Category Archives: WPC

Andy, Angie, Animals, Boone FUMC, Carla, Formal Portrait, Jen, Jodie Cue, Kim, Logan, Micky, Naima, Photoshop, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 187 – FAVORITE COLOR

April 15, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

The weather last week was all over the place in Central Iowa. Beautiful one day. Windy enough to blow down one side of the Burger King garbage corral the next. Then beautiful again. Then a few snow flurries the next. Then beautiful again. While the weather was all over the place, it didn’t dampen participation rates for FAVORITE COLOR at all.

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

Jodie Cue

Kim Barker

Jodie Cue

Logan Kahler

Micky Augustin

Tamara Peterson

Andy Sharp

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp

Carla Stensland

Jodie Cue

Angie DeWaard

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:

RELIGION

RELIGION! What a great theme! I can feel what you’re thinking. I can feel it from here. I see through you. All the way to your back button. You are thinking that it sure is super convenient that RELIGION is the theme the same week as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter and Passover for that matter.

You’re thinking that I rigged it so that RELIGION would be the theme the same week that all the chreasters will be going to church.

There are two things you need to know:

#1. I don’t use the term chreaster. I don’t look down on chreasters. They obviously feel there is at least some need in their life for church, otherwise they wouldn’t show up twice a year. If they are only coming twice a year, the church needs to do a better job of making them want to come the other 52 weeks of the year.

There is a story for why they only show up twice. It could be that they tried to get active in the church and had a bad experience with an overbearing volunteer supervisor. It might be that they sat in somebody else’s pew and were told to move. It can be that they were made to feel unwelcome because of the way they dressed, wore their hair, their personal hygiene, or whatever. Maybe the time they came, the reverend’s sermon made them feel like they weren’t rich enough to belong because he mocked people that buy suits from JC Penney.

Time would be better spent figuring out why some people only show up twice a year rather than pointing out that they don’t reach your gold standard for church attendance

I don’t know their story. I don’t judge their story. Everybody is walking their faith journey and I won’t judge people for where they are on it. I hope people won’t judge me for where I am on mine.

#2. Themes are assigned randomly. I have no control over it.

But, what is a RELIGION photo? A RELIGION photo is any photo that deals with RELIGION. It doesn’t have to be Christianity. It could be Islam. It could be Judaism. There are 12 major religions. Christianity is the largest with 2.04 billion followers. The smallest is Judaism which as 14.5 million followers. Which is a startling number when you recall that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

That is the 12 major religions. Overall there are over 4,300 religions practiced worldwide. That is a tremendous amount of RELIGION photo opportunities.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

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.

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

Jen Ensley-Gorshe is the latest person to show taste, class, and sophistication by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. Jen, in fact was the first person to sign up using the tools on the website to sign herself up. You may not have heard that this was a possibility because I haven’t actually made them public knowledge yet, so I was super impressed with her diligence. Jen is married to longtime subscriber Derrick Gorshe. They have 4 amazing kids and recently moved to a new house. I have known Jen since we were wage slaves to the Evil Clown Empire. Both of us are now fabulously wealthy and only show up for work because we want to.

If you see Jen out and about, feel free to give her a knowing glance and teach her the super-secret Photography 139 handshake.

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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 religious Monday.

Andy, Angie, Carla, Jen, Jodie Cue, Kim, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 186 – TOOL

April 8, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

Another solid week of participation! I think the most exciting development is a submission for the first time from Jen Ensley-Gorshe! She isn’t even an email subscriber! Perhaps she will become the latest person to show taste, class, and sophistication by becoming the latest Photography 139 email subscriber. Only time will tell!

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

Carla Stensland

Jodie Cue

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Kim Barker

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Angie DeWaard

Tamara Peterson

Andy Sharp

Christopher D. Bennett

FAVORITE COLOR

FAVORITE COLOR! What a great theme! But what is a FAVORITE COLOR image? A FAVORITE COLOR picture is any picture that involves your FAVORITE COLOR. I don’t know what your FAVORITE COLOR is maybe it is periwinkle. Maybe it is goldenrod.

This is a surprisingly tough theme for me. I don’t even have a favorite color. When I was a kid, it was green. Then when I was a teenager, it was probably black… because… teenager. Then it might have become blue, as my signature color in terms of fashion. But I don’t really even have a FAVORITE COLOR now. They all have a purpose. Don’t worry about me though, I’ll figure something out.

I look forward to seeing 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.

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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 colorful Monday.

Flat Earth Joe, Formal Portrait, Photo Journal, Photoshop, WPC - Reminder

A Photo Journal – Henry Carroll – Page 82

April 5, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Last Saturday I continued on my goal to try to finish THE PHOTO JOURNAL PROJECT as Joe agreed to pose for Page 82.

Before you ask, yes, Joe legitimately think the world is flat. Not only does he believe that the world is flat, he is an evangelical for the theory. He spends hours upon hours posting on Facebook and YouTube about his belief that the earth is flat.

He sells flat earth shirts. He orders books about the earth being flat. He intended to go to the Flat Earth Convention last year. He plans on going this year. He says he can not date a girl that isn’t open to the earth being flat.

It isn’t a joke to Joe. It is a core, perhaps the core part of his identity.

Here is Page 82:

Page 82 – Show us the world is flat.

Now the original intent of “Show us the world is flat” was to get up high and look down on the earth and then compress the image by using a telephoto lens. I decided to go in a different direction.

My goal is still to knock at least one of these pictures out a week. I have yet to take one this week as I haven’t had the free time I expected yet, but these are some of the ones I’ve been thinking on:

PAGE 21 – Make something small look big.
PAGE 43 – Take a picture that only works in black & white.
Page 68 – Let a window do the talking.
Page 90 – Create ambiguity with a blend of natural and artificial light.

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

TOOL

Remember that a TOOL photo is simply any photo involving a TOOL. Remember that there are multiple definitions of the world TOOL.

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Becky, Carla, Cathie, Jodie Cue, Kim, Nature, Steph, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 185 – WATER

April 1, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The high submission rate hit a second straight week. If we get a third week that is called a streak. If we get a streak going, we might just force a one game playoff with the Yankees where our catcher calls his shot but it is a fake and he bunts and our streak centerfielder scores from second base. He will look like Wesley Snipes, but next season he will look like Omar Epps.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about baseball season (Padres are 3-1 by the way), you came to see the submissions:

Becky Parmelee

Cathie Raley

Christopher D. Bennett

Micky Augustin

Carla Stensland

Kim Barker

Tamara Peterson

Michelle Haupt

Andy Sharp

Jodie Cue

Stephanie Kim

TOOL

TOOL! What a great theme! But what is a TOOL photo? A TOOL photo is any photo of a TOOL. A TOOL at rest. A TOOL in action. Of course there is more than one definition of TOOL.

I look forward to seeing you 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.

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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 tooly Monday.

Andy, Jodie Cue, Kim, Linda, Still Life, Tamara, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 184 – STILL LIFE

March 25, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Spring has sprung! The new warmer weather has caused the creative juices to start salivating for all sorts of people. I’m saying it was a good week for participation.

In fact, Mike Vest came out of retirement this week. Those of you that are long in the tooth with this website may remember that Mike Vest was a founding member of the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. When it started, it was published on both this website and his website. In fact, it was originally his idea. He even wrote an app to spit out the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme. In fact, back then it was call the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT.

That is a ton of back story just to say, it is good to have Vest back in the fold.

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

Jodie Cue

Linda Bennett

Kim Barker

Linda Bennett

Mike Vest

Tamara Peterson

Andy Sharp

Jodie Cue

Christopher D. Bennett

WATER!

WATER! What a great theme! But what is a WATER photo? A WATER photo is any picture that involves WATER. From a lake to a pond to a river to a glass to a bottle.

I look forward to seeing 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.

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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 wet Monday.

Animals, Boone FUMC, Candid Portrait, Event, Naima, Teresa, WPC - Reminder

You Don’t Have Time to Scream!

March 22, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

One of the new traditions that Pastor Doug brought with him to Boone First United Methodist Church is Critter Sunday. Critter Sunday is a Sunday when you are encouraged to bring your pet to church. Then in between services, Pastor Doug blesses your pet.

There are many things that I will miss when Pastor Doug leaves for his big fatty promotion in June, but Critter Sunday will be one of the things I miss the most. Top 5. Top 10 at the worst.

While it is certainly possible that the new Pastor will carry on the tradition, I don’t expect. Pastor Doug has a special place in his heart for animals. It would be a bit much to expect the new Pastor to be the same.

Here are some pictures from Critter Sunday:

I have to thank Summer for being Naima’s keeper while I was taking pictures of the other pets.

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This is your reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is STILL LIFE:

STILL LIFE

A STILL LIFE photo is a photo of an inanimate object.

Happy Photo Harvesting!

Angie, Black & White, Evie, Formal Portrait, Jodie Cue, Kim, Micky, Steph, Still Life, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 183 – FORMAL PORTRAIT

March 18, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

I believe that the submissions for FORMAL PORTRAIT are amongst the most solid collection of submissions we’ve had in a long time for the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

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

Kim Barker

Jodie Cue

Stephanie Kim

Christopher D. Bennett

Angie DeWaard

Micky Augustin

Tamara Peterson

STILL LIFE

STILL LIFE! What a great theme! But what is a STILL LIFE image? Here is as good of a definition as I have ever Googled:

A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, etc.).

Seems pretty simple and straightforward. I look forward to seeing 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.

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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 still Monday.

Animals, Black & White, Formal Portrait, Kio, Naima, Photoshop, WPC - Reminder

The Driving Force

March 15, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

I feel it has been too long since I have had a post devoted to Naima. This is an error that I will correct today.

These pictures come from an October trip to Dickcissel Park.

Naima does enjoy getting in the water at Dickcissel, but she will only go as deep as her paws touch the ground.

Enjoy these pictures of Naima:

I’ll try not to go so long without a day of Naima pictures in the future!

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Just a reminder that the theme for this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is FORMAL PORTRAIT:

FORMAL PORTRAIT

A FORMAL PORTRAIT doesn’t have to be in a studio with a bunch of fancy lights. For our purposes, a FORMAL PORTRAIT is a portrait of somebody when they know they you are taking their picture and they are posing for the picture.

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Basketball, Candid Portrait, Carla, Frank, Kim, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 181 – FACELESS PORTRAIT

March 4, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

FACELESS PORTRAIT turned out to be too daunting of a theme for many. Or perhaps the ice cold weather caused many creative juices to freeze up. The good news is that it will actually be ABOVE freezing on Saturday. Of course, we will also get freezing rain, so I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

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

Kim Barker

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp

Carla Stensland

Shannon Bardole-Foley

8! What a great theme! But kind of confusing. Why 8? The reason is because 8 is the theme category for the 2019 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. The largest and most prestigious photo contest in the state. People actually enter from all over the country.

Rather than giving my description of an 8 image, here is the info straight off the sheet:

Next year is the 80th Anniversary of the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon, so we are going to focus on the 8’s. This isn’t about just taking photos of the number 8. The challenge here is to look at the world around you. What do you see? Now, you might say as photographers we do already, but did you really take notice of that something next you that may be in the shape of an 8? Or maybe, you come across a subject in your travels that is in a grouping of 8.

A few tips to help you with this assignment. First, remember that the number eight can come in all shapes, sizes and directions. Second, if the subject is in a grouping of eight, try taking photos of the grouping at all different angles. This would be a great opportunity to set your camera on Aperture Priority to learn how to shoot with a depth of field. Third, if
might be an ever greater challenge for this assignment, but it might be possible for you to come across a group of eight items that is also in the shape of an eight.

The typos in there belong to the Iowa State Fair and actually aren’t mine for once.

I look forward to seeing 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.

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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 eights Monday.

Andy, Art, Candid Portrait, Flat Earth Joe, Mission Trip, Self-Portrait, Vacation, WPC - Reminder, Youth Group

Get Your Ash!

March 1, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Today’s post is somewhat more of an advertisement than informational or even photographical. This is me telling you what you should do for supper next Wednesday.

The Youth Group will be making and serving spaghetti next Wednesday night before our Ash Wednesday Service. The cost of eating delicious spaghetti is an at-will donation. All the money raised will go to support the youth group and youth group activities.

All the details you need are on this picture of this wonderful poster the Sr. High Youth Group made on Wednesday night:

If you want it spelled out more, this is what you need to know:

What: Ash Wednesday Spaghetti Dinner
Where: Boone First United Methodist Church
Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Time: 5:30-7 PM
Cost: Free Will Donation
Why: To support the Youth Group on their Mission Trip to Rapid City, South Dakota in June!

I can personally vouch for these kids. Look at some of the good works they did in Vidor, Texas last year:

Some of the pictured kids have moved on. Some of the pictured kids will be going. Many new faces will be getting their first taste of service Christianity through the mission trip lifestyle.

So come down on Wednesday and support a good cause and great kids! Then stay for our Ash Wednesday Worship Service!

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This is your reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is FACELESS PORTRAIT:

FACELESS PORTRAIT

A FACELESS PORTRAIT is a portrait that does not include a person’s face. It could be a picture of just part of their body. Or with their face covered. They don’t even necessarily have to be in the picture.

Happy photo harvesting!