography Calendar.

March

I took this picture of this American Gothic barn near Mount Vernon, Iowa on a TOWN SIGN PROJECT road trip with Michelle on November 14, 2021.

Here is a picture of us standing in front of it:

Here are some fun facts about the picture:

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M2
LENS: Sigma 28-75 F/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 53 mm
FIELD OF VIEW: 37.5 degrees
APERTURE: f/4.5
SHUTTER: 1/200
ISO: 100
EXPOSURE BIAS: +.3

I also Photoshopped a powerline out of the image… cause I hate powerlines.

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Hello I’m looking for a friend I lost some time ago
Your mother says she wants her girl back home
Sometimes you think you’ve found yourself you really only lost yourself
Or maybe you’re afraid to be alone
-Brandi Carlile

Thursday is for flowers! Today I’m sharing the final collection of flowertography pictures I took on August 14, 2022.

Nora was infatuated with moonflowers, which shows she has great taste!

More flower pictures next Thursday!

Art, Calendar, Christianity, Flowers, History, Macro, Railroad, Road Trip, Ruins

Fayette & Winneshiek County Aux – Vol. 1

December 21, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 6 Comments

Time to reveal the February image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar:

February

I took this macro image of a hollyhock in my yard. It is a little known fact that I am one of the premiere hollyhock farmers in all of Boone, Iowa. People comes from miles around to walk down my alley to see the numerous hollyhocks that line my back fence. While that isn’t true, it should be. Hollyhocks are a Top 5 flower in my flower gardens. Maybe even Top 3. You can make dolls out of them. I don’t know how to do that, but my Aunt Linda assures me it can be done.

This picture doesn’t have a strong connection to February. February is the month that houses the one true holiday that hasn’t been commercialized at all…. Valentine’s Day. So I like to put a “romantic” image here. Flowers are romantic, right?

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: July 19,2022 – 8:21 PM
LENS: Tamron 105mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 105mm
APERTUFE: f/6.3
EXPOSURE: 1/13
ISO: 400
EXPOSURE BIAS: -.3
FIELD OF 19.5 degrees

Tomorrow I will reveal the March image.

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Several months back I tooled around Fayette and Winneshiek County harvesting their town signs. I would have spent more time in Winneshiek County, but I actually been to the stunning Decorah a few times, so I didn’t spend as much time there as I would like. I need to get back there and photograph it sometime soon though.

Here is the first collection of images. All from Fayette County:

Oelwein

Maynard

Randalia

Fayette

West Union

Saint Lucas

Waucoma

Still a ton more pictures to share from this road trip!

Art, Automobiles, Black & White, Calendar, Christianity, Flowers, Iowa State, Macro, Nature, Road Trip, Ruins

If I Looked Like the Other Prom Queens

December 20, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to reveal the January image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar.

January

I took this picture while harvesting the town signs of Appanoose County for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT. It is the lighthouse at Lake Rathbun. I wish I could come up with a good reason why I picked this image for January. Some images needed to be slotted into months that I don’t have a connection with. I don’t have a real strong connection with January. The main reason this image ended up being in January is because with the clouds it looks cold. January is a cold month. At least in Iowa. This is a cold image. Sometimes in the cold (weather and life) you look for any port in the storm. A lighthouse is such a port.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: May 11, 2022 – 3:09 PM
LENS: Sigma 17-28mm f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 17mm
APERTURE: f/8
EXPOSURE: 1/500
ISO: 100
EXPOSURE BIAS: +.3
FIELD OF VIEW: 93.3 degrees
HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE: 1.20m

Tomorrow I will reveal the February image.

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While 13 images make the calendar, I always consider several other pictures. This year, I gave at least a cursory thought to 103 images. I have never shared the pictures that didn’t make the calendar, but I thought, why not?

Here is the first collection of images that were considered, but not included in the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar:

I can’t claim that because these images were rejected for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar, that it doesn’t mean one or two of them couldn’t show up in a 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. I still have two more collections of calendar rejects to share.

Flowers, Iowa State, Macro, Olympic Sports

That Year

December 15, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

In case you hadn’t heard, Iowa State clinched the 2022-23 Cy-Hawk Series last Friday night when the Cyclone Swimming and Diving team beat the Hawks 156-144. Iowa State currently holds a 13-6 lead with 3 events left to go. Iowa State beat Iowa in Soccer, Volleyball, Football, Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Cross Country, and Swimming and Diving.

(Graphic from Iowa State Social Media)

It’s a CYCLONE State for the 2nd straight year! I mean, it is always a Cyclone State, but for the 2nd straight year, we have scoreboard.

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I must have been sleeping, I must have been drinking,
I haven’t been dreaming about you for years. there was a sharp
Turn and a sunburn I was too cool for high school that year.

Must have have been new years. no one invited you,
Took things too far but I missed you and your antics.
You were lonesome and blue-eyed and so special to us.

You could have taken a long break
Instead of a long drop from a high place.
Ten years I never spoke your name.
Now it feels good to say it. your my friend again.
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers! This collection of flower pictures was taken on August 14 in my yard.

Still more flower pictures left in the hopper. Not a never ending supply, but still plenty more.

Flowers, Macro

Dreams

December 8, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Dreams, I have dreams
When I’m awake, when I’m asleep
And you, you are in my dreams
You’re underneath my skin, how am I so weak?

And now, in my dreams
I can feel the wait, I could just come clean

I keep it to myself, I know what it means
I can’t have you but I have dreams
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers. Here is a collection of flower pictures I took on August 14.

Still so many flower pictures left to share.

Animals, Flowers, Macro, State Fair

Pride and Joy

December 1, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Time of day I can’t recall
The kind of thing that takes a toll
Over years of overtime
Over smiles and over wine
All in all, it wasn’t bad
All in all, it wasn’t good
But I still care

That’s the problem with the days
They’re never long enough to say
What it is you never said
All the books you never read
I throw myself into the wind
Hoping somebody might pick me up
And carry me again

Where are you now?
Do you let me down?
Do you make me grieve for you?
Do I make you proud?
Do you get me now?
Am I your pride and joy?

I believe this to be true
There’s nothing sacred, nothing new
No one tells you when it’s time
There are no warnings, only signs
Then you know that you’re alone
You’re not a child any more
But you’re still scared
-Brandi Carlile

Pride and Joy is one of my favorite Brandi Carlile songs. Top 5. Top 10 at the very least. Definitely Top 20. Hopefully she plays it when I go see her in Omaha… in 2023… August 21. She is playing with somebody named Pink. Not sure who that is, but if they are playing with Brandi, she will make it big someday.

But Thursdays are for flowers and I this collection of flower pictures was taken in the Discovery Garden of the Iowa State Fair on the first day of the fair.

If you are worried I might run out of flowers before they grow again, don’t worry, I’m not in any danger of having to run out and buy bouquets to photograph yet.

Animals, Flowers, Macro, State Fair

Dying Day

November 24, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Now I’m lost in a sea of sunken dreams
While the sound of drunken screams echoes in the night
But I know all of this will come to pass
And I’ll be with you at last forever by your side

How these days grow long
But I’m on my way back home
It’s been hard to be away
-Brandi Carlile

I should start by wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate. But one thing everybody celebrates is flowers. And Thursdays are for flowers. And this bit of flowertography was done at the Discovery Garden at the Iowa State Fair. My favorite spot at the Iowa State Fair:

I have more flower pictures from the Iowa State Fair to share. I hope you are excited about it as I am!

Flowers, Macro

Looking Out

November 17, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I went out looking for the answers
And never left my town
I’m no good at understanding
But I’m good at standing ground

And when I asked a corner preacher
I couldn’t hear him for my youth
Some people get religion
Some people get the truth

I never get the truth
I never get the truth

I know the darkness pulls on you
But it’s just a point of view
When you’re outside looking in
You belong to someone
And when you feel like giving in
Or the coming of the end
Like your heart could break in two
Someone loves you
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers, so let’s get after it!

I love our Thursdays together. I love us.

Flowers, Macro, Naima

Again Today

November 10, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Broken sticks and broken stones
Will turn to dust just like our bones
It’s words that hurt the most now isn’t it
Are you sad inside, are you home alone
If I could just pick up the phone
Maybe you could see a better day
And you won’t waste away
Under my watchful eye
Because I’m your hero and you’re my weakness

Who’s gonna break my fall
When the spinning starts
The colors bleed together and fade
Was it ever there at all
Or have I lost my way
The path of least resistance
Is catching up with me again today

I’m broken down, not good enough
The broken promises add up
To twice their weight in tears which I have caused

I’m afraid to sink, I’m afraid to swim
I’m sad to say I miss my friends
I know that I’m supposed to step away
But they need me to stay and keep a watchful eye
On all my heroes and all their demons
-Brandi Carlile

Thursdays are for flowers. And sometimes, for pictures of Naima scratching herself. These flower pictures were taken in my yard on August 9.

I love our Flower Thursdays!