Category Archives: Formal Portrait

Art, Formal Portrait, Nader, Road Trip, Street Photography

Dysart Illusion Road Trip – I

December 5, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in April I loaded up the car with Nader and we drop over to Dysart because I wanted to check out their collection of illusions. It turns out that many of them aren’t in great shape and I think 2 of them are completely gone. At least we went to where they are supposed to be on the map and there was nothing there.

Despite that disappointment, it was a really good trip.

Here is the first collection of pictures from the trip:

It is tricky to photograph an illusion. Often the illusion doesn’t translate to photography. But I think you get the idea. There are still plenty more pictures to share from this road trip.

Flowers, Formal Portrait, Macro, Nader, Road Trip

Sinners, Saints and Fools

November 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Where the winds of change were blowin’
There lived a God-fearing man
He was turning through his Bible
When he came up with a plan
He painted up a sign
And held it high above his head
Waved it proudly in the air, and this is what it read

You can’t break the law
There are reasons for the rules
I keep things safe here for everyone
The sinners, saints, and fools
The poor and huddled masses
Who are hungry and afraid
You gotta do it by the Book and there’ll be
No exceptions made

To the weary, desperate souls
Who washed up on the sand
He said, “We hadn’t seen your paperwork”
And he withdrew his hand
You know he never felt any safer
All the peace he hoped he’d find
And up until the day he died
He never changed his mind

By the time he got to Heaven
It was surrounded by a wall
The pearly gates were locked up tight
The golden chains and all
They said, “We cannot let just anyone
Walk in here anymore
You didn’t do it by the Book, ”
And then they pointed to the floor

You can’t break the law
There are reasons for the rules
I keep things safe here for everyone
You sinners, saints, and fools
The poor and huddled masses
Who are hungry and afraid
You gotta do it by the Book and there’ll be
No exceptions made
-Brandi Carlile

I particularly like Brandi’s answer to what this song was about in that Stereogum interview:

CARLILE: To me, there’s nothing on planet Earth more maddening than the religious right’s rejection of displaced people. It’s just baffling. It could only be from a place of abstract evil, that there would be anything Christian about the concept of rejecting someone who’s had to leave their home, which no one wants to do for any reason, war, hunger, unrest, economic impact. For any reason that a person should become displaced and then systematically rejected is just antithetical to everything… I won’t even use the word “Christian,” but everything Gospel-based.

STEREOGUM: How do you personally stay close to faith, if you will, when there’s such a prevalence of people acting like the “god-fearing man” you describe in this song? The man who thinks he’s living according to scripture, but once he gets to heaven, it’s surrounded by a wall.

CARLILE: Well, because I realize that’s the powerful delusion. I realize that the powerful delusion foretold in scripture will be a complete rejection of love and generosity and enduring patience, tolerance, mercy, that it’s the faith revealing itself in ourselves every day. And it’s renewable. We can fix it. We can change as a species if we want to. It’s not hurtling towards some fiery end. It’s a living, breathing faith.

I was like 19, and I went to Urban Outfitters, and I saw a T-shirt with Jesus on a Harley, and I bought it. It said, “What the fuck is a Christian?” And you realize Jesus did not know what a Christian was. He didn’t know what the Bible was. Jesus is a concept of mercy and enduring love, not love, the feeling, but love, the action. And I subscribe. I follow. Anything you like about me, it’s because of that.

STEREOGUM: That’s pretty deep for Urban Outfitters.

CARLILE: Thanks, Urban Outfitters. You’re more likely to find Jesus in Urban Outfitters right now than you are in church.

Preach!

But Thursdays are for flowers. This flowertography collection came from a trip to the State Center Rose Garden with Nader:

Still more rose pictures left to share from this day!

Art, Birthdays, Black & White, Christianity, Formal Portrait, Nader, Railroad, Road Trip, Ruins, Street Photography, Suzie

PHOTO DROP-OFF ROAD TRIP II

November 22, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Suzie’s birthday. So I need to wish her a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Suzie!

Suzie is the short one in the picture, in case you didn’t know! I hope you have an amazing birthday!

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Time to share more pictures from the road trip I took with Nader after I dropped off my pictures for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. This collection starts where the first collection ended, hanging out with Albert the Bull in Audubon.

Gray

Manning

Still one more collection of images to share from this road trip.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Funk, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 426 – FOOD

November 13, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

FOOD! Everybody needs it! But did enough people photograph it to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, November 6, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Elainie Hernandez – 1 week
3-Monica Jennings – 1 week
4-Sara Lockner – 1 week
5-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
6-Julie Sharp – 1 week
7-Mary Green – 4 weeks (2)
8-Alexis Stensland – 4 weeks
9-Scott Degeneffe – 11 weeks
10-Sabas Hernandez – 12 weeks
11-Willy McAlpine – 12 weeks
12-Mike Vest – 18 weeks
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 21 weeks (2)
14-Logan Kahler – 22 weeks
15-Nathanial Brown – 23 weeks
16-Jesse Howard – 23 weeks
17-Tamara Peterson – 26 weeks
18-Mindi Terrell – 38 weeks
19-Brandon Kahler – 62 weeks
20-Linda Bennett – 67 weeks (2)
21-Sarah Toot – 68 weeks
22-Angie DeWaard – 72 weeks
23-Dawn Krause – 76 weeks
24-Kim Barker – 82 weeks
25-Joe Duff – 83 weeks
26-Teresa Kahler – 94 weeks
27-Carla Stensland – 94 weeks
28-Micky Augustin – 96 weeks
29-Andy Sharp – 97 weeks
30-Bill Wentworth – 98 weeks
31-Cathie Morton – 102 weeks
32-Elizabeth Nordeen – 103 weeks
33-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 105 weeks
34-Kio Dettman – 107 weeks (2)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp (Omaha, Nebraska) – 98 weeks

Andy Sharp (Whistle Stop Cafe – Boone, Iowa)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 73 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 99 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Story City, Iowa) – 63 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 103 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (The Feed Mill Restaurant – Audubon, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 77 weeks

Diane Sharp (Omaha, Nebraska) – 1 week

Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa) – 104 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (The Feed Mill Restaurant – Audubon, Iowa) – 24 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas) – 84 weeks

Joe Duff (League City, Texas)

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 83 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa)

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa) – 108 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone, Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 68 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 23 weeks

Micky Augstin (Iowa) – 97 weeks

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 19 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 39 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Smokey D’s BBQ – Des Moines, Iowa) – 13 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 69 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa) – 12 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 106 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 22 weeks

Susanna Funk (Iowa) – 1 week

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 27 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 13 weeks

34 participants! A pretty good week by current standards!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Kansas
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Hawaii
+ Idaho
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Kentucky
+ Louisiana
+ Maryland
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Montana
+ Nebraska
+ New Hampshire
+ New Jersey
+ New Mexico
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ North Carolina
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Carolina
+ South Dakota
+ Tennessee
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Vermont
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Canada
+ Peru
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ France
+ Austria
+ Germany
+ Italy
+ Slovenia

There were no major milestones this week. The first ever submission by Diane Sharp though!

It was a bloodbath of streaks though. Becky, and Julie couldn’t build on last week’s submission. Mary’s streak ends at 4.

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:

PORTRAIT

PORTRAIT! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a PORTRAIT? It is simply a picture of somebody. Can be one person. Can be several people. Can be you. It can be a posed picture. It can be a candid picture. The options are aplenty!

While thinking about possible subjects for your PORTRAIT, meditate on the following quote and I have no doubt that you will come up with a fabulous image:

My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.
-Helmut Newton

I look forward to your interpretation!

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. There is a limit of 3 submissions per participant. To be considered the photographer, you have to be the one that takes the picture. Don’t be stealing the work of other artists. You can submit pictures for other photographers that took pictures with your camera or phone, but give credit where credit is due.

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

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of PORTRAIT in this place that is a self-portrait next Monday.

Art, Formal Portrait, Nader, Street Photography

State Center Rose Festival

November 10, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

One of the things I like to do before I take my entries for the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon down to enter them is going to the State Center Rose Garden to photograph the roses. This year the due date for the Photography Salon happened to be the same date as the State Center Rose Festival. Since Nader went with me, we decided to walk around and check it out.

Not much was going on that early in the morning but the barbecue contest, but I took several pictures of it.

Still plenty more pictures from this day left to share!

9 Emotions Project, Art, Basketball, Birthdays, Black & White, Blogging, Boone County Fair, Boone FUMC, Carla, Drone, Elainie, Evie, Formal Portrait, Fran, Iowa State, Jay, Jesse, Kim, Layla, Logan, Micky, Mom, Naima, Road Trip, Saydie, Shannon, Shawn Lockner, Still Life, Street Photography, Tenderloining, Teresa, Vest

Post 5,005

November 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start this milestone post by wishing Elainie a happy birthday!

Happy birthday Elainie!

I hope your birthday is amazing!!

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Today is also Layla’s birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAYLA!

I hope you have an awesome birthday!

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Can you believe that this is the 5,005th entry in the blog known as “An Artist’s Notebook”? Every 250 posts or so I like to take a moment to reflect on where this post has been and post a lot of meaningless stats. I meant to post this post on Sunday night when it would have been Post #5,000, but you know how my week went. Not great.

As always on these posts, I like to start by quoting the very first “An Artist’s Notebook” entry that published on August 9, 2006. That first post that published 6,296 days.

That post that started with these words:

So here is the first journal entry. I felt like having as pretentious sounding name as possible for my journal. I have a few goals about this journal. My main goal is just to actually write in it. My second goal is to be as truthful as possible towards my true thoughts and feelings. I have another journal on another website, but it is really just a collection of sarcastic statements and cheap jabs at open faced sandwiches. This journal is meant to be about what my achievements and failures are in the world of art. What projects I am working on and what I have accomplished and what I have failed to accomplish. What I am photographing and what I am thinking about entering in photo contests. What I am thinking about. It might not always make sense. It might just be things I need to write down because they strike me as poignant or inspirational. This is in a small way an online “idea box”.

Since those words, I have posted 5,005 journal entries. (Normally I would do this little exercise on post #4,750, but I was in Vegas at that time.) This website is still something of an “idea box”. Sometimes I’m just working stuff out here. I don’t know why, sometimes I need to work stuff out in public. But this website is definitely more than just an “idea box”. It is a place where I post a few thoughts and a ton of pictures. I’ve gone through a few photo projects on these pages. From THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to the 9 EMOTIONS PROJECT to THE SELFIE PROJECT to the POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT to name just a few. This website has also created a community with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Which is one of my proudest achievements. Even if it sputtered and spit and barely survived in its first few years.

5,005 posts. I can’t even measure the elevation changes my life have taken since then. Major ups. Major downs. Peaks and valleys. 5,005 posts and I vow to keep on chugging along.

On these reflective posts, I like to publish a bunch of statistics that me and Joe Duff find interesting. So I might as well get to it.

Every post in “An Artist’s Notebook” is tagged with at least one Category. It is one of the easiest ways to navigate around the website. They are listed at the top of each post. Here are some statistics about Categories:

THE TOP 10 MOST USED CATEGORIES (RANK IN POST #4757 & INCREASE SINCE THEN)
10. Carla – 582 (#8 – +52)
9. Teresa – 590 (#9 – +65)
8. Road Trip – 611 (#6 – +42)
7. Macro – 627 (#10 – +132)
6. Formal Portrait – 638 (NR)
5. Jesse – 684 (#4 – +54)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

Dropping from the from the Top 10 was Shannon, a category that was #7 in Post #4757.

The 5 categories that have the best shot at making the Top 10 in Post #5,250 are Shannon, Nature, WPC-Submissions, and Candid Portrait.

It should be noted that some of these increases are caused by my working on the categories on some older posts.

THE TOP 10 NON-HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Photoshop – 432 (#10 – +43)
9. Candid Portrait – 475 (NR)
8. Nature – 538 (+101 – #8)
7. Road Trip – 611 (#5 – +42)
6. Macro – 627 (#6 – +132)
5. Formal Portrait – 638 (#8 – +191)
4. Art – 744 (#5 – +122)
3. Animals – 790 (#3 – +65)
2. Flowers – 958 (#2 – +77)
1. Black & White – 1,212 (#1 – +220)

WPC-Submission fell out of the Top 10. It was ranked #7 in Post #4757.

The categories that are just right outside of the Top 10 are Still Life, Naima, History, and Self-Portrait and Christianity.

THE TOP 10 HUMAN CATEGORIES
10. Vest – 350 (NR)
9. Jay – 353 (#6 – +5)
8. Micky – 359 (NR)
7. Logan – 380 (#9 – +61)
6. Kim – 395 (#7 – +53)
5. Mom – 464 (#5 – +6)
4. Shannon – 576 (#2 – +37)
3. Carla – 582 (#3 – +52)
2. Teresa – 590 (#4 – +65)
1. Jesse – 684 (#1 – +54)

Dropping from the rankings was Willy and Derrick.

The categories that have the best shot at cracking the next Top 10 are Willy, Derrick, Jen, Andy, and Sara.

If you are wondering what is your best way to improve your Photography 139 Score and crack the Top 10, it is simply to be active in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE or go on trips with me or participate in various other photo projects or be related to me. Now these aren’t necessarily the 10 people that have influenced my photography the most, but these are the 10 people that have made the largest imprint on this website.

I can tell you the people that have influenced my photography the most, but that is a tale for another time. But I’m pretty sure you can guess who.

If you have spent any time on the Photography 139 website, you know that on the left sidebar, the “Top 100 Categories” are listed. I thought I would give a little bit of coverage to the Bottom 10 of the Top 100. There are currently 203 categories used on the website. I could cover the Bottom 10, but they are mostly people that either very recently came into the life of this website by birth (Jonah Kahler) or another way (Nathanial, Mindi, Fran). Or people that I thought would be a bigger part of my life and then weren’t. No need to cover those people. The Category that is #203 probably needs to be purged.

THE BOTTOM 10 OF THE TOP 100
#10. Andree – 77
#10. Flat Earth Joe – 77
#10. Self-Portrait Project – 77
#9. Photo Journal – 79
#8. Commercial – 83
#7. Sabas – 84
#6. Becca – 89
#3. Pufferbilly Days – 91
#3. Pastor Sarah – 91
#3. House – 91
#1. Faust – 92
#1. Writing – 92

The following categories have either fallen out of the Bottom 10 of the Top 100 or climbed out of it:
Kelly, Lowell, and Suzie.

The following categories have the best shot at dropping back into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Sarah Toot, Lowell, Suzie, Russell, and Nate

The following categories have the best shot at climbing up into the Bottom 10 of the Top 10:
Layla, Kelly, Vacation, Saydie, and Kalista

“An Artist’s Notebook” is part of Photography 139. The 139 comes from Psalm 139:1-12. The Photography part comes from the fact this website is supposed to be filled with photography. So, what are the most popular photo galleries on the Photography 139 website? Glad you asked:

TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY 139 PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERIES (LAST 365 DAYS)

To View the Gallery, Click on its Representative Image

10. Naima – 64,796 views

9. Tenderloining – 75,558 views

8. 9 Emotions Project – 81,405 views

7. Selfie-Project – 2022 – 88,632 views

6. Drone – 99,708 views

5. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9 – 108,852 views

4. Town Sign Project – 118,563 views

3. Las Vegas 2023 – 169,257 views

2. Town Sign Project Auxiliary Images – 219,546 views

1. Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 10 – 323,781 views

Galleries that fell out of the Top 10 are:
Christopher D. Bennett, Miami Beach, Jayton Poole, and Alexis Pregnancy Photo Shoot – 2020

Galleries that fell just outside of the Top 10 are:
Sleeping Angels – 2023, Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 6, Photo Journal Rejects, Iowa State Cyclones Football – 2008, and Christopher D. Bennett.

But what are the most popular single images of the last 365 days? Don’t worry, I’m gonna feed you baby birds.

Top 10 Photography 139 Images

10. Sleeping Angels Fun Run – 2,772 views

9. Maven’s Birthday Party – 2022 – 2,820 views

8. Boone FUMC Thanksgiving – 2022 – 3,073 views

7. Color the Wind – 2023 – 3,149 views

6. Renaissance Fair – 2022 – 3,302 views

5. Fran and Pepper – 3,687 views

4. World Food Festival – 2022 – 3,754 views

3. Howards – 2022 – 3,976 views

2. 2023 Barbecue Contests – 4,168 views

1. Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship – 18,045 views

If you are interested in checking out some of the milestone posts of the past, I got you. Click on any of the links below to check them out:

Post 1
Post 750
Post 850
Post 1,000
Post 1,101
Post 1,200
Post 1,447
Post 1,718
Post 2,500
Post 3,000
Post 3,252
Post 3,751
Post 4,000
Post 4,250
Post 4,500
Post 4,757

I think that is enough. We will check back in, in another 245 posts.

Alexis, Amy, Andy, Angie, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Formal Portrait, Iowa State, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Mom, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 424 – FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM

October 31, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

NOTE: – THIS IS ONE OF TWO POSTS WHERE YOU CAN SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS.

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It is the last collection of submissions for the month of October, so it is a good time to revisit the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE FAQ. I’ve noticed an uptick in small-sized submissions lately. It wouldn’t hurt to review the resolution FAQ if you haven’t looked at it lately.

Award winning photographers? Really?

Yes. I can think of at least 10 photographers that participate regularly that have won a photography award of some kind.

Is this a competition?
NO.

Is there a limit to the number of submissions I can have each week?

Yes. That limit is 3. If you send me more than 3, I will post the first 3 that you send. I’m not trying to harsh your photography buzz, but any more than that starts to overwhelm the other submissions and it takes me about 5 minutes to take a picture from my inbox to code it on the website. So I have to manage my workload. This limit is tentatively scheduled to go down to 2 at the beginning of 2024. Unless there is a sudden big falloff in participants.

If you are going to submit more than one picture, I strongly urge you to choose completely different subjects for each submission. If you are submitting multiple pictures of the same subject, make sure that each picture is saying something unique.

If participation rates climb, that limit of 3 is subject to lower.

Can I send you several pictures and have you pick the best one?

No! No! NO! If those words come out of your mouth or your keyboard, I consider that to be a non-submission.

Do you ever question whether somebody’s submission fits the theme?

Meh. Only if I think somebody is clearly confusing this week’s theme with last week or next week’s theme. Otherwise, if the submission makes sense in your head, that is good enough for me. However, I would urge you to not try to fit your favorite subject into the theme. This isn’t a challenge to share a picture every week of your kid or your business or your pet. It is a challenge to take pictures of different things every week. Which isn’t to say subjects can’t be repeated, but you shouldn’t become reliant on the same ones.

Why can’t I submit after 11 AM on Mondays if the post doesn’t publish until 12:01 PM?

I go to lunch at 11 AM. I leave my office. I’m not near a computer. At 11 AM I hit “Schedule” and then I go throw food down my throat. 167 hours is more than enough time to send a submission. Okay, 166 hours and 59 minutes. You got me.

Do I have to wait until Monday morning to submit?

Absolutely not! In fact I appreciate the submissions that make it to me by Sunday evening. Makes the job of putting this together on Monday morning much easier!

Are there resolution requirements for submissions?

I won’t turn down submissions that are too small. I will probably ask you for a picture of greater resolution if it is really small. The typical 4 x 6 image posted to my website has a resolution of 1280 pixels x 853 pixels. While a 400 x 300 image might look okay on your phone, it looks like trash on a computer monitor. I prefer images that are at least 1000 pixels at their widest point, but don’t ban smaller pictures at this point.

What format should my submission be?

.JPG but .PNG also works.

If I write a description of my image will you include that in your post?

No. Photography is art that should stand on its own. Only exception is the SLICE OF LIFE theme. But if you let me know where the picture was taken, I will include that.

When will you start accepting suggestions for next year’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE themes?

I will take suggestions only and ONLY in the comments sections of the THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE posts the last week of October and the 1st week of November.

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FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM! Many of us are very passionate about our Iowa State Cyclones or whatever team you mistakenly root for. But was there enough passion to make FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM a popular submission? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 22, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Adam Gordon – 1 week (3)
2-Harrison Gorshe – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
4-Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
5-Mary Green – 2 weeks (3)
6-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
7-Alexis Stensland – 2 weeks (2)
8-Elainie Hernandez – 4 weeks
9-Scott Degeneffe – 9 weeks
10-Sabas Hernandez – 10 weeks
11-Willy McAlpine – 10 weeks
12-Mike Vest – 16 weeks
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 19 weeks (2)
14-Monica Jennings – 20 weeks
15-Logan Kahler – 20 weeks (2)
16-Nathanial Brown – 21 weeks
17-Jesse Howard – 21 weeks
18-Tamara Peterson – 24 weeks
19-Mindi Terrell – 36 weeks (3)
20-Brandon Kahler – 60 weeks
21-Linda Bennett – 65 weeks (2)
22-Sarah Toot – 66 weeks (2)
23-Angie DeWaard – 70 weeks (2)
24-Dawn Krause – 74 weeks (2)
25-Kim Barker – 80 weeks
26-Joe Duff – 81 weeks
27-Teresa Kahler – 92 weeks (3)
28-Carla Stensland – 92 weeks
29-Micky Augustin – 94 weeks
30-Andy Sharp – 95 weeks
31-Bill Wentworth – 96 weeks
32-Cathie Morton – 100 weeks
33-Elizabeth Nordeen – 101 weeks
34-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 103 weeks
35-Kio Dettman – 105 weeks (3)

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

WEEK 424 - FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM - ANGIE DEWAARD

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 71 weeks

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 97 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Coba, Quintana Roo, Mexico) – 104 weeks

Willy McAlpine (Valencia, Spain) – 11 weeks

Amy Peterson (Iowa) – 1 week

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 93 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 82 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 106 weeks

Linda Bennett (Pennsylvania) – 66 weeks

Linda Bennett (Pennsylvania)

Mike Vest (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 67 weeks

Mary Green (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Florida) – 22 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 20 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa)

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 81 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 75 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 11 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 37 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 93 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Norfolk, Nebraska) – 22 weeks

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 25 weeks

Cathie Morton (Iowa) – 101 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 96 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa) – 102 weeks

Logan Kahler (Iowa) – 21 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, Iowa)

30 participants this week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida
+ Iowa
+ Mexico
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ Alto del Perdon – Spain
+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico (General)
+ Isla Mujeres, Mexico
+ Riviera Maya, Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Ontario, Canada
+ Vallunareju Norte – Peru
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
+ Puenta de la Reina, Spain
+ St. John pied de port, France
+ Vienna, Austria
+ Munich, Germany
+ Rome, Italy
+ Cannes, France
+ Koper, Slovenia

There were no major milestones this week. But there were a ton of streaks broken. Adam, Harrison, Jen, Evie, Sara, Elainie, and Monica all had their streaks broken.

SIGNS

SIGNS! What a great theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a SIGNS image? It is simply an image of a SIGN(S) or a singular SIGN. That is all there is to it.

While considering possible subjects for your SIGNS submissions meditate on the great songs about SIGNS and I have no doubt you will come up with a great image:

Signs Signs
Everywhere there’s signs
Messing up the scenery
Breaking my mind
Do this, don’t do that
Can’t you read the sign

Oh Say now mister Can’t you read
You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can’t watch No You can’t eat You ain’t supposed to be here

And the sign says “You got to have a membership card to get inside” Huh
And the sign says “Everybody welcome Come in Kneel down and pray”
But then they passed around a plate at the end of it all
And I didn’t have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own sign
I said Thank you Lord for thinking about me I’m alive and doing fine

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of SIGNS in this place that tries to read them next Monday.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Bill, Birthdays, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Joe Duff, Jonah, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Mary, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 423 – VINTAGE

October 23, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

NOTE: – AT THE END OF THE MONTH I WILL BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S THEMES. THE LAST MONDAY IN OCTOBER AND THE 1ST MONDAY IN NOVEMBER ARE WHEN SUGGESTIONS CAN BE MADE. THOSE SUGGESTIONS HAVE TO BE MADE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THOSE POSTS. NOT VIA EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, TEAMS, PHONE CONVERSATION, SNAPCHAT. ONLY IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OF THOSE 2 POSTS. START THINKING OF THEMES YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR NEXT YEAR.

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Today is Jonah’s birthday, so I need to wish him a happy birthday:

Happy birthday Jonah!

I hope it is an amazing birthday!

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VINTAGE! Many people are into old stuff. But are enough people into it enough to make it a popular theme? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, October 216, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Lori Backous – 1 week
2-Pepper Duncan – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
4-Susanna Funk – 1 week
5-Derrick Gorshe – 1 week
6-Evie Gorshe – 1 week
7-Layla Gorshe – 1 week
8-Mary Green – 1 week
9-Sara Lockner – 1 week
10-Amy Peterson – 1 week
11-Alexis Stensland – 1 week
12-Suzie Brannen – 2 weeks
13-Elainie Hernandez – 3 weeks
14-Scott Degeneffe – 8 weeks
15-Sabas Hernandez – 9 weeks
16-Willy McAlpine – 9 weeks
17-Mike Vest – 15 weeks
18-Sheri Fakhouri – 18 weeks
19-Monica Jennings – 19 weeks
20-Logan Kahler – 19 weeks
21-Nathanial Brown – 20 weeks
22-Jesse Howard – 20 weeks
23-Tamara Peterson – 23 weeks
24-Mindi Terrell – 35 weeks
25-Brandon Kahler – 59 weeks
26-Linda Bennett – 64 weeks
27-Sarah Toot – 65 weeks
28-Angie DeWaard – 69 weeks
29-Dawn Krause – 73 weeks
30-Kim Barker – 79 weeks
31-Joe Duff – 80 weeks
32-Teresa Kahler – 91 weeks
33-Carla Stensland – 91 weeks
34-Micky Augustin – 93 weeks
35-Andy Sharp – 94 weeks
36-Bill Wentworth – 95 weeks
37-Cathie Morton – 99 weeks
38-Elizabeth Nordeen – 100 weeks
39-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 102 weeks
40-Kio Dettman – 104 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates or streaks. You came to see the submissions and what streaks continued and what streaks flamed out:

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 70 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 96 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Riviera Maya Mexico) – 103 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 24 weeks

Cathie Morton (Disney Springs, Florida) – 100 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 65 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Adam Gordon (Vicksburg, Mississippi)- 1 week

Adam Gordon (Vicksburg, Mississippi)

Teresa Kahler (Boone County, Iowa) – 92 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone County, Iowa)

Sheri Fakhouri (Tybee Island, Georgia) – 19 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Tybee Island, Georgia)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 36 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Boone County, Iowa) – 21 weeks

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 80 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 101 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Don Williams Park – Boone County, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 81 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 105 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 66 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania)

Micky Augustin (Iowa)- 94 weeks

Elainie Hernandez (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mary Green (Riverside Bible Camp – Story City, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Mary Green (Riverside Bible Camp – Story City, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Spain) – 10 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa) – 95 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Alexis Stensland (Don Williams Park – Boone County, Iowa)

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 20 weeks

Logan Kahler (Clive, Iowa)

Evie Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Harrison Gorshe (Ledges State Park – Boone County, Iowa) – 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 10 weeks

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 60 weeks

Jesse Howard (Center Grove Orchard – Cambridge, Iowa) – 21 weeks

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 20 weeks

Mike Vest (Noel, Missouri) – 16 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 9 weeks

36 participants! That is a great week! And with Adam’s submissions from Mississippi, there is another stated added to the Photography 139 submission map!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Mexico
+ Mississippi
+ Missouri
+ Nebraska
+ Pennsylvania
+ Spain
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

40 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over 75% of the way there! Every continental state west of the Mississippi is now accounted for.

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

There were a few milestones this week and 1 major one! Cathie joins the Triple Digit Club! WooHoo! Sabas and Willy joined the Double Digit Club! WooHoo! Plus the first every submission from Adam. I don’t know that it will continue, but maybe it will. You never know.

But it wasn’t all good times. A ton of streaks and wannabe streaks bit the dust. Lori, Pepper, Funk, Derrick, Layla, and Amy couldn’t make it 2 weeks in a row. Suzie’s 2 week streak is also history.

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM – SUGGESTED BY ANDY SHARP

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM! What a great them for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM image? It is simply a picture that deals with your FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM. It doesn’t have to be of the team in action. A picture of article of clothing or the stadium they play in or any form of memorabilia. While I wouldn’t make a rule against, I would suggest doing more than just taking a picture of them playing on the television. Find something else that represents the team. It doesn’t have to be a professional or college sports team. Maybe your Tuesday night bowling team is your favorite team. Or maybe that Little League team you played for when you were 9 was your favorite team. Maybe the rec league basketball team is your favorite team. Maybe your son’s middle school soccer team is your favorite team.

I know many of you don’t even like sports. In that case, just take out the word “sports” and capture a picture that suggests your favorite team.

When considering a way to capture your FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM, meditate on the following quote and I have not doubt you will capture a great image:

I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people’s accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man’s failures.
-Earl Warren

I look forward to seeing your interpretation.

RULES

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

That is it. Thems the rules!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM in this place that is a Cyclones fan site next Monday.

Animals, Art, Billy, Birthdays, Black & White, Christianity, Dory, Formal Portrait, Iowa State, J.T., Logan, Nature, Railroad, Still Life, Street Photography, WPC - Alternate

150-600

October 21, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Today is the birthday of the Miller Triplets. So I must wish them happy birthday!

Happy birthday Doris, Jimmy, and Billy!

This picture was taken at their 1st birthday party in 2019 so that makes them… 5! They are 5 years old?!? How did this happen!

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Back in February I purchased a new lens. It was a Sigma 150-600mm DG DN OS Sports Lens. At one point, I was going to write a long post on it with a collection of the first images I took with it. But here it is. Halfway through October and the lens is old news now, so real need to go into too much details about the specifications of the lens. But I still want to share some of the first images I took with it. I went down to the Kate Shelley High Bridge and went to Lake LaVerne and took a few pictures of Logan.

Here are those pictures:

On the day I went to Lake LaVerne I also hit up the Ames Library. I took pictures there for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme BOOKS. I didn’t use any of those images. Here is a collection of those:

I do love that lens. It is kind of a limited purpose lens, but I should find more of those limited purpose opportunities.

Art, Black & White, Candid Portrait, Flowers, Formal Portrait, Jesse, Kalista, Kelly, Music, Naima, Nature, Saydie, Still Life, Street Photography, Taylan, WPC - Alternate

Now I Don’t Want Your Sympathy

October 1, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

We’ve come to the end of the black & white week. Time to share the black & white pictures I took last Sunday. Some of these pictures are from wandering around my yard. Some are from the Howard Family Photo Shoot. Some are from the Octagon Art Festival.

This might be the biggest collection yet, so we might as well get to it:

If you are wondering about the Howard family photos, I kept a separate camera set to black & white to snap a few photos here and there. The photo shoot was not in black & white. Except for the clothes they are wearing.

If you are wondering how many black & white photos I took last week to get one submission for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE… the answer is…

872

Although to be transparent, somewhere on Tuesday I knew the basic setup of the picture I was going to use for my submission. So you could say I took that image and then over 800 safeties.

Black & White Week has concluded. But remember.

There was nothing wrong with this website. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. I am controlling transmission. If I wish to make it louder, I will bring up the volume. If I wish to make it softer, I will tune it to a whisper. I will control the horizontal. I will control the vertical. I can roll the image, make it flutter. I can change the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For this last week, you sat quietly and I controlled all that you saw and heard. There is nothing wrong with this website. You participated in a great adventure. You experienced the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to… Black & White Week.

I now return control of this website (not really) to you, until next year, when the Control Voice will take you to Black & White Week!