Category Archives: Self-Portrait

Basketball, Iowa State, Johnathan, Kim, Mom, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 168 – COMMUNICATION

December 3, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

Looks like another rough week for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Only a few people were able to communicate the theme COMMUNICATION. Might be time to look into retiring THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

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

Tamara Peterson

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:

FAMILY!

FAMILY! What a great theme! Unless your FAMILY sucks, then you have more problems that dealing with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

So what is a FAMILY picture? A FAMILY picture is any picture that involves a FAMILY. Now some people have a really strict DNA based definition of a family because they weren’t hugged enough as a child. Don’t feel constrained by somebody else’s definition of a FAMILY.

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.

+++++++

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 familial Monday.

Black & White, Micky, Photo Journal, Self-Portrait, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 23

November 30, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

Last night was the lighted parade in Boone. While I was walking around the mean streets of urban Boone, it dawned on me that it was a perfect opportunity to knock out Page 23 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 23 – Photograph a shadow

To make image more unique, I really leaned into the contrast and clarity of the image to make it somewhat film noir. I like to think THE OUTER LIMITS.

While I was up at the lighted parade I got a somewhat indecent proposal from Santa Claus, but I’ll share that at a later date.

+++++++

Reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is COMMUNICATION:

COMMUNICATION

A COMMUNICATION photo is any photo of creatures engaging in COMMUNICATION. A dog’s tail wagging. COMMUNICATION. Sign language. COMMUNICATION. Smoke signals. COMMUNICATION. Bumper stickers. COMMUNICATION. They are saying, I’m not worth getting to know.

Happy photo harvesting!

Animals, Jesse, Michelle, Naima, Photo Journal, Politics, Self-Portrait, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 70-71

November 16, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

As the 2018 political season wound down, I found it to be a perfect time to tackle Page 70 and then subsequently Page 71 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 70 – Take a picture of something you hate.

There are few things in the world I hate more than the “stick-to” narrative. This belief that everybody has a right to express their political opinion, except for artists and athletes. Since I happen to be both (Monstars, represent!), it is something that hits home.

When a plumber or a line cook expresses a political opinion, nobody is out there saying, “Stick to plumbing” or “Stick to cooking”.

But whenever an athlete or an actor expresses a political opinion you hear a chorus of “Hey pal, stick to sports, just stick to sports.”

Which is weird because athletes like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali (to name just a couple) have been instrumental in leading social change.

Even stranger still is the people who come down on artists. It is the job of the artist to say some thing. That is the point of art. It isn’t always political, but sometimes, that is going to be political. Banksy is probably the greatest political artist of our times. It would be tragic if he was silent.

By the way, thanks to Michelle for making my “Stick to Photography” sign!

Page 70 leads to Page 71 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 71 – Email me the picture and I’ll email you a picture of something I hate.

Page 71 asked you to send your hate picture to the author of A PHOTO JOURNAL, and then he would email you back a picture of something he hates. The author of A PHOTO JOURNAL is Henry Carroll. This is what he emailed me back.

Not sure what page we will check in with next time we check in with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT. It’ll be a surprise to all of us!

+++++++

A reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is PETS:

PETS

A PETS image is any photo of a PET(S) or anything related to a PET(S).

Happy photo harvesting!

Animals, Black & White, Jay, Macro, Nora, Photo Journal, Ruins, Self-Portrait, WPC - Submissions

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 55

September 14, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back Jay sent me an enigmatic message about archaeological photography. After drilling down, I figure out he was talking about taking pictures of a recently abandoned apartment in his building. An apartment that the former occupants left in less than stellar conditions.

One Sunday after a post church meal with the family I grabbed a camera and went over to Jay’s apartment building for a tour of Apartment 4. After a quick look around, I knew that somewhere in this mess was a perfect subject for Page 55 of THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT:

Page 55 – ‘I am at war with the obvious.’ William Eggleston. Join Eggleston’s war.

Here is the idea for this page in THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT from the tips in the back.

Sunsets, pretty flowers, and beaches. These are ‘obvious’ subjects offering a conventional idea of beauty. Instead, hunt down more unusual, surprising subjects-the sort that only come alive when they are photographed.

Only one picture can physically be adhered into the physical manifestation of THE PHOTO JOURNAL, however I did take several other pictures in Apartment 4. Here are the pictures that I like, but won’t be place in THE PHOTO JOURNAL.

Next time we check in with THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT, we will probably check in with Page 40 or Page 47 or Page 111.

+++++++

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

A PERSPECTIVE photo is any photo that involves a different perspective from the way you normally see the world. Above where you normally see the world. Below where you normally see the world. Another example of perspective is making something small look big by putting it in the foreground and something large in the background. This is called forced perspective.

PERSPECTIVE!

Happy photo harvesting!

Derrick, Football, Iowa State, Self-Portrait

The Game that Never Happened

September 2, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Saturday was the beginning of one of my favorite times of year: college football season! In particular, Iowa State football season!

Iowa State was slated to play the Jackrabbits from South Dakota State (a school with a certain amount of campanile envy) at 7 PM in Jack Trice Stadium. There was a little bit of rain as the game started, but nothing to be worried about.

Iowa State kicked off to South Dakota State. South Dakota got one 1st Down and then the Cyclone defense tightened and forced a punt.

Iowa State got the ball and their first 2 plays lost 2 yards. On 3rd and 12, Kyle Kempt found Hakeem Butler across the middle for a big gain. A couple plays later, Deshaunte Jones grabbed a Kempt pass, slipped and almost fell down*. Regained his balance. Made a couple Jackrabbits look foolish. Scampered down the sideline, with a burst of speed, and then nonchalantly walked into the end zone 55 yards later for a 7 point Cyclone lead.

Then lightning struck within 8 miles of The Jack and the game went into a weather delay. It never came out of the weather delay. The game ended up being cancelled.

I did take quite a few pictures of warm ups, since it was a night game, I knew that the lighting would prevent decent pictures much past the 1st quarter. Here are some of those pictures:

Touchdown pass!

Hopefully Iowa State is able to schedule another game to replace the one that got cancelled. I’m guessing that is a long shot however.

I guess the team with have to rally and get ready this week for Iowa. I have faith in them!

*CORRECTION: From my vantage point, I thought that he had slipped and almost fell down, but after having seen the play on the tele, it is clear, that he actually just made a sweet move and made a Jackrabbit wish he hadn’t got off the bus.

Candid Portrait, Michelle, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Tenderloin Appreciation Society – Ames Field Work

August 26, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 13 Comments

Due to Scottie D. and I have often contrasting busy schedules, I’ve decided to branch out and have special guests join me on Tenderloin Appreciation Society Field Work from time to time, so that I can get more tenderloin reviews out there in the world.

I know that I am a shining beacon of light in the tenderloin world, so for me to hold back that light to the rest of the world because it is difficult for Scottie D. and I to get out there and try many of the great tenderloins that the great Cyclone State has to offer would, to be brutally honest, a very selfish act.

The first guest to be deemed with the great honor of going tenderloining with me is Michelle. She earned the honor because she knew it was a great honor and has been lobbying for such an opportunity for months.

While it can be written that I can be stubborn to a vice, eventually I will feed you baby birds.

For those of you that don’t know Michelle, she is a fellow miner, but she sometimes get to run the work from home scam. She is married to Craig, who is best known for having better taste than Michelle*. They have 2 kids. You have undoubtedly seen them when Michelle contributes to the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Sometimes we make trips to Otho for their Friday night All-You-Can-Eat Fish. Delicious. Don’t forget to get the hash brown!

The next tenderloin that I decided I wanted to give the Tenderloin Appreciation Society treatment was located at The Filling Station in Ames. Ames, like many towns of moderate size, does not have a great tenderloin. Tenderloins are a small town specialty. Although, there is the occasional statistical outlier like Nick’s in Des Moines.

The Filling Station is about a mile south of Jack Trice Stadium on Elwood Drive. It is in a gas station. However, despite being in a gas station, The Filling Station has kind of an uppity vibe to it. Which isn’t the best scenario. Tenderloins are best served in dives where the bathroom floor is collapsing, sharing walls with junkyards, next to campgrounds, and filled with townies giving outsiders the once over.

Here are some pictures from the field trip:

First, let me give you Michelle’s take:

I was a little nervous walking into the Filling Station and seeing their set up. All the hot food was in a warmer. Umm, a little unnerving wondering how long the food had been sitting out. I ordered the tenderloin with all the fixings and a side of broccoli salad. The tenderloin was THICK – not like the paper-thin ones I’m used to seeing. The breading was fabulous – crunchy and flaky. The bun was soft and toasted. And while I’ll go back to my usual toppings (just onion and mustard for this gal) it was a nice change of pace to add lettuce and tomato. The sandwich was bigger than I could eat, and I ended up taking half of it home. The leftovers the next day were just as good as the day before. I would definitely go back again.

I shared some of Michelle’s trepidation with seeing the tenderloin underneath heat lamps. The Filling Station is set up more like a deli and it is weird to see fried foods in such a context.

However, the tenderloin did come out still warm. Perhaps not piping hot, but a good enough temperature. It was a good thickness and the breading was solid. My biggest surprise was how juicy it was considering that it was being held under a heat lamp. The biggest miss by far was the brioche bun. It did not pair well with the meat. If I ordered it again, I would consider taking it off the bun and just eating the meat by itself.

THE GOOD

Good thick cut of meat.
Might have been a little short on the meat to bun ratio. Meat could have been bigger.
Good cut of meat that was plenty juicy.
Toasted bun.
Good flaky breading.
Served on actual plate.
Broccoli salad was delicious. Not my standard side for a tenderloin, but I love me some broccoli salad!
You have access to all the beverages of the gas station, so Pepsi products.
All the ingredients at The Filing Station are as locally sourced as they can get.
Their employees wear gloves and were friendly.

THE BAD

Standard tenderloin is served with lettuce and tomato. Lettuce and tomato don’t belong on a tenderloin!
Warming lights keep tenderloin warm, but not as good as fresh out of the oil.
Only open until 3 PM M-F. 2 PM on Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

THE UGLY

The sweetness of the brioche bun did not pair well with the meat of the tenderloin.
The name The Filling Station. Now there are 2 eateries with the same name within 15 miles of each other. Now when I say, Let’s go to The Filling Station, I’m going to have to elaborate. That is extra work for me.

THE FINAL WORD

The Filling Station, the one in Ames, serves a good but not great tenderloin. They could almost get to the next level with a different bun. Although I will give them credit for making their buns in house. I will definitely being hitting them up for work lunch again in the future, the few times that anybody wants to go to lunch at my suck lunch hour time.

NEXT UP

There is currently nothing in the hopper, so if you know of one you want me to review, drop me a line.

*Craig is an Iowa State fan. Michelle likes to dress like a deranged bumble bee.

Baby Got Rack, Contests, Jay, Movies, Road Trip, Scottie D., Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Tenderloin Appreciation Society – Winterset Field Work – Solo Mission

July 21, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Welcome to a bonus “An Artist’s Notebook” blog. A couple things before we get into the meat of this blog.

#1. Today Baby Got Rack will be competing at the Boone County Fair’s barbecue competition. They changed the rules from previous years. We are only allowed to enter to categories. We will be entering the Pork category with a tasty pork loin. We will also be entering the Specialty category with nachos. I believe the awards are announced around 4. Since you will already be there to watch the pig races, you might as well stop by Baby Got Rack’s area. There might be free samples.

#2. You can also duck into the Community Building to see the photos I entered in the photography contest. I think those usually go on display around 12 pm or so.

#3. Tomorrow night is The Union Street Movie Club’s monthly movie night. This month will be a triple feature. The B movie will be CHOSEN SURVIVORS. The feature will be AMERICAN MOVIE. Then we will conclude with the bonus of watching COVEN. Due to showing 3 movies, the projector will roll right at 6 PM. Don’t be late! We will be having pizza to celebrate Jay’s birth and Jay will be bringing a cake to celebrate America’s birth. It is going to get a little crazy.

+++++++

Later today I will be releasing a blog that will include pictures from the first time The Tenderloin Appreciation Society sat in judgment upon somebody’s tenderloin offering. Because of that, I can’t sit any longer on when I made a solo trip down to Winterset to evaluate a tenderloin.

I had been trying for months to get Scottie D. to commit to go down to Winterset to the Northside Cafe to evaluate their tenderloin. It placed second to the Webster City tenderloin in Iowa Pork Producers Tenderloin Contest in 2017. Only, I couldn’t get Scottie D. to commit. It was almost as if his love for the tenderloin was waning. I became concerned.

Back in May I took my birthday off from work. Nobody was around, so I decided to make a solo trip down to Winterset for lunch, even though I don’t actually like lunching alone.

Here are some pictures from the experience:

The Afton Bridge Pork Tenderloin

Lightly toasted bun.

Chomp. Chomp.

A flattering angle.

Last couple of bites.

For starters, let me say that Northside Cafe is cool, old and historic restaurant. It is probably a bit too fancy of a restaurant for a tenderloin to fill at home, but not too fancy to feel completely out of place on the menu.

My biggest complaint by far would be the service. I arrived at the restaurant a hair before noon and it took at least five minutes before I got seated. Even though I was the only person waiting to be seated.

Then after I ordered it took well over an hour before I got my food. They had forgot to make it.

My waitress, who was very nice and friendly. Stopped by at about the 65 minute mark of waiting and said, “You haven’t got your food yet, have you?”

That would be a negatory, Ghost Rider.

She apologized profusely and I got my food about 15 minutes later.

They were kind enough to give me my meal for free. So it wasn’t all bad.

THE VERDICT

THE GOOD

The meat to bun ratio was nearly dead on. Could have used a touch more meat, but awful close to the golden ratio.
A good thick cut of meat. Not one of those flat pork fritters masquerading as a tenderloin.
A good thick breading.
The bun was toasted. Clearly a homemade bun. Not something that came frozen off a truck.
It is a clean restaurant with friendly service.
You can get old-fashioned sodas there.
The standard tenderloin does not include a tomato.
They made up for poor service by comping the meal.
They serve Picket Fence Ice Cream.

THE BAD

The standard tenderloin does have lettuce.
While juicy, the tenderloin did not have all that much flavor.
The breading on the onion rings was very floury tasting.

THE UGLY

Having to wait almost 90 minutes for food is awful. Especially when the restaurant is not busy and the food item you order takes 10 minutes to fix.
While they served a limited selection of old fashioned sodas, they served Coke products. Mill Stream Root Beer, which isn’t a great root beer.

THE FINAL WORD

The Northside Cafe serves a good, but not great tenderloin. I would gladly eat it again, but I would not pursue it. It does not belong in the Tenderloin Pantheon with Nick’s or Cole’s or The Country House. However, it certainly isn’t a garbage tenderloin like The Lucky Pig or Gramma’s Kitchen or Thunderhead Sports Bar & Grill.

The Northside Cafe is a cool historic restaurant though. I would definitely like to eat there again at some point. They acknowledged their mistake with the poor service and they made amends.

NEXT UP

About a month after I went to The Northside Cafe, Scottie D. emerged from his hiatus and we supped at Roosters in Boone. That review will be published in about 2 weeks, give or take.

Andy, Art, Basketball, Candid Portrait, Flowers, Jaxon, Mission Trip, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Shawn Karber, Still Life, Travel, Vacation, Youth Group

Houston (Vidor) Mission Trip – Day 2

July 1, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

This is my telling of my experience on the Boone First United Methodist Church Youth Group’s Mission Trip to Houston (Vidor). There were 18 people on the mission trip and all of them experienced the mission trip in a completely different way than I did.

Therefore, you should pull your tired bones out of bed on Sunday, July 8 and drag yourself to the basement of the Boone First United Methodist Church (703 Arden Street) between worship services (approximately 10 AM) and listen to the other 17 people give their testimony about the mission trip. I’ll probably run my yap as well. There will also be a video. Also, there will be refreshments.

+++++++

I woke up on the cold hard floor of the Methodist church in Saginaw. I got dressed and prepared myself mentally for the day.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Based on the amount of stores that cater to both, Texans LOVE donuts and pornography. I imagine some probably do both at the same time. I’m not here to judge.

Statue in the church’s beautiful courtyard.

Fountain in the same beautiful courtyard.

Their women’s group made us a delicious breakfast.

A staple of every Methodist diet, egg casserole!

The lady who made us the breakfast did taunt us with a description of dish she described as “too much”: Breakfast Lasagna. Sign me up lady!

Myrtle.

Donovan discussing the courtyard.

Jaxon still thinks it is a thrill to pump gas. I’m not afraid to exploit his youthful enthusiasm.

Gas station breakfast food. Hard pass.

The church televises their worship services into their fellowship area. We get it, you’re good with technology.

Congregating to worship an awesome God!

We went to their acoustic service. It was great music lead by a great musician!

They sit in the front row at our church too…

The lady in the middle was a Pastor at the church. The one on the right was a member of the congregation that recently became a Pastor and was getting assigned to her first church. She gave the sermon. I loved this worship service. There were two things of note that happened. 1 funny and 1 tragic. The funny thins was that they discussed a couple in the church that had gotten married the previous day in “Detroit or Chicago. Some Yankee town.” The tragic thing was a member of their congregation was killed in a car accident on the previous day. He left behind a wife and 2 small children. Happy Father’s Day.

Maci taking Communion

Kolbe taking Communion

Mackenzie taking Communion

Summer taking Communion

Jentry taking Communion

Something else unique about this church was they did the light a candle thing in the corner. This is something I’ve always affiliated with Catholics because I’ve only ever seen it in Catholic churches. Really, mostly in movies. I lit 2 candles.
Shortly after the worship service, we hit the road for Vidor. Another 7 hours or so in the van coming up!

We stopped in a town where a buffet was recommended to us by one of the Saginaw Methodists, but it required a 30 minute wait, so instead we went across the street to a string of fast food restaurants: Jack in a Box, McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Subway, and Texas Burger. I recall an unsavory taco experience at a Kansas City Jack in the Box on another mission trip with Shawn Karber. So Jack in the Box was a hard pass for me.

I went to Texas Burger because I might never get a chance in my life to try Nolan Ryan’s Texas Beef Steak Fingers.

They taste kind of you how you imagine.

The next stop was Buc-ee’s in Madisonville, I’ve always been a big fan of Buc-ee’s. At least since Carla, Mom, Alexis, and I stopped at one on our way to see Elainie graduate in San Antonio.

If you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s, it is the single greatest gas station chain in the world. It is the exact opposite of that Road Ranger in Illinois.

I wanted to buy a Buc-ee’s hat to make it my official Mission Trip Hat, but none of them were my flavor.

The last 2-3 hours we drove through some major rain. But when we got to Vidor: BASKETBALL!

On Sunday night we worshiped and we prepared for the next 4 days of hard work.

Worship!

After the worship service I found out I was part of The Cowboys. At YouthWorks they split you up into several teams. You work with that team the rest of the week on chores and at your work sites.

The Cowboys consisted of:

Humble Narrator
Tiffany
Kari – from Missouri, but really Madrid, but really Boone (who turned out to be my cousin)
Anna
Jordan
Kolbe
Maci
Mackenzie
Megan
Ellie from Missouri
Jake from Missouri

In the next 4 days, the pictures will concentrate heavily on those people because these are the people I spent the majority of my day.

The Cowboys had breakfast prep on Monday, so I had to make an attempt to get to bed early, to rise early. Even though trying to sleep the first two nights of a mission trip is a fool’s folly.

Not pictured:

Kolbe really, really likeS the song CARAVAN.

Animals, Candid Portrait, Contests, Mission Trip, Self-Portrait, Vacation, WPC - Alternate, Youth Group

My Life Is A Mess, Better Watch Your Step When You Step In It!

June 27, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett

The world wasn’t ready for these SELF-PORTRAIT pictures last Monday, mostly because I was in Vidor, Texas. The world also wasn’t ready for them this Monday.

I’m not sure the world is ready for them now, but I can’t hold them back any longer:

You’re welcome world!

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

Reminder, you have until next Tuesday at midnight to vote on what pictures I enter at the Boone County Fair Photo Contest. Click on the link below to vote:

BOONE COUNTY FAIR PHOTO CONTEST ENTRY SELECTION

You must have a Facebook account or a Google+ account to vote.

Andy, Angie, Candid Portrait, Cathie, Kim, Linda, Mission Trip, Photoshop, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Tamara, WPC - Submissions, Youth Group

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 144 & WEEK 145

June 25, 2018 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

It was a great and trans-formative trip, but it is good to be back in the Cyclone State!

Here are the submission for SELF-PORTRAIT:

ANGIE DEWAARD

CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

CATHIE RALEY

TAMARA PETERSON

LINDA BENNETT

Here are the submissions for FACELESS PORTRAIT:

Andy Sharp

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp

Tamara Peterson

BLACK!

BLACK! What a great theme! What is a BLACK picture? A BLACK picture is a picture of anything that is BLACK. Of course, there is more than one definition of BLACK. I look forward to your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

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.

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

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 black Monday.