Category Archives: Photography

Animals, Formal Portrait, Kio, Photoshop, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 96

August 17, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Before anything, I want to ask for your prayers for the Herrick family. Today we put to rest Earl Herrick. He was my Dad’s best friend, so we are close to the family.

I would like to share the poem that the pastor read at the graveside service. You may have heard it before. It is called “What God Hath Promised”.

WHAT GOD HATH PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love

Author: Annie Johnson Flint

I took a picture of one of the program from Earl’s funeral because it included several “Earlisms”. I’m sharing that so you can have an idea of what kind of person Earl was:

Earlisms

“It takes a mighty big dog to weight a ton.”
“They’ll get happy in the same pants they got mad in.”
“I wouldn’t shit you – you’re my favorite turd.”
“Pet and Repeat sitting on a fence… Pete fell off – who was left? Repeat…. Pete and Repeat sitting on a fence…”
When asked, what’s that? “It’s cat’s fur to make kitten britches.”
“Don’t do anything I would do – just don’t get caught.”

Keep Linda, Wendi, Amy, and Mike in your prayers. Thanks.

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Here is your reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is ANIMAL.

ANIMAL!

An ANIMAL picture is any picture that features an ANIMAL or an ANIMAL by product.

Happy photo harvesting!

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2 days before I left for the mission trip, Kio commissioned me to do the graduation photography for the Boone Area Humane Society’s Dog Obedience Class. It was a perfect time to knock off Page 96 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 96 – Photograph an animal as if it were a human.

Although I took several pictures of many amazing dogs, only one can physically be adhered into the physical PHOTO JOURNAL. The physical PHOTO JOURNAL is housed at the Photography 139 Studio. It can be seen by appointment. It is protected by the Photography 139 security dog (who did not graduate from any dog obedience program) when I am not there.

Here are the one that won’t be in the book:

It is hard to tell what page we will check in with the next time we check into THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT. But quite possibly Page 52.

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Also,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERESA!

You are definitely a top 2 sister!

Jesse, Music, Night, Russell, Street Photography, Travel

Beale Street

August 16, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

This collection of Beale Street images is the last of my photos from my trip to Memphis with Jesse and Russell to watch Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl.

I didn’t have overwhelming expectations for Memphis, but it ended up being one of my favorite cities I have ever visited.

If I would have to rank my 3 favorite cities to visit it would be as follows:

1. New York City
2. Minneapolis
3. Memphis

Honorable Mentions to Nashville and San Antonio.

My least favorite cities to visit:

1. Omaha – dirty town with nothing in it, except an animal prison.
2. Las Vegas – White Trash Mecca.
3. Chicago – It isn’t that there isn’t anything in Chicago, it is that it is impossible to get anywhere in Chicago.

Understand, I haven’t been to a ton of cities in my lifetime. I’m not a city person. I’m not a patient enough person to live in a city. Plus, I need nature. I prefer cities that have great food, great music, and interesting history.

Here are a metric ton of Beale Street pictures. A street with great food. Great music. Interesting history.

In case I haven’t mentioned it lately. I’m really excited for Iowa State’s season to start. Also, I need to travel somewhere soon. I really haven’t went anywhere this summer besides the mission trip.

But where to go… Where to go…

Black & White, Event, Football, Iowa State, Jesse, Music, Russell, Street Photography, Travel

Liberty. Rally. Pep.

August 15, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

More from the 2017 backlog. These pictures are from the Iowa State Liberty Bowl Pep Rally I attended with Russell and Jesse.

It was a great event, but since I was already filled with pep, I did a lap around the Memphis Redbirds stadium taking some photos.

It was a beautiful December in Memphis. I only wish that some of that warmth could have been saved for the next day.

John Walters started the pep rally by saying, “And they said a football team couldn’t fill a baseball stadium.” I’ll give you time, if you don’t get the joke.

I’m 99% sure that I’m going to make a road trip to watch Iowa State play Kansas in early November. If anybody is interested in joining me in a Cyclone takeover of Lawrence, let me know so we can start making plans.

Hopefully Iowa State lives up to expectations and there is another bowl game to attend this year. One in Phoenix would be nice!

If not, the Final Four is in Minneapolis this season and the Iowa State basketball team is loaded with talent!

Animals, Black & White, Nader, State Fair, Still Life, Street Photography

Iowa State Fair 2017 – Set 2

August 14, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

By the time this entry publishes, Baby Got Rack will already have competed in the State Fair Cookoff. Pictures from that will be coming in the future.

I will remind you that I have two pictures on display at the Photography Salon in the Cultural Building. I’ll reveal what pictures I entered and what pictures got displayed this coming Sunday.

But for now, here are the balance of pictures from my trip to the Iowa State Fair in 2017.

I do love me some Iowa State Fair!

Andy, Animals, Kim, Naima, Photoshop, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 152 – FEAR

August 13, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Don’t forget that tomorrow, Baby Got Rack will be competing at the Iowa State Fair Barbecue Competition. We can be found on the grand concourse somewhere. Also, I have 2 pictures on display at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon in the Cultural Building.

Both are worth supporting, at least I think…

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I knew that FEAR was one of the toughest themes in this set of 52 themes and the steep drop in participation this week bore that out. I promise that this week’s theme is much, much easier.

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

Tamara Peterson

Kim Barker

Tamra Peterson

Andy Sharp

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley

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:

ANIMAL

ANIMAL! What a great theme! An ANIMAL photo is pretty self-explanatory. An ANIMAL photo is any picture that includes an ANIMAL. Or an ANIMAL byproduct.

For anybody that wants to book an appointment to photograph Naima. She charges $500 and hour and she takes frequent breaks.

As always, I look forward to seeing your 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.

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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 animalistic Monday.

Black & White, Formal Portrait, Gretchen, Sara, Shawn Lockner

The Juncks Vol. 2

August 12, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Time to hit up that 2016 backlog again.

Back in July of 2016 I went out to the Junck farm to do a family portrait shoot for the Juncks. It was so long ago that Maven wasn’t even in the picture yet. She’s definitely in the picture now though!

Here is the balance of the Junck photos:

For those of you that have missed Saydie Sundays are in luck. Saydie will return next Sunday!

Alexis, Baseball/Softball, Elainie, Event, Jason, Jaycees, Music, Night, Shannon, Tenderloining

06-22-08 & 06-23-08

August 11, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

There is a bit of variety in the folders 06-22-08 & 06-23-08.

There are pictures of Elainie playing softball.

There are pictures of an Ames on the Half Shell concert. Vivace I believe.

There are pictures of Scottie D. and I tenderloining.

Have a look:

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

Royals Win!

Tenderloin Quest: The Beginning

Vivace

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve more Ames on the Half Shell, tractors, the most accurate nickname I was ever given, and a wedding. The wedding if I’m feeling ambitious.

Baby Got Rack, Bethany, Boone FUMC, Carla, Contests, Flowers, Football, Movies, Nature, Photo Journal, Photoshop, Vest, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 86

August 10, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

First of all, thanks to everybody who voted to determine what pictures I will enter in the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest. I have the 6 entries determined and will be ordering them this weekend.

Pufferbilly Days is September 7, 8, and 9 this year. You can see the photos at the new KWBG Building. That is located on the corner of 9th and Keeler. I don’t know for certain, but my sister Carla will most likely be entering photos as well. She did last year and did very well. There is also a fair chance that frequent WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE contributor Mike Vest will be entering as well.

Other Pufferbilly Days activities you might enjoy watching. Bethany will be running in the 10K. I don’t that Willy is, but I bet he does.

I normally don’t recommend going to parades. They are boring. Too long. Also, they are boring. However, you might want to give some consideration to going to the parade this year. While it isn’t a certainty, there is a pretty good chance I’ll be in the parade for Boone First United Methodist Church. Represent!

Also, on September 8, I’ll be opening the doors of the Union Street Theater* for an Iowa State-Team Out East Game Watch. All Cyclone fans are invited! Hawk fans, I think I can find an old analog television I can set up for you to watch in the garage. Kickoff is 4 PM. There will be snacks. You never know, I might have a popcorn machine by then. Probably not though. I have an electricity thing that I need done and all my electrician type friends have fallen through.

There is a rumor that Baby Got Rack will be competing in a barbecue contest on the Sunday of Pufferbilly Days, but they don’t list such a contest on the Pufferbilly Days website, so stay tuned for more information on that. Otherwise, you can come down to the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday to support us as we compete in the barbecue contest down there. Although, admittedly, we won’t be going all out down there. If there is a Pufferbilly Days contest, we will be bringing out the Cow. Probably Sir-Pigs-a-Lot as well. Stay tuned!

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This is your reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is FEAR!

FEAR!

I would describe the difference between a FEAR photo and a SCARY photo as a SCARY photo is a picture of something SCARY while a FEAR photo is a reaction to something SCARY. However, feel free to interpret the theme any way you see fit.

Happy photo harvesting!

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A week or so back, a nice little storm ripped through Boone. I used it as a good opportunity to knock out Page 86 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 86 – Use Exposure as a Metaphor

This is the water tower that is about a block from where I live. The exposure compensation for this picture was set at -2.3.

Although I took several pictures, only one can be physically adhered into the physical PHOTO JOURNAL. The physical PHOTO JOURNAL is housed at Photography 139 Studio. It can be seen by appointment. It is protected by the Photography 139 security dog when I am not there.

Here are the ones that won’t be in the book:

-4.3

-3.0

-2.7

-3.0

-4.0

-2.3

-2.0

-2.3

-3.7

-4.0, but this one also had a lot of Photoshop tinkering done to it.

Next time we check into THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT, we will probably visit Page 52, but nothing in life is certain, but death and taxes and Iowa football players getting arrested. For mistaking a police car. For an Uber.

*The Union Street Theater Movie Club’s August meeting will be August 26. Projector rolls at 6 PM. This month the double feature is bird themed. The B movie will be BIRDEMIC 2: THE RESURRECTION. The feature film will be the Alfred Hitchcock classic THE BIRDS. Snacks may also be bird themed. Or not. I have to talk to a guy.

Contests, Event, Pufferbilly Days

Lots of the Wrong Color

August 9, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

2018 Pufferbilly Days Runoff Polls.

Don’t forget to hit the vote button after making your selection.

Vote in both polls!

POLL #1

TS Poll - Loading poll ...

POLL #2

TS Poll - Loading poll ...

Thanks for your participation!

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Today is the first day of the Iowa State Fair. Don’t forget that I have 2 pictures on display at the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon in the Cultural Building. You better go check them out!

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Hitting up the 2017 back log. A bunch of tractors came to Boone back in July of 2017. I honestly can’t remember the reason why right now. I’m pretty sure it was part of the annual WHO tractor ride thing.

The reason is irrelevant though.

What matters is I went out to where they were parked during the last few drops of sunlight and took some photos.

Here are those photos: