Category Archives: Slice of Life

Alexis, Angie, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Drone, Elainie, Elizabeth, Flowers, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Linda, Macro, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sara, Sarah Toot, Slice of Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 404 – SLICE OF LIFE

June 12, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

SLICE OF LIFE. As you know, this is a very special theme for me. My Dad would have turned 80 years old yesterday. My hope was that his photography legacy would inspire many people to submit this week. Did it? You’ll have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, June 5, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Suzie Brannen – 1 week
2-Nathanial Brown – 1 week
3-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
4-Layla Gorshe – 1 week
5-Jesse Howard – 1 week (2)
6-Becky Parmelee – 1 week
7-Susanna Funk – 2 weeks (2)
8-Willy McAlpine – 2 weeks
9-Scott Degeneffe – 3 weeks (2)
10-Sara Lockner – 3 weeks
11-Tamara Peterson – 4 weeks
12-Mike Vest – 6 weeks
13-Alexis Baugher – 9 weeks (3)
14-Mindi Terrell – 16 weeks (3)
15-Brandon Kahler – 41 weeks
16-Linda Bennett – 45 weeks
17-Sarah Toot – 46 weeks
18-Angie DeWaard – 50 weeks (2)
19-Dawn Krause – 54 weeks (2)
20-Kim Barker – 60 weeks (2
21-Joe Duff – 61 weeks
22-Teresa Kahler – 72 weeks (2)
23-Carla Stensland – 72 weeks (3)
24-Micky Augustin – 74 weeks
25-Andy Sharp – 75 weeks (3)
26-Bill Wentworth – 76 weeks
27-Cathie Morton – 80 weeks
28-Elizabeth Nordeen – 81 weeks
29-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 83 weeks
30-Kio Dettman – 85 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:

Kio Dettman (Moingona, Iowa) – 86 weeks
Kate Shelley Museum, Moingona, Iowa. ( Note: In need of refunding, repair and renovation. )

Cathie Morton (Cumming, Iowa) – 81 weeks

Cathie Morton (North of Cumming, Iowa)

Monica Jennings – Front (Monicaville, Iowa) – 1 week

Monica Jennings – Back (This is not my address, so if you go looking for me, this won’t help)

Monica Jennings (Des Moines, Iowa)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Rural Warren County, Iowa) – 84 weeks
This is the queen mating yard at Honey Hollow.

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 5 weeks
Nothing better than fresh popped popcorn from the popcorn stand on a June afternoon.

Bill Wentworth (Ashland, Nebraska) – 77 weeks
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
Ashland, NE

Angie DeWaard (Portland, Oregon) – 51 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 62 weeks
Second only to the Manhattan Project, the US Synthetic Rubber Program was critical to the success of the Allies in WWII.

Joe Duff (Texas)
Images from the historic files of a chemical plant in Houston, Texas

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 75 weeks

Kim Barker (Iowa) – 61 weeks

Andy Sharp (Albert Lea, Minnesota) – 76 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Ames, Iowa) – 82 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Ames, Iowa)

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Wall Drug, South Dakota) – 55 weeks
Animated T-Rex at Wall Drug, SD

Dawn Krause (Badlands, South Dakota)
Badlands National Park

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 17 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Urbandale, Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Adair, Iowa)

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks
The murals of Boone County remain mostly untouched and give us a glance of what life was like in yesteryear!

Willy McAlpine (South Dakota) – 3 weeks
Pit Stop

Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa) – 4 weeks

Sara Lockner (Johnston, Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Mexico) – 2 weeks

Mike Vest (Noel, Missouri) – 7 weeks

Sabas Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) – 1 week

Sarah Toot (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 47 weeks
The Sherman Theater first debuted on January 7th, 1929; exposing the Stroudsburg area to newfound cultural beginnings on opening night with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

Sarah Toot (Buttzville, New Jersey)
Hot Dog Johnny: New Jersey
SINCE 1944
Hot Dog Johnny’s – With the Pequest River flowing in the background, Hot Dog Johnny’s is a landmark to anyone having traveled Route 46 through Buttzville, New Jersey.

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 42 weeks
I’d send a postcard with dp on it

Elainie Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) – 1 week
National Museum of the American Sailor in Great Lakes, IL

Logan Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 1 week

Alexis Baugher (Swaledale, Iowa) – 10 weeks

Alexis Baugher (Nevada, Iowa)

Linda Toot (Boone, Iowa) – 46 weeks
🌷Since 1983🌷
Van Hemert’s Dutch Oven Bakery
605 Story Street. Boone, Iowa

Linda Bennett (Iowa)
This is a print produced by the owner of the Slice of Life postcard company. It was sent to me in 1983. Perhaps not one to use on a post card to encourage visitors to come to a particular spot but I’ve always liked it.

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ledges State Park, Boone County, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone County, Iowa)

30 participants! That is a great week. I think the 4th in a row where we’ve broken 30. In this theme that is an homage to my Dad’s photography, there were submission from one of his nieces, his sister (and last living sibling), 4 of 5 grandchildren, one grandson-in-law and all 3 of his children. (I know. I know. You don’t need to bring it up Elizabeth. )

I think that is a great legacy.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ Mexico
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ New Jersey
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

+ Arizona
+ Arkansas
+ California
+ Colorado
+ Florida
+ Georgia
+ Illinois
+ Iowa
+ Kansas
+ Nebraska
+ New Jersey
+ New York
+ Nevada
+ Michigan
+ Minnesota
+ Missouri
+ North Dakota
+ Ohio
+ Oklahoma
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ South Dakota
+ Texas
+ Utah
+ Washington
+ Washington D.C.
+ Wisconsin
+ Wyoming

27 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over halfway there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I travelled about 70 miles or so to take the images for my composite, but never left Boone County. I continue not to contribute to expanding the map.

The big accomplishment this week was Alexis hitting the double digit club! WooHoo!

Also, Elainie submitted for the 1st time ever! WooHoo!

But there was a veritable bloodbath of streaks snapped. Jen, Layla, and Becky couldn’t build on last week’s submissions. Funk’s streak is gone at 2. Scott’s streak is over at 3.

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:

FLOWER

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

But what is a FLOWER picture? Come on! You aren’t new here. You know about Thursdays! A flower picture is simply a picture of a FLOWER. Live, dead, painting, sculpture. Doesn’t matter. Time to get your flowertography on! Or as Micky might say, your flower porn on!

While considering possible flower subjects for your submission, meditate on the following quote, and I have no doubt you will make a great flowertography image!

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
— Henri Matisse

I look forward to seeing 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 FLOWER in this place that has a rose for a favicon next Monday.

Art, Baseball/Softball, Black & White, Dad, Lowell, Slice of Life, Street Photography, Travel, Work

THE WINDY CITY: DAY 2B

June 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Last time we left off with The Windy City Chronicles Lowell, Tony, and I had just arrived at Wrigley Field. Due to rain, the game had been postponed an hour. This gave us some time to walk around Wrigley Field and take in the ambiance of Wrigleyville.

I don’t care about the Cubs one way or the other, but I hate the Dodgers.

It would be pretty sweet to watch a Cubs game from a roof top.

Apparently the souls of the children Harry Caray murdered?

Would also love to watch a game from the bleachers.

More expensive to watch a game from there than from inside Wrigley Field.

A beautiful view.

Majority of concession stands at Wrigley were self-serve, which kinda sucked.

I never actually had a Chicago Dog in Chicago.

My Savannah Bananas shirt made me popular with every usher in the stadium, except the one in our section.

The salespeople showed up about halfway through the 3rd inning. They left about halfway through the 4th inning. At least that is what it felt like.

Still one more collection of images to share from Day 2 of my work trip to Chicago.

+++++++

NOTE: THERE ARE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS WEEK’S THEME, SO MAKE SURE TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THEM. JUST DON’T SKIM BY THEM. NOT THAT ANYBODY DOES THAT. EVERYBODY HANGS ON MY EVERY WORD.

This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is SLICE OF LIFE.

SLICE OF LIFE

SLICE OF LIFE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a SLICE OF LIFE image? This is where I normally give you kind of a broad definition of the theme, but not this week. For those that don’t know SLICE OF LIFE is the name of the postcard company that my Dad started and ran out of the basement darkroom in our house.

Here is the Trade Name documentation he filed in March of 1984:

He passed away in December of the same year.

He specialized in black & white postcards of local interest. Here is this week’s assignment. It is to take a picture that you could see being used on a postcard. Now back in the day, they used to take pictures of all sorts of things and put them on postcards. So don’t think that there is nothing in your area that would make it on a postcard. It could be a building that is interesting looking or has a historical significance. It could simply be a pretty scene. Back when I was doing THE POSTCARD RECREATION PROJECT, sometimes they took pictures of downtown intersections and put those on postcards.

While I will require your submission to be a postcard like image, meaning don’t try to “interpret” Slice of Life to mean something different, I will only strongly encourage you to submit the picture in black & white and also only slightly encourage you to throw some text on the image, if you have the editing skills or software.

There is one more thing. The is the one and only theme where if you write a SHORT description of your image (like you would see on the backside of a postcard) that I will include it along with your submission.

Here are some examples of my Dad’s postcards that will hopefully inspire you (excuse the low quality of the scans):

I don’t manipulate the order of themes for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I put the 52 themes in a random generate it and then I have it generate the theme the number of times as there are letters in the name of my favorite person at that moment*. EXCEPT for this theme. This theme I put this week specifically. This week is my Dad’s birthday. So it seemed apropos to put the theme that is an homage to him during this week.

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Art, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Elizabeth, Funk, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Macro, Micky, Mindi, Nathanial, Nature, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Slice of Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 403 – TEXTURE

June 5, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

TEXTURE. It is something you really have to feel. But as a theme, did a bunch of people feel it? You will have to keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 29, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore the numbers in parentheses):

1-Susanna Funk – 1 week (3)
2-Willy McAlpine – 1 week
3-Melissa Degeneffe – 2 weeks
4-Scott Degeneffe – 2 weeks (2)
5-Mary Green – 2 weeks (3)
6-Sara Lockner – 2 weeks
7-Tamara Peterson – 3 weeks (2)
8-Sabas Hernandez – 5 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 5 weeks
10-Alexis Baugher – 8 weeks (3)
11-Mindi Terrell – 15 weeks (3)
12-Monica Jennings – 20 weeks (2)
13-Brandon Kahler – 40 weeks
14-Linda Bennett – 44 weeks
15-Sarah Toot – 45 weeks (2)
16-Angie DeWaard – 49 weeks
17-Dawn Krause – 53 weeks (3)
18-Kim Barker – 59 weeks
19-Joe Duff – 60 weeks (2)
20-Logan Kahler – 62 weeks (2)
21-Teresa Kahler – 71 weeks (2)
22-Carla Stensland – 71 weeks
23-Micky Augustin – 73 weeks
24-Andy Sharp – 74 weeks (2)
25-Bill Wentworth – 75 weeks
26-Cathie Morton – 79 weeks
27-Elizabeth Nordeen – 80 weeks
28-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 82 weeks
29-Kio Dettman – 84 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:

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 1 week

Nathanial Brown (Iowa) – 1 week

Nathanial Brown (Iowa)

Jen Ensley-Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Layla Gorshe (Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Ames, Iowa) – 1 week

Jesse Howard (Boone, Iowa)

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 1 week

Susanna Funk (Oregon) – 2 weeks

Susanna Funk (Oregon)

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Rural Boone County, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Iowa) – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 4 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 6 weeks

Alexis Baugher (Iowa) – 9 weeks

Alexis Baugher (Iowa)

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 16 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 41 weeks

Linda Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 45 weeks

Sarah Toot (Pennsylvania) – 46 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa) – 50 weeks

Angie DeWaard (Ames, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Dawn Krause (Iowa)

Kim Barker (Altoona, Iowa) – 60 weeks

Kim Barker (Altoona, Iowa)

Joe Duff (Texas) – 61 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Iowa) – 72 weeks

Carla Stensland (Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Iowa) – 74 weeks

Andy Sharp (Iowa) – 75 weeks

Andy Sharp (Boone, Iowa)

Andy Sharp (Iowa)

Bill Wentworth (Nebraska) – 76 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 80 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 81 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Iowa) – 83 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa) – 85 weeks

Kio Dettman (Iowa)

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 507 weeks

Before I get into participation rates and all that jazz, I want to reveal something on I saw on Instagram from one of our regular participants yesterday. I came across one of Mindi’s posts and the caption was:

Weekly Photo Challenge has made me excited about photography again.

This is up there with one of my favorite things anybody has ever said about THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. It is up there with when Joe told me that THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE changed the way he sees the world.

To be excited about photography and change the way you see the world. These are two of the very unstated goals of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Thanks Mindi! I’m very excited that you are a regular participant and I always look forward to seeing your submissions.
However, the answer is still “No” about starting a Facebook group. Maybe a THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE participants “party” could happen though. Probably not though.

31 participants! That is a GREAT week! That is 3 straight weeks with 30+ participants. WooHoo!

Thanks to Funk being a mountain climbing badass, Oregon was added to the map this week.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas
+ Iowa
+ Nebraska
+ Oregon
+ Pennsylvania
+ Texas

Here is the current calendar year list for states:

27 states and 1 district! That is pretty impressive! Over halfway there!

The Outside of the United States map is currently:

+ British Virgin Islands
+ Mexico
+ Nassau Bahamas
+ Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I took my picture about 24 steps from my front door, so I continue to not contribute to expanding the map.

There were no major milestones reached this week. But there are some people closing in on some in the coming weeks. Particularly exciting this week was the 1st submission of the year from Layla! WooHoo!

However, it wasn’t all good news. There was a bloodbath of streaks, including some major streaks biting the dust. Melissa and Mary’s 2 week streaks are no more. Sabas’ 5 week streak is also no more. Monica’s 20 streak is history. Devastating. Just devastating. But perhaps most heartbreaking is that Logan’s 62 week streak is over. The longest streak to ever come to an end.

SLICE OF LIFE

SLICE OF LIFE! What a great theme for Year 10 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

Here is the Trade Name documentation he filed in March of 1984:

He passed away in December of the same year.

Here are some examples of my Dad’s postcards that will hopefully inspire you (excuse the low quality of the scans):

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 SLICE OF LIFE in this place that is a continuation in many ways next Monday.

Animals, Art, Basketball, Birthdays, Carla, Christianity, Flowers, History, Monica, Nathanial, Nature, Politics, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Slice of Life

Clayton County Aux. – Vol. 6

March 15, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today by wishing Carla a happy birthday. Happy birthday Carla!

I hope your birthday is as full of as much joy as you can handle!

+++++++

I also need to wish Monica a happy birthday. Happy birthday Monica!

I also hope your birthday is as full of as much joy as you can handle!

+++++++

A reminder that you have until Thursday at 11 AM (Central) to get your picks in for Year 18 of the Roundball Oracles. Click on the link below to join:

Roundball Oracles – Year 18

It costs nothing to participate. First Place gets a trophy. Last Place Adult that gives full effort also gets a trophy. Hope many of you participate!

+++++++

Finally, I also need to wish Nathanial a happy birthday. Happy birthday Nathanial!

I also hope your birthday is filled with as much joy and photography opportunities as you can handle!

+++++++

It is time to share the final collection of images I took while harvesting the town signs of Clayton County. All of these were either taken at Pikes Peak State Park or in Marquette.

Pikes Peak State Park

Marquette

The next time we hit the open road to look at auxiliary images for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will visit Wapello County.

Art, Automobiles, Birthdays, Christianity, Dad, Nature, Railroad, Road Trip, Sheri, Slice of Life, Teresa

Allamakee County Aux – Vol. 4

January 22, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I need to start today by wishing my sister Teresa’s best friend and also a good friend of all of our family, Sheri a happy birthday! Happy birthday Sheri!

That is a picture of Sheri graduating high school taken by my Dad.

I hope your birthday is/was as awesome as you wanted it to be!

+++++++

Time to share the last collection of images I took while on a road trip with Teresa to harvest the town signs of Allamakee County.

Lansing

Harper’s Ferry

Yellow River State Forest

Waterville

The iconic Lansing Mississippi River Bridge can be seen in the movie THE STRAIGHT STORY. It is the bridge Alvin Straight crosses to get to Wisconsin to visit his brother.

The next county of auxiliary images we will visit is Washington County.

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Blogging, Brandon, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Derrick, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Jodie Cue, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Linda, Logan, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Pastor Sarah, Postcard, Railroad, Sabas, Sara, Sarah Toot, Shannon, Slice of Life, Steph, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

Weekly Photo Challenge Year 9 Review

January 3, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Thought I would take a quick look back at Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

Here are a few quick stats:

+ 44 different participants
+ 1811 photos submitted
+ Least popular theme for participation was ROCK with 16 participants
+ Most popular theme for participation was SELF-PORTRAIT with 31 participants
+ Least popular theme for submissions was ROCK with 20 submissions
+ Most popular theme for submission was LINES with 51 submissions
+ The average week had 24.6 participants
+ The average week had 34.8 submissions

If you want to look back at all 1811 images that were submitted this year, click on the link below:

Weekly Photo Challenge – Year 9

Michelle once told me that her kids think that THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE is a contest and they always ask her if she “won” this week. It isn’t a contest and I’m not really sure art should compete against other art (yes I run and enter photo contests), but I thought I would share my favorite picture from all 44 participants this year:

Robyn Augustin
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Tim Cuculic
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Jodie Cue
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Brooklyn Erb
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Derrick Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Steve Martin
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 2
Current Streak: 0

Myriah Sharp
Weeks Participated: 1 – 2%
Submissions: 1
Current Streak: 0

Stephanie Kim
Weeks Participated: 2 – 4%
Submissions: 2
Current Streak: 0

Lori Backous
Weeks Participated: 3 – 6%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Gorshe Twins
Weeks Participated: 3 – 6%
Submissions: 3
Current Streak: 0

Layla Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 8 – 15%
Submissions: 8
Current Streak: 0

Sarah Karber
Weeks Participated: 10 weeks 19%
Submissions: 10
Current Streak: 1 week

Jen Ensley-Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 16 weeks – 31%
Submissions: 17
Current Streak: 0

Evie Gorshe
Weeks Participated: 18 weeks – 35%
Submissions: 18
Current Streak: 0

Mike Vest
Weeks Participated: 19 weeks – 37%
Submissions: 19
Current Streak: 0

Willy McAlpine
Weeks Participated: 21 weeks – 40%
Submissions: 23
Current Streak: 7

Sabas Hernandez
Weeks Participated: 23 – 44%
Submissions: 23
Current Streak: 3

Brandon Kahler
Weeks Participated: 24 weeks – 46%
Submissions: 24
Current Streak: 20

Sarah Toot
Weeks Participated: 24 – 46%
Submissions: 37
Current Streak: 24 weeks

Mary Green
Weeks Participated: 26 – 50%
Submissions: 66
Current Streak: 1

Sara Lockner
Weeks Participated: 32 – 62%
Submissions: 43
Current Streak: 1

Becky Parmelee
Weeks Participated: 32 – 62%
Submissions: 36
Current Streak: 3

Suzie Brannen
Weeks Participated: 35 weeks – 67%
Submissions: 38
Current Streak: 0

Angie DeWaard
Weeks Participated: 36 – 69%
Submissions: 44
Current Streak: 28

Jesse Howard
Weeks Participated: 40 – 77%
Submissions: 46
Current Streak: 1

Linda Bennett
Weeks Participated: 42 – 81%
Submissions: 94
Current Streak: 23

Monica Jennings
Weeks Participated: 44 – 85%
Submissions: 60
Current Streak: 1

Kim Barker
Weeks Participated: 48 – 92%
Submissions: 59
Current Streak: 38

Dawn Krause
Weeks Participated: 48 – 92%
Submissions: 70
Current Streak: 32

Joe Duff
Weeks Participated: 49 – 94%
Submissions: 63
Current Streak: 39

Logan Kahler
Weeks Participated: 49 – 94%
Submissions: 102
Current Streak: 41

Tamara Peterson
Weeks Participated: 50 – 96%
Submissions: 55
Current Streak: 9

Michelle Haupt
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 51
Current Streak: 51

Teresa Kahler
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 106
Current Streak: 50

Carla Stensland
Weeks Participated: 51 – 98%
Submissions: 93
Current Streak: 50

Micky Augustin
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 57
Current Streak: 52

Shannon Bardole-Foley
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 53
Current Streak: 61

Christopher D. Bennett
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 52
Current Streak: 485

Kio Dettman
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 156
Current Streak: 63

Cathie Morton
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 56
Current Streak: 58

Elizabeth Nordeen
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 64
Current Streak: 59

Andy Sharp
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 71
Current Streak: 53 weeks

Bill Wentworth
Weeks Participated: 52 – 100%
Submissions: 54
Current Streak: 54

Don’t think I put a ton of effort into picking my favorite images from each person. But I did put some effort in it.

2022 was a great year for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Hopefully 2023 is even better!

Billy, Boone FUMC, Calendar, Dad, Holidays, J.T., Laura, Lists, Nate, Railroad, Shorty, Slice of Life, Still Life, Tim

Westhaven Christmas

December 25, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 7 Comments

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas. This little picture is my way of saying Merry Christmas to all of you:

Merry Christmas!

I would like to share a Christmas Devotional with you:

Merry Christmas
By Rev. Ronald Carlson Jr.
Dean of the Cabinet and District Superintendent of Riverview Park District
“Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them.”
– Luke 2:18 (CEB)
In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. 2 This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. 3 Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. 4 Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. 5 He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. 8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. 9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” 15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. 20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told. Luke 2:1-20 (CEB)
Luke says it all… perfectly.

Let us pray.

O almighty God, by the birth of your holy child Jesus, you gave us a great light to dawn on our darkness. Grant that in his light we may see light. Bestow on us that most excellent Christmas gift of love to all people, so that the likeness of your Son may be formed in us, and that we may have the ever brightening hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen (The Book of Worship 1965, ALT.)

On certain holidays, I like to share some power rankings. I’m not going to go in depth on this as I originally intended. When I made some plans for this, I didn’t realize a new season of JACK RYAN and EMILY IN PARIS were both being released this weekend!

But without further adieu, here is my Christmas Movie Power Rankings.

CHRISTMAS MOVIE POWER RANKINGS
10. Meet John Doe (1941)
9. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
8. Gremlins (1984)
7. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
6. Die Hard (1988)
5. Elf (2003)
4. A Christmas Story (1983)
3. Scrooged (1988)
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

Please respect my decision. There will be no interviews at this time. Maybe next Christmas I will go in depth on this list.

+++++++

Time to reveal the June image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar:

June

This image was my submission for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme SLICE OF LIFE. That theme is named in honor of my Dad’s postcard company. This image is my interpretation of his style of postcard designs. However, you can look at this and know it wasn’t that hard for me to put this together in Photoshop, but try to think of how hard a similar design would have been to make in a darkroom.

You might have noticed that usually the June image in the Photography 139 Calendar is Black & White. That is because I affiliate my Dad mostly with black & white photography because he had a black & white darkroom in our house at 415 Greene. The 38th anniversary of his death was on Friday. He was born in June and that is why this homage is the June picture for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar.

There are no technical details for this image since it is a composite image.

Tomorrow I will unveil the July image for the 2023 Photography 139 Calendar.

+++++++

Once again I am going to skip Formal Portrait Sunday. Instead I’m going to share some pictures from when I got together with some of Olivia’s family for Christmas at Westhaven a couple weeks ago. Not everybody could make it because of illness, but sometimes in life you have to be happy for who is there and not be sad about who isn’t there.

Here are a few pictures from the celebration:

Triplets man… So much energy!

Andy, Angie, Becky, Bill, Black & White, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Elizabeth, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Linda, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Postcard, Railroad, Sara, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Slice of Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 348 – SLICE OF LIFE

May 16, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

SLICE OF LIFE got more results than I am expected. You people have impressed me!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, May 9, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

+ Linda Bennett – 1 week
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 2 weeks
+ Angie DeWaard – 3 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 5 weeks
+ Sara Lockner – 5 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 6 weeks
+ Dawn Krause – 6 weeks
+ Suzie Brannen – 7 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 8 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 8 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 16 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 16 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 16 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 17 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 18 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 19 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 20 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 24 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 25 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 27 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 30 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:

WEEK 348 - SLICE OF LIFE - TERESA KAHLER

Teresa Kahler – 17 weeks

Monica Jennings – 9 weeks

Monica Jennings

Elizabeth Nordeen – 26 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen

Joe Duff – 7 weeks
View from “The Mount” of several harden by Hermann Park in Houston

Joe Duff
“Inside the Octopus”. The main ballroom of the Octopus where countless Christmas parties, summer socials, and special evets were held.

Joe Duff
TPC Group “Octopus”, built 1959. An octagonal building with ballroom and meeting facilities. Built by employees from wood harvested on site.

Kim Barker – 6 weeks

Kim Barker

Micky Augustin – 19 weeks

Mary Green – 1 week

Kio Dettman – 31 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks

William McAlpine – 1 week

Bill Wentworth – 21 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 28 weeks

Linda Bennet – 2 weeks

Angie DeWaard – 4 weeks

Cathie Morton – 25 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 18 weeks

Suzie Brannen – 8 weeks

Logan Kahler – 9 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks

Jesse Howard – 4 weeks

Andy Sharp – 20 weeks

Carla Stensland – 17 weeks

Sara Lockner – 6 weeks

Sara Lockner

31 submissions from 24 participants! That is a great week! Better than I expected, considering the extra rule for this week. Don’t worry none of the remaining Year 9 themes have a bonus rule.

Also, the following people earned this week’s bonus points by submitting a black & white image:
+ Teresa Kahler
+ Monica Jennings – 1 out of 3 anyways
+ Joe Duff – 1 out of 3 anyways
+ Mary Green
+ Kio Dettman
+ Linda Bennett
+ Angie DeWaard
+ Suzie Brannen
+ Logan Kahler
+ Andy Sharp

Be sure to check your mailbox, those bonus points should be arriving any day now.

This was an exciting week for new participants. Mary Green participating for the first time ever. As did William McAlpine. Willy’s submission came all the way from Portugal!

Also you may have noticed a couple name changes from a couple of the participants. I wonder what that means? Congratulations is what is means!

But it wasn’t all good news. 2 streaks did bite the dust. Jen’s two week streak. Gone. Dawn’s 6 week streak. Poof. I have no doubt they will be back with great submissions again in the future!

Here are the current top streaks:

9. Teresa Kahler – 17 weeks
9. Tamara Peterson – 17 weeks
9. Carla Stensland – 17 weeks
8. Michelle Haupt – 18 weeks
7. Micky Augustin – 19 weeks
6. Andy Sharp – 20 weeks
5. Bill Wentworth – 21 weeks
4. Cathie Morton – 25 weeks
3. Elizabeth Nordeen – 26 weeks
2. Shannon Bardole-Foley – 28 weeks
1. Kio Dettman – 31 weeks

Congratulations to Elizabeth as her submissions (all the way from Florida) made her the third person to have a streak extend for half of a year! WooHoo!

HAT

HAT! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a HAT photo? It is very simple. Just any picture that features a HAT in the image works. There are all sorts of hats out there ranging from fedoras to beanies to fedoras to bucket hats to fedoras to baseball caps to fedoras. Did I mention fedoras?

There is a warning on this theme though:

NEXT MONDAY I WILL NOT BE IN ANY POSITION TO SEND OUT ANY KIND OF REMINDERS. YOU ARE DEFINITELY ON YOUR OWN ON THIS ONE.

While considering subjects for your HAT image, mediate on the following quote:

Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
-Henry David Thoureau

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

RULES

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

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing your idea of HAT in this place where I hang many of my hats next Monday.

Art, Black & White, Dad, History, Road Trip, Slice of Life, Teresa, WPC - Reminder

Monroe and Mahaska County Auxiliary Images Vol. 2

May 13, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

Time for another collection of auxiliary images from a road trip I took with Teresa to harvest the town signs of Monroe and Mahaska County. Almost all these pictures are taken in Albia or near Albia. The near Albia pictures are taken at what I think is the coolest veteran memorial I have ever seen in Iowa.

Great Pyramids of Iowa

I will get more into the history of the Great Pyramids of Iowa when I share the rest of these images tomorrow night.

+++++++

This is your reminder that this week’s THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is SLICE OF LIFE:

SLICE OF LIFE

SLICE OF LIFE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a SLICE OF LIFE photo? It might not be what you think. Hence this week’s special rule. SLICE OF LIFE is a reference to the photo postcard company that my Dad created. That is why (and here is the special rule) this week, the theme is NOT up for interpretation. This week’s theme is to take a picture that you could see used as a postcard. That is the only interpretation available to you.

Some of you might not live in a tourist hotbed like Boone, Iowa (no seriously, Boone has lots of tourist attractions from Pufferbilly Days to the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Birthplace to Ledge State Park to the Boone Speedway to name a few) but there is certainly something in your town that you could see put on a postcard. For those of you that are under the age of 40 you may have to ask an elder what a postcard is, but I’m sure they will be happy to tell you all about it. And also other amazing things that happened in the 80s or 70s or before.

To give you another few examples of postcards. Here are a few postcards that my Dad made that I hastily scanned this morning:

When you look at these postcards, remember that these were made in a darkroom. With film! Quite a bit harder than dragging and dumping layers in Photoshop.

So remember, it has to be the kind of image you would see on a postcard. Not a picture of your pet or your kid and then saying, this is a “slice of my life”. That doesn’t qualify this week.

Do I expect this to possibly be a streak killer for many people? Maybe.

BONUS: If you want to go the extra mile, this isn’t a requirement, you can take your image in black & white as my Dad’s postcards were black & white.

DOUBLE BONUS: For this theme and this theme only, if you include some kind of description of your postcard scene, I will include it in the “An Artist’s Notebook” post on Monday.

Happy photo harvesting!

Alexis, Andy, Bill, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Elainie, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Sabas, Sara, Shannon, Slice of Life, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 289 – LOVE

April 5, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

For those of you that haven’t heard, my Mom passed away about 10 days ago. Because of that, I have not been in a state to reveal the submissions for LOVE on time or reveal the new theme for last week. Because of that, I don’t know how steady my posts are going to be in the next few weeks, but this site might just turn into a fan page for my Mom for a little while. However, I will do my best to get back on track with THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Because of that, there will be two themes for this week to get back on track with the Photography 139 Calendar.

Sara’s submission was not exactly an intended submission, but its message was a perfect encapsulation of what I needed to see when it came through. Thank you Sara!

Here are the submissions for LOVE:

Kim Barker

Dawn Krause

Micky Augustin

Michelle Haupt

Andy Sharp

Steve White

Tamara Peterson

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Bill Wentworth

Cathie Raley

Kio Dettman

Sara Lockner

Christopher D. Bennett

Here is the first of two themes to work on this week:

SLICE OF LIFE

It was apropos that the theme was LOVE the week that we had to say goodbye to Mom. I don’t know anybody that embodied the various definitions of LOVE than my Mom. It is strange that the very next theme is SLICE OF LIFE. SLICE OF LIFE is a theme that was designed to honor my Dad. For those of you that don’t know, my Dad passed away when I was 9 years old. His legacy is a large part of the reason as to why I got into photography. He had started a postcard company called Slice of Life.

Therefore, a SLICE OF LIFE image is an image that looks at your local town and capture an image that could be used as a postcard. His postcards were black and white, if you want to go the extra mile.

The second theme to work on this week:

DRINKS

This theme isn’t very complicated. It is merely a picture of a DRINK or DRINK(S).

THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE RULES:

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.

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

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.

Good luck!

RULES

+++++++

RULES

+++++++

+++++++

+++++++

+++++++

+++++++

+++++++

+++++++

RULES

+++++++

Subscribe For Latest Updates