Category Archives: Nature

Cathie, Drone, Elizabeth, Kio, Micky, Nature, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 307 – PATHS

August 2, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

At least a few people were able to figure out what PATHS they are walking for the theme of PATHS.

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

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin

Elizabeth Nordeen

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Kio Dettman

Cathie Raley

Mike Vest

A great week of submissions!

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:

TOY

TOY! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a TOY image? Simply put, a TOY image is a picture of something that you use for recreation. It isn’t used for work. It is used for play. However, what one person might consider a TOY, another person might consider a TOOL. What is considered a TOY might be more personal than one thinks at first glance.

Think on these words when considering your subject for this week’s image:

As men get older, the goys get more expensive.
-Marvin Davis

Heed these words and there is no doubt you will create a most playful TOY images.

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of TOY in this place that is little more than my plaything next Monday.

Animals, Boone County Fair, Contests, Nature, WPC - Reminder

Boone County Fair 2021

July 30, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

A few weeks back was the Boone County Fair. I didn’t spend much time there, but even with what little time I was there, it felt good to be back. Last year was the first time I didn’t at least make a brief appearance at the Boone County Fair, probably in my entire life.

I went there late Saturday morning to judge the Boone County Fair Photography Contest. It was my first time judging a photography contest and it was definitely an interesting experience being on the other side.

One of the disappointing aspect of being a judge was that there was only 16 entries this year. The past few years I would guess that there was around 50 or so entries. I’m not sure why few people felt like competing this year, but the photography contest wasn’t the only contest I saw that had a precipitous dip in entries. The barbecue contest that Baby Got Rack usually dominates normally has about ten competitors. This year there were two. Baby Got Rack was not one of the two, despite the fact that I already picked up this year’s competitive fedora and Hawaiian shirt. Scottie D. took his lady to Vegas for the weekend, so that put us on the sideline. We have been in discussions to enter a different contest, but at this time, nothing has come of it. You’ll just have to imagine how great it would have been.

What made the lack of participation rates so weird is that the brief times I was at the fair, the fairgrounds were plenty busy. Busier than normal.

Here are some facts about this year’s Boone County Fair Photography Contest:

+ 16 total entries.
+ There are 3 divisions (Black and White, Color, and Digitally Enhanced) broke into 4 classes (People, Landscape, Animal, and Other)
+ There was one entry in Black and White. (Landscape)
+ There was one entry in Digitally Enhanced. (Landscape)
+ There were 14 entries in Color. (1 in People, 4 in Landscape, 6 in Animal, and 3 in Other)
+ I awarded 1 Best in Show.
+ 1 Sweepstakes Award (Most Blue Ribbons)
+ 3 Purple Ribbons (Best in each Division)
+ 12 Blue Ribbons (3 elevated to Purple)
+ 4 Red Ribbons
+ 0 White Ribbons

I wasn’t given many instructions other than this, “We don’t want people to feel discouraged.”

Here is a picture of the contest.

It was a great experience and I was surprised that I even got paid for my efforts.

The lack of participation at the Boone County Fair is why I worry about the participation at the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. However, whatever happens, this year is just the foundation from where we will build the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest into a juggernaut.

Here is the flyer, if you need more information:

Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest Flyer - 2021

While the flyer says the deadline was July 21, the true deadline is roughly 4:30 PM on Tuesday, August 3. That is when I will be picking up the entries and that night my trifecta of judges will evaluate and determine the winners. So, if you are still interested in entering some pictures, you still have the weekend to get your entries ready.

But I digress. Here are some pictures from the Boone County Fair:

I did get to see lots of people at the fair that I haven’t seen in a long time. I hope I get to spend more time at the fair in 2022.

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is PATHS:

PATHS

PATHS! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a PATHS image? Simply put, a PATHS image is a picture of a route used by beings to get from one place to another. Trails are PATHS. Roads are PATHS. Railroads are PATHS. Sidewalks are PATHS. Aisles are PATHS. Of course, you don’t have to be literal. There are the PATHS we are on in our life. There is the faith PATHS that we walk.

In the theme reveal image, there is a literal trail from an observation tower back to the woods and eventually, back to my car.

When considering subjects for this week’s image, consider the following quote:

When the path ignites a soul, there’s no remaining in place. The foot touches the ground, but not for long.
-Hakim Sanai

Happy photo harvesting!

Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Jen, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Nature, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 306 – ARCHITECTURE

July 26, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

The theme of ARCHITECTURE rang the bell of a few people. Quite a few people, actually. Anita Ward would be proud.

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

Logan Kahler

Micky Augustin

Cathie Raley

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler

Kim Barker

Carla Stensland

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Kio Dettman

Carla Stensland

A great week of submissions!

PATHS

PATHS! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

In the theme reveal image, there is a literal trail from an observation tower back to the woods and eventually, back to my car.

When considering subjects for this week’s image, consider the following quote:

When the path ignites a soul, there’s no remaining in place. The foot touches the ground, but not for long.
-Hakim Sanai

Heed these works and there is no doubt your path will take you to a most intriguing PATHS image.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of PATHS in this place that like to think it is your trail to my soul next Monday.

Art, Black & White, Flowers, Grandma, History, Nature, Road Trip, Ruins

Tama County Auxiliary Images – 2

July 25, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Here is the final chapter in the storage of my Grandma Bennett’s brief third marriage:

Handschin Killer Commits Suicide At Reformatory

Sioux City, Feb. 15

Mrs. Martelle McPeek, 29 year-old blonde, who last January 11th shot her lover after being jilted, committed suicider early today in the woman’s reformatory at Rockwell City by hanging herself with a pair of cotton stockings.

Supt. Pauline Johnston said Mrs. McPeek was by a guard. The county coroner said Mrs. McPeek died of strangulation and that her neck was not broken.

Mrs. McPeek entered the institution January 27th. She had been sentenced to ten years when she pleaded guilty to a charge of second degree murder.

The charge against her was filed after the death of Maurics Handschin, 36-year-old packing house employee as a result of a bullet wound in the abdomen.

Formerly of Boone

The late Mr. Handschin was formerly of Boone and had married here only shortly before the fatal shooting. His underal services were held in this city.

Claimed by Husband

Rockwell City, Feb. 15

Mrs. Martelle M. McPeek, 29, committed suicide at the Iowa Women’s Reformatory, to which she was sentenced for 10 years for killing Maurice Handschin in Sioux City last January 11.

Mrs. McPeek’s body was found hanging from the top of a window. She had strangled herself to death with her stockings. Her husband, William McPeek of Sioux City claimed her body.

Handschin lived at the McPeek residence in Sioux City several years before leaving there to marry a Boone divorcee. Mrs. McPeek contended she had planned to divorce her husband and marry Handschin.

Here is a copy of the newspaper article:

While that concluded this episode of sharing some of my family history that I discover going through some genealogy stuff, it won’t be the last.

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This is the rest of the auxiliary images from my trip to Tama County to harvest their town signs. The highlight of this trip was the winding stairs in Traer.

Clutier

Dysart

Traer

Lincoln

Conrad (Grundy County)

Garwin

So many auxiliary images still to go through, but that is it for Tama County.

Animals, Black & White, Macro, Mom, Nature

2010-09-29 & 2010-09-30

July 3, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

There were hardly any pictures in the folder 2010-09-29 so I decided to combine it with 2010-09-30. This collection includes a picture of a buckeye. I really wish I remember why I took this buckeye picture. I never shared it on this here blog. Buckeyes have a deeper family connection for me. My Grandpa Paris used to carry a buckeye with him. Carrying a buckeye in your pocket is supposed to give you good luck. My Mom carried a buckeye with her every day to reminder her of Grandpa. When we cleaned out her car, we found two buckeyes in it. Those buckeyes are still there. She had a bag of buckeyes in her dresser, so if she ever lost her buckeye, she just went to the bag and grabbed another one.

The other pictures are of a rabbit that came under my care.

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:

PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT OF THE WEEK #46 ALPHA

PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT OF THE WEEK #46 BETA

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve Philanthropy Day.

Macro, Naima, Nature, WPC - Reminder

Assemblage

June 18, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Today I’m sharing a collection I took over a couple days back in February or Naima and of an icicle.

Some people say I don’t take enough pictures of Naima. Naima is not one of those people. She is a dog.

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This your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is WHITE:

WHITE

WHITE! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a WHITE image? A WHITE image is simply and image where the color WHITE plays an important part of the composition of the image.

Happy photo harvesting!

Art, Black & White, Christianity, Nature, Railroad, Road Trip, Ruins

Franklin County Auxiliary Images

June 16, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Back in March I made a solo trip up to Franklin County to harvest the town signs that I was missing. Here are some of the auxiliary images I took while I was up there.

Popejoy

Bradford

Hampton

Chapin

Sheffield

Hampton Again

Geneva

Beeds Lake State Park

Coulter

Franklin County is an interesting county. A collection of tiny towns, a nice state park, and a Hardee’s for me to get my Hardee’s breakfast fix.

Animals, Art, Becca, Black & White, Boone County Fair, Christianity, Contests, Dawn, Derrick, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Jen, Jesse, Jill, Laura, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Nature, Night, Photoshop, Pufferbilly Days, Russell, Scottie D., Shannon, Shorty, State Fair, Still Life, Willy

My (Sad) Photo Contest History – 2

June 3, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

When we left off, I had just won 1st Place in Black and White and 3rd Place in Color at the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest, but had been completely rejected by the Iowa State Fair for the 4th year in a row.

Whatever I was selling, the judges were not buying. I was despondent, but not discouraged because I knew I had entered some great photos, but they were not what the judges were looking for that year.

2011 comes around. I decided to retire from the Boone County Fair Photo Contest and to start a new way of picking pictures for the Pufferbilly Days. I also had what was probably the peak of my photo contest career at the Iowa State Fair. I got all 4 pictures exhibited. This is extremely hard to do. Thousands of people enter the contest every year. Only 5 of us got all 4 pictures exhibited. You can do the math. It is a big deal.

These are the pictures that were exhibited:

2011 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - I Recommend Pleasant

2nd Place Class 25

Honorable Mention Class 13

For the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest it was the second year of letting other people select my entrants. Dawn, Derrick, Jen, Scott, Russell, and Rebecca chose my entries. Dawn’s choice got 2nd Place in Black and White:

2011 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - Radiant Beams

2nd Place – Black and White

I was pretty excited for 2012. I thought I had cracked the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Code, but there is no code. Some years the judge like you. Some years they don’t. In 2012, they like one of my pictures:

2012 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Truth Perception

That year, I decided to retire from the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest.

Then shortly after that, I decided to retire from Photo Contests altogether.

But in 2017, the itch came back. I decided to put on a Washington Wizards Jersey and come out of retirement. Hard. I decided to enter all 3 contests again. I got all Blue Ribbons at the Boone County Fair:

I got one picture selected for display at the Iowa State Fair:

2017 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Little Apple

I had the following people select my entries for the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest: Jim Robbins (yeah that is a long story), Micky, Michelle, Amber, Laura, and Dawn. However, none of the pictures earned a ribbon.

In 2018, my Boone County Fair entries were determined by popular vote:

Red

Purple

Blue

I had two pictures selected for display at the Iowa State Fair:

2018 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon - Peep

My Pufferbilly Days entries were also selected by popular vote that year:

2018 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - INRI

1st Place Photoshop

1st Place Photojournalism

3rd Place Hidden Treasures of Boone County

2019 would also be a successful year. I moved to having individuals select my Boone County Fair entrants. Shannon, Michelle, and Logan selected my entries.

Purple

Blue

Red

Blue

Purple

I had one picture selected for exhibition at the Iowa State Fair and it earned a ribbon:

2019 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon Entry - Green Little Vaulter

Honorable Mention Class 18

My Pufferbilly Day entries were once again selected by popular vote:

2019 Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest - Hocks

1st Place Nature

1st Place Photoshop

In 2020 the pandemic hit and all photo contests were cancelled. Which was sad and I think it was avoidable because in a digital age, I think they could have found a way. For example the Iowa State Fair still held its Fine Arts competition.

Which brings us to 2021. I’m currently working on my next embarrassing failure at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. However, I am not going to enter the Boone County Fair this year. There is a reason for this decision. A very good reason. However, I’m not going to share the reason until it becomes official or it falls through. Things seem to fall through quite often these days. No decision has been made on Pufferbilly Days yet, but Pufferbilly Days has been moved to early August this year. I’m not crazy about the decision, but I’ll give it a chance.

If you want to peruse all 153 Photo Contest entrants in this long weird journey, click on the link below:

Photo Contests

You can see them all from the out of focus to the award winners. The good, the bad, and the moldy jam equivalent.

Flowers, Macro, Naima, Nature

Macrocicle

May 25, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

This post is a collection of some macro (mostly) pictures I took across February. Most are of an icicle, but a couple are of a lilac bud from my lilac bush. I might get into the history of those lilacs at some point, but not today.

And of course, a couple pictures of Naima in there too!

Art, Jay, Lensbaby, Naima, Nature

More of that Velvet 85

May 7, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Here is another small collection of some of the first images I took with the Lensbaby Velvet 85 back in January:

I’m still going to go into some detail about what makes the Lensbaby Velvet 85 such a special unique lens at some point. Just not today.

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This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is FACE:

FACE

A FACE image is pretty simple. It is merely a picture where a FACE is a major compositional element. Everybody has access to a FACE. Almost everybody either has a FACE or knows somebody that has a FACE. But not just humans have a FACE. Animals have a FACE. Clocks have a FACE. Even cliffs have a FACE.

Think about the following quote when you are contemplating your FACE image:

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.
-Victor Hugo

Happy photo harvesting!

RULES

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RULES

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