Category Archives: Still Life

Art, Candid Portrait, Grandma Paris, History, Jesse, Sign, Still Life, Tenderloining

B & G: Boone Field Work

January 19, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

This food adventure isn’t strictly a new one, but one I recently started and do hit on the regular basis. It might be a sign of my advanced age, but I’m starting to get into community meals. I’ve long had a tradition of going to the Lion Pancake Fundraiser (which is next Friday and Saturday) as my Grandma and Grandpa Paris were a Lion and Lioness respectively. I still like to support the organization. I also love pancakes. A classic win-win!

I recently started hitting up the Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast at the Boone VFW. Here are some pictures from a recent trip:

I can’t endorse the VFW Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast enough. It is seriously some of the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had! It is probably my current favorite breakfast place!

THE GOOD
+ The biscuits and gravy is amazing!
+ It is all you can eat!
+ It is only $8!
+ It comes with potatoes. Fruit. Drink. Pastry. Sometimes eggs!
+ It supports a great organization!
+ I always see a lot of people I don’t see that often. Teresa’s friend Valerie. Derrick’s dad Rob. My old neighbor Roger. My Mom’s old neighbor that shoots arrows into his garage. A bunch of people from church. A bunch of other random people. Most importantly my friend Tim who has started volunteering there recently.

THE BAD
+ It is only the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. And not every month

THE UGLY
+ It only last from 8-9.

THE VERDICT

Not only have I returned. It is in my regular rotation.

The Boon VFW is located:
815 Keeler Street
Boone, Iowa

The next food adventure will take place in Ankeny. Ugh. Ankeny.

Art, Sign, Still Life, Street Photography, Watermelon Festival

Stanhope Watermelon Festival BC (Before Contests)

January 15, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

On the Saturday of the Boone County Fair I took a break from Logan’s barbecue contest to jet over to one of my favorite small town festivals, the Stanhope Watermelon Festival. I went there hoping to catch the watermelon eating contest and to visit the Stanhope State University booth. Stanhope State makes an incredible collection of stickers and shirts and hats. I could spend a small fortune on their swag. I probably did!

Here is a collection of images I took before the Watermelon eating contests started:

Still plenty more delicious Stanhope Watermelon Festival pictures left to share!

Andree, Animals, Art, Black & White, Bridge, Calendar, Christmas, Flowers, Hot Air Balloon Festival, Joe Duff, Macro, Music, Nature, Night, Photoshop, Railroad, Road Trip, Sign, Slice of Life, State Fair, Still Life, Street Photography, Travel

I Wanna Have Control

January 14, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Here we are. Time to share all the pictures I considered for the 2025 Calendar but did not make the cut for one reason or another. Could be that I decided it wasn’t good enough. Or because a similar picture was chosen over it to be placed in the calendar. Or it just didn’t seem to fit.

Here are the rejects:

I did get a few last minute calendar favorites and I better show those:

Jeanette

Joe

Andree

And that closes the book on Photography 139 Calendars for another year! But before I know it, I’ll have to start working on next year’s calendar.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Animals, Aunt Linda, Basketball, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Calendar, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Deb, Elizabeth, Iowa State, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kim, Kio, Logan, Lowell, Mary, Michelle, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Night, Photoshop, Sabas, Sara, Sarah, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 487 – MOTION

January 13, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Time to reveal the December image of the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

DECEMBER

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7 IV
LENS: Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro
APERTURE: f/8
SHUTTER: 1/2000
ISO: 100
DATE: April 13, 2024

This picture of a bird soaring through the sky was taken at the Last Chance Cemetery near Chariton, Iowa. I ended up there as I was lunching nearby and saw it on the map and thought Last Chance Cemetery was a peculiar name and I decided to go visit it hoping for some photography opportunities. I had hoped for at the very least, a photogenic sign. However, the cemetery was fairly pedestrian. But while looking towards the heavens I saw a bird flying through a beautiful sky. It was not a wasted trip after all.

Here are the people that chose December as their favorite image:

Johnathan

Sabas

That concludes the calendar images, but tomorrow I will reveal all the images that I considered for the calendar, but decided to leave out for one reason or another.

+++++++

Here we are! Year 12. A far cry from when THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE was birthed violently into this world on January 14, 2010 under the name the Random Weekly Photo Experiment.

These were the two pictures submitted for the first ever theme of USE OF SPACE:

Christopher D. Bennett

Mike Vest

Then on January 2, 2012, I put the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT to bed. It had never really grown much in popularity. In the last several weeks of its existence, Vest and I were the only people to submit. It was time to admit it was a failure.

These were the last 2 pictures submitted for the final theme of SELF-PORTRAIT:

Mike Vest

Christopher D. Bennett

But the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE wouldn’t stay down. There were a few people that lobbied for it to return. In particular I remember Dawn and Angie making a case for its return. I brought it out of mothballs. Knocked the crust out of its eyes. Gave it a new name. THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. It was brought back to life on September 21, 2015. The rest, as they say, is photography community history.

Here are the submissions for that week, for the theme of NIGHT:

Angie DeWaard

Becky Perkovich

Michael Augustin

Michelle Haupt

Dawn Krause

Mike Vest

Christopher D. Bennett

The original point of the RANDOM WEEKLY PHOTO EXPERIMENT was simple. The idea was to take 52 different themes and by merely taking on the challenge of tackling the themes you would improve your photography skills. Either through just the act of practicing the craft or through taking photographs that are outside your comfort zone or area of expertise. You don’t improve by NOT taking pictures and this challenge would force you to touch your camera at least once a week. At the end of the year you would have 52 unique images. Images that you could consider for entering into photo contests if you want.

Sometimes people mistakenly think this is a contest. It is not. Merely a challenge. I’m glad so many people have been up for it!

Here we are now. 11 years of submissions complete. Ready to start the 12th year. I hope you are as excited as I am!

Let us begin, shall we?

MOTION! What a great theme! But how many people got their photography juices in motion? Keep scrolling to find out.

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, January 6, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks:

1-Sabas Hernandez – 1 week
2-Monica Jennings – 1 week
3-Deanna McClain – 1 week
4-Johnathan Stensland – 1 week
5-Alexis Stensland – 2 weeks
6-Suzie Brannen – 14 weeks
*7-Deb Powers – 19 weeks
8-Willy McAlpine – 25 weeks
9-Mike Vest – 33 weeks
10-Lowell Davis – 53 weeks
11-Brandon Kahler – 54 weeks
12-Scott Degeneffe – 72 weeks
13-Sheri Fakhouri – 82 weeks
*14-Logan Kahler – 83 weeks
15-Nathanial Brown – 84 weeks
16-Tamara Peterson – 95 weeks
*17-Mindi Terrell – 99 weeks
18-Linda Bennett – 128 weeks
19-Sarah Toot – 129 weeks
20-Angie DeWaard – 132 weeks
*21-Dawn Krause – 137 weeks
22-Kim Barker – 143 weeks
*23-Joe Duff – 144 weeks
*24-Teresa Kahler – 155 weeks
*25-Carla Stensland – 155 weeks
26-Micky Augustin – 157 weeks
*27-Andy Sharp – 158 weeks
28-Bill Wentworth – 159 weeks
29-Cathie Morton – 163 weeks
30-Elizabeth Nordeen – 164 weeks
31-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 166 weeks
32-Kio Dettman – 168 weeks

Here is the list of rules for Year 12 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

1. The picture must 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 and take pictures challenge!
2. There is a limit of 2 submissions per person per theme. If you send me more than 2, I will use the first 2 that you submit. If you submit 2 pictures, make sure they are of different subjects.
3. Deadline to submit your submission is 11 AM Central Time the following Monday. But that is a deadline. Pictures can be submitted as soon as you take them.
4. To be considered the photographer of an image, you have to be the one that clicks the shutter. If you hand your camera over to somebody else to take a picture of you, you are NOT the photographer of that image.
5. No screen captures. This is a photography challenge. Not a “look at what I found on the internet” challenge.
6. Please include the location of where the picture was taken with your submission.

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.

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

WPC - WEEK 487 - MOTION - ALEXIS STENSLAND

Alexis Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 3 weeks

Andy Sharp (West Roads Mall – Omaha, Nebraska) – 159 weeks

Andy Sharp (West Roads Mall – Omaha, Nebraska)

Angie DeWaard (Iowa) – 133 weeks

Becky Parmelee (Bella Vista, Arkansas) – 1 week

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 160 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Ames, Iowa) – 55 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ankeny, Iowa) – 156 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 164 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Hilton Coliseum – Ames, Iowa)

Dawn Krause (Boone, Iowa) – 138 weeks

Deanna McClain (Iowa) – 2 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 20 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 165 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 145 weeks

Kim Barker (Ames, Iowa) – 144 weeks

Kio Dettman (Ogden, Iowa) – 169 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 129 weeks

Linda Bennett (Kansas)

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 84 weeks

Lowell Davis (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa) – 1 week

Mary Green (Manchester, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Story County, Iowa) – 158 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 34 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 100 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Monica Jennings (Boone, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Ohio) – 85 weeks

Nathanial Brown (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa) – 1 week

Sabas Hernandez (Ankeny, Iowa)

Sara Lockner (Brenton Park – Des Moines, Iowa) – 1 week

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 130 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 73 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Summerset, Iowa) – 167 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Ankeny, Iowa)

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 96 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 156 weeks

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Iowa) – 26 weeks

34 participants this week. That is a solid way to start Year 12.

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Iowa (32)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Nebraska (3)
+ Ohio (1)
+ Pennsylvania (2)
+ Texas (1)

Here is the Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Arkansas (1)
+ Iowa (32)
+ Kansas (2)
+ Nebraska (3)
+ Ohio (1)
+ Pennsylvania (2)
+ Texas (1)

There were quite a few milestones this week! Willy hit the Half Year Streak Club! Woo! Mindi hit the Triple Digit Streak Club! WooHoo! Sarah hit the 2.5 Year Streak Club! WooHoo! WooHoo! Woo! Carla and Teresa both hit the 3 Year Streak Club! WooHoo WooHoo! WooHoo!

But it wasn’t all good news. Johnathan couldn’t build on his submission from last week. His streak is over before it began. Suzie’s streak is gone after 14 weeks.

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:

COLORFUL

COLORFUL! A great theme for Year 12 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIP OF THE WEEK

There are several ways to make colors really pop in a picture, but the easiest by far is to slightly underexpose the image.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see a bunch of COLORFUL submissions in this place that tries to be splashed in saturation next Monday.

Calendar, Flowers, Logan, Sign, Still Life, Tenderloining, Teresa

#BREAKFASTBURRITOLIFE: Ames Field Work

January 12, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to reveal the November image from the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

NOVEMBER

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7IV
LENS: SIGMA 105mm f/2.8 DG DN MACRO
FOCAL LENGTH: 105mm
APERTURE: f/8
SHUTTER: 1/125
DATE: May 26, 2024

I took this macro strawflower picture in my yard. Strawflowers are one of my favorite flowers. Perhaps my favorite annual. I think I might have wet down this flower with a spray bottle. Or it might have been after a rain. May was a long time ago. This is the one picture I wasn’t crazy about how it printed in the calendar. But it printed well enough.

Here is the lone person to deem it their favorite calendar image:

Logan

Tomorrow I reveal the final 2025 Photography 139 Calendar.

+++++++

A couple of weeks ago Teresa and I tried one of the newer Cafes in Ames. It is called the Dot and it is in one of the old Pizza Huts. I believe the building last housed an Indian Restaurant.

I decided to try their breakfast burrito, which was the daily special, because as you know, I’m a notorious fiend for breakfast burritos!

Here are the images:

According to their website:

Welcome to The Dot, a cozy haven in the heart of Ames, where Midwest nostalgia meets culinary creativity. As a proud woman-owned small business, The Dot brings you the comforting flavors you grew up loving, reimagined with a fresh, modern twist.

We believe great food should be for everyone. That’s why our locally sourced, inclusive menu features options for all dietary needs, including dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian dishes.

Our cafe is more than just a place to grab a bite–it’s a community gathering spot where warmth and creativity come together. Whether you’re looking for a quiet corner to enjoy your morning coffee or a welcoming spot to catch up with friends, The Dot invites you to experience a taste of home with a touch of love in every bite.

Stop in, stay awhile, and enjoy the charm of the Midwest, redefined at The Dot.

First of all, The Dot Cafe is super cute. The decorations are amazing. The staff was very friendly. The burrito was great. The chocolate milk was subpar. It was clearly just chocolate syrup mixed in white milk and not particularly well.

THE GOOD

+ Cute decor
+ Friendly Staff
+ Burrito was fantastic
+ Food is locally sourced
+ Inclusive menu

THE BAD

+ For not being very busy, the food prep seemed a little slow
+ Chocolate milk was not a winner, but there was lots of it

THE UGLY

+ $19.26 feels a little steep for a breakfast burrito, chocolate milk, and a tip.

THE VERDICT

I would eat here again. I will eat here again. Just not on the regular cause I feel it is a tad pricey.

The Dot is located:
127 Dotson Drive
Ames, Iowa

Hours:
Wednesday – Sunday: 7 AM – 3 PM

The next food adventure will also involve breakfast!

Animals, Bokeh, Calendar, Christianity, Elainie, Greyson, Hot Air Balloon Festival, Jesse, Layla, Logan, Sign, Still Life, WPC - Alternate

I Don’t Care if it Hurts

January 8, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Time to reveal the July image for the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

JULY

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7M4
LENS: Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 DG DN
FOCAL LENGTH: 276mm
APERTURE: f/14
SHUTTER SPEED: 1/6400
ISO: 160
DATE TAKEN: August 2, 2024

I took this picture on my trip to the Indianola National Balloon Classic with Jesse. It is always a roll of the dice when you go to the Balloon Classic because a myriad of weather conditions will keep the balloons from going up. But on the night we went the balloons went up in the air and I got a ton of great shots. This is one of my favorites and I’m considering this picture and another one I took on this evening for entry into the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon this year. Which is about as forward thinking as I have ever been for that contest. Don’t worry, I’ll lie down and the feeling will pass.

There isn’t much to say about the technical aspects of the picture. High shutter speed to freeze the image and under exposure balance to a silhouette and make the colors pop.

I selected this picture to represent July because the Balloon Classic starts in July.

It was a fairly popular image and here are the people that selected it as their favorite image:

Elainie

Jason (Carpenter)

Layla

Will

I’m excited to share the August image tomorrow!

+++++++

This is one of those miscellaneous posts that cleans up some images that I took but didn’t fit into any previous posts. These images are from late May and early June. Some are of a baby deer that hung around Lori and Roger’s house for a few days. Some are of a garage sale Logan had. Some are from just around town. But most are of Bokeh. From the first failed attempts* to get the image that would become the March image and an entry to the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon.

I’m not sure if Logan made any money on the garage sale, but Greyson cleaned up. His grandparents bought something from his table for $60 and then turned around gave the thing back to him. That is a solid business plan if you can implement it!

*The window ended up being too dirty in these shots.

Alexis, Andy, Angie, Animals, Aunt Linda, Bill, Bokeh, Brandon, Calendar, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Deanna, Deb, Elizabeth, Flowers, Joe Duff, Johnathan, Kim, Kio, Logan, Lowell, Micky, Mindi, Monica, Nathanial, Sabas, Sarah, Scottie D., Shannon, Sheri, Still Life, Suzie, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, Willy, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 486 – WHEELS

January 6, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

It is time to reveal the May image for the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

May

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7M4
LENS: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro
FOCAL LENGTH: 105mm
APERTURE: f/9
EXPOSURE: 1/125
ISO: 800
DATE: August 13, 2024

I took this picture of a bee on a zinnia at the Iowa State Fair Discovery Garden. Well-documented to be one of my favorite parts of the Iowa State Fair. I used a longer macro lens to get closer to the bee without spooking it. I used a smaller aperture to try to keep as much of the bee in focus as possible. Then a somewhat faster shutter speed because of the length of the lens. To compensate for the small aperture and quick shutter speed I used a higher ISO than normal.

I don’t have a good reason for why this picture was selected for May. I normally put a picture that I personally love but think has a small audience appeal in May, since it is my birthday month. However, this picture ended up as the May image as it was the last image that didn’t have a home. Kind of disappointing reasoning I know.

May wasn’t a super popular image, but here are the people that selected it as their favorite:

Carla

Roger and Carol

I look forward to revealing the June image tomorrow!

+++++++

WHEELS! What a great theme! But did enough people roll out and get a WHEELS image to make it a popular theme? You will have to keep scrolling to find out!

As of 12:01 PM on Monday, December 30, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks (ignore everything in parentheses):

1-Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA, DC, WA)
2-Jesse Howard – 1 week (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN)
3-Becky Parmelee – 1 week (AR, IA, OK, NY)
*4-Kyle Sharp – 1 week (IA, MO, CO)
*5-Alexis Stensland – 1 week (IA)
*6-Mary Green – 2 weeks (MI, IA, IN, IL, PR)
*7-Suzie Brannen – 14 weeks (IA, MD)
*8-Deb Powers – 18 weeks (MT, IA)
9-Willy McAlpine – 25 weeks (IA)
10-Mike Vest – 32 weeks (IA, MO, OK, AR, KS)
11-Lowell Davis – 52 weeks (IA, MO, KS)
12-Brandon Kahler – 53 weeks (IA, MN)
13-Scott Degeneffe – 71 weeks (IA, FL, UT, CO, KY, IN, IL, MN, WI)
14-Sheri Fakhouri – 81 weeks (IA, NE, GA)
*15-Logan Kahler – 82 weeks (IA, MN, MO)
16-Nathanial Brown – 83 weeks (IA, SD, GA, TN, IRL, UK, FL, IL, KS, NE, MN, PA, WI, NY, MO)
*17-Tamara Peterson – 94 weeks (IA, MN)
*18-Mindi Terrell – 98 weeks (IA)
*19-Linda Bennett – 127 weeks (KS, IA, MI, NY, MO)
*20-Sarah Toot – 128 weeks (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC, FL, MD, KS, MO)
21-Angie DeWaard – 131 weeks (IA, IL, SCT, ENG, MN, FL)
22-Dawn Krause – 136 weeks (IA, IL)
*23-Kim Barker – 142 weeks (IA, CO, LA)
*24-Joe Duff – 143 weeks (TX, NY)
*25-Teresa Kahler – 154 weeks (IA, NE)
*26-Carla Stensland – 154 weeks (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO)
27-Micky Augustin – 156 weeks (IA, IL, FL, AK, AZ)
*28-Andy Sharp – 157 weeks (IA, NE, AR, MS, MO, TN, LA, IL, MN, WI, KS, AZ, CO, NM, UT)
29-Bill Wentworth – 158 weeks (NE, MO, FL)
30-Cathie Morton – 162 weeks (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA, AZ, NM, CO, UT)
*31-Elizabeth Nordeen – 163 weeks (IA, OH)
32-Shannon Bardole-Foley – 165 weeks (IA, CA, NV, AR, MO, MEX, TX, MO)
*33-Kio Dettman – 167 weeks (IA)

WHEELS was the last theme for Year 11 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. The rule for Year 12 are pretty much the same, maybe some minor tweaks to the language.

Here is the list of rules for Year 12 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE:

There are still 2 ways to submit:
1. Email your submission to bennett@photography139.com.
2. Text your submission to my Google Pixel 8 Pro.

WPC - WEEK 486 - WHEELS - SABAS HERNANDEZ

Sabas Hernandez (Iowa) – 1 week

Monica Jennings (Iowa) – 1 week

Deanna McClain (Perry, Iowa) – 1 week

Johnathan Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – Ogden, Iowa

Alexis Stensland (Ames, Iowa) – 2 weeks

Suzie Brannen (Iowa) – 15 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa) – 19 weeks

Deb Powers (Ankeny, Iowa)

Willy McAlpine (Boone, Iowa) – 26 weeks

Mike Vest (Madrid, Iowa) – 33 weeks

Lowell Davis (Ames, Iowa) – 53 weeks

Brandon Kahler (Iowa) – 54 weeks

Scott Degeneffe (Boone County, Iowa) – 72 weeks

Sheri Fakhouri (Iowa) – 82 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 83 weeks

Logan Kahler (Boone, Iowa)

Nathanial Brown (Saint Louis, Missouri) – 84 weeks

Tamara Peterson (Iowa) – 95 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa) – 99 weeks

Mindi Terrell (Iowa)

Linda Bennett (Kansas) – 128 weeks

Sarah Toot (E. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) – 129 weeks

Angie DeWaard (West Des Moines, Iowa) – 132 weeks

Dawn Krause (Les’s Auto – Boone, Iowa) – 137 weeks

Dawn Krause (Urbandale, Iowa)

Kim Barker (Nevada, Iowa) – 143 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas) – 144 weeks

Joe Duff (Texas)

Teresa Kahler (Boone, Iowa) – 155 weeks

Teresa Kahler (House of Colour – Ankeny, Iowa)

Carla Stensland (Ogden, Iowa) – 155 weeks

Carla Stensland (Ames, Iowa)

Micky Augustin (Ames, Iowa) – 157 weeks

Andy Sharp (Ankeny, Iowa) – 158 weeks

Andy Sharp (Dakota Dunes, South Dakota)

Bill Wentworth (Omaha, Nebraska) – 159 weeks

Cathie Morton (Norwalk, Iowa) – 163 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen (Iowa) – 164 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley (Honey Hollow – Rural Warren County, Iowa) – 166 weeks

Kio Dettman (Boone County Courthouse – Boone, Iowa) – 168 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett (Boone, Iowa) – 590 weeks

There were 33 participants this week. Year 11 goes out with a bit of whimper. But not doubt Year 12 will see a significant rebound in participation!

There were submissions this week taken in the following places:

+ Iowa (35)
+ Missouri (1)
+ Nebraska (1)
+ Pennsylvania (1)
+ South Dakota (1)
+ Texas (2)

Here is the final Year 11 list of places where submissions have been taken (submissions taken in each places):

+ Alaska (1)
+ Arizona (2.5)
+ Arkansas (20.5)
+ California (3)
+ Colorado (14)
+ Florida (16)
+ Georgia (3)
+ Hawaii (2)
+ Illinois (14)
+ Indiana (6)
+ Iowa (1968)
+ Kansas (71)
+ Kentucky (1)
+ Louisiana (8)
+ Maryland (2)
+ Michigan (13)
+ Minnesota (15)
+ Mississippi (2.5)
+ Missouri (28.5)
+ Montana (4)
+ Nebraska (61)
+ Nevada (5)
+ New Jersey (5)
+ New Mexico (1.5)
+ New York (23)
+ North Carolina (3)
+ Ohio (5)
+ Oklahoma (2)
+ Pennsylvania (42)
+ Puerto Rico (4)
+ South Dakota (6)
+ Tennessee (2.5)
+ Texas (79)
+ Utah (2.5)
+ Vermont (1)
+ Virginia (1)
+ Washington (2)
+ Washington D.C. (1)
+ West Virginia (1)
+ Wisconsin (6)
+ Wyoming (1)
+ Aruba (1)
+ Bahamas (4)
+ Canada (2)
+ Curacao (1)
+ Ireland (3)
+ England (2)
+ Mexico (2)
+ North Ireland (1)
+ Scotland (1)

39 states so far! 1 U.S. Territory! 1 District! 7 foreign countries! Not bad! So far, the following people have submitted from multiple places:

+ Andy Sharp (IA, NE, MO, AR, TN, MS, LA, IL, MN, WI, KS, AZ, CO, NM, UT, SD) – 16
+ Nathanial Brown (IA, SD, TN, GA, IRL, NIR, FL, IL, KS, NE, MN, PA, WI, NY, MO) – 15
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe (IA, CO, MO, TX, TN, VA, IL, FL, IN, WV, PA, DC, WA) – 13
+ Sarah Toot (PA, NY, VT, NV, NJ, NC, FL, MD, KS, MO) – 10
+ Scott Degeneffe (IA, FL, UT, CO, IN, KY, IL, MN, WI) – 9
+ Cathie Morton (IA, FL, BHS, MO, LA, AZ, NM, CO, UT) – 9
+ Jesse Howard (IA, MO, NE, FL, ABW, CUW, MN) – 7
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley (IA, CA, NV, AR, MO, MEX, TX) – 7
+ Christopher D. Bennett (IA, MO, NE, IL, IN, LA) – 6
+ Adam Gordon (IA, MS, MO, KS, MI, CAN) – 6
+ Angie DeWaard (IA, IL, SCT, ENG, MN, FL) – 6
+ Linda Bennett (KS, IA, MI, NY, MO) – 5
+ Carla Stensland (IA, MO, SD, WY, CO) -5
+ Mary Green (MI, IA, IN, IL, RP) – 5
+ Michelle Haupt (IA, MO, KS, LA, MI) – 5
+ Mike Vest (IA, MO, AR, OK, KS) – 5
+ Micky Augustin (IA, IL, FL, AK, AZ) – 5
+ Becky Parmelee (AR, IA, OK, NY) – 4
+ Sara Lockner (IA, BHS, MN, FL) – 4
+ Lowell Davis (IA, MO, KS) – 3
+ Logan Kahler (IA, MN, MO) – 3
+ Bill Wentworth (NE, MO, FL) – 3
+ Sabas Hernandez (IA, OH, WI) – 3
+ Kim Barker (IA, CO, LA) – 3
+ Kyle Sharp (IA, MO, CO) – 3
+ Susanna Funk (IA, CO) – 2
+ Brandon Kahler (IA, MN) – 2
+ Tamara Peterson (IA, MN) – 2
+ Teresa Kahler (IA, NE) – 2
+ Sheri Fakhouri (IA, NE) – 2
+ Suzie Brannen (IA, MD) – 2
+ Elizabeth Nordeen (IA, OH) – 2
+ Deanna McClain (IA, MN) – 2
+ Dawn Krause – (IA, IL) – 2
+ Joe Duff (TX, NY) – 2
+ Evie Gorshe (IA, IN) – 2
+ Layla Gorshe (IA, OH) -2
+ Deb Powers (MT, IA) – 2

Andy ends Year 11 as the “THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE most travelled photographer!”

Amazingly, there were no minor or major milestones reached this week. But on the contrary, there was a bloodbath of streaks. Jen, Jesse, Becky, and Kyle. Not a one of them could build on last week’s theme and their streaks are over before they began. Mary’s streak goes kaput at 2 weeks. It was indeed a bleak week in THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE world.

MOTION

MOTION! What a great first theme for Year 12 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

There are really two ways to capture MOTION in a photograph.

1. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze motion.
2. Use a slow shutter speed to blur the motion.

I look forward to your interpretation!

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will see your MOTION in this place that tries to keep moving forward next Monday.

Adam, Art, Carla, Flowers, Jason, Jesse, Macro, Road Trip, Russell, Shannon, Still Life, Tenderloining

Cue: Kansas City Field Work

January 5, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Time to reveal the April image for the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

APRIL

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7M4
LENS: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro
FOCAL LENGTH: 105mm
APERTURE: f/8
EXPSOURE: 1/125
ISO: 640
DATE: April 13, 2024

I took this picture a couple of weeks before the Pella Tulip Festival in Pella, Iowa. I used as small of an aperture as I could to keep as much of the picture in focus as possible. Using a decent speed on the shutter speed as I was using a longer length macro lens and was shooting handheld.

More than a couple people struggled to see that this picture was of a flower and I struggle to accept that. But my favorite memory was when Kelli was going through the calendar somebody at her table asked, “What is that a picture of?”

And another person at the table said, “It’s a flower! Like Georgia O’Keeffe!”

I picked this picture to represent April because tulips generally come up and bloom in April.

Despite the Georgia O’Keefffe comparison, April wasn’t a super popular image. But a couple of people found it to be their favorite:

I look forward to revealing the May image tomorrow!

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Back in November Carla, Jason, Jesse, and I loaded up into a car and headed to Kansas City to watch Iowa State play football in the dump known as Arrowhead Stadium. But before going to the game we stopped at a barbecue joint that I’ve wanted to try for a bit called Q39.

Here are some pictures from the meal:

Q39 is what Adam (a noted Kansas City and Memphis barbecue expert) refer to as BougieQ. And he isn’t wrong. Q39 is kind of a hipster barbecue. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t good.

If I have a major complaint about BougieQ, it is that it is expensive and the portion size are pretty dang small. But for this meal, the chicken wings were fair. I don’t know I would get them again. The brisket was fantastic, but the real show stopper were the burnt ends. They were one of the best things I ate all year. On the other end of the spectrum, the corn side was terrible. Bland. Tasteless. Hopefully it was made with Nebraska’s inferior corn an wasn’t a waste of good Iowa corn.

The final verdict is that I would eat there again, but if I was in Kansas City and was looking for barbecue, I’d still go to Joe’s first.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will take place considerably closer to home.

Andy, Baier, Becca, Bill, Bokeh, Boone FUMC, Brandon, Calendar, Christmas, Equipment, Gretchen, Harrison, Jay, Jorge, Kim, Kio, Lensbaby, Micky, Nader, Nature, Sara, Scottie D., Still Life, Vest

Sweet 22: The Beginning

January 4, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Time to reveal the March image for the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

MARCH

TECHNICAL DETAILS

CAMERA: Sony 7M4
LENS: 14-24 Sigma f/2.8 DG DN Art
FOCAL LENGTH: 24mm
APERTURE: f/8
EXPOSUER: 1/800
ISO: 400
DATE: June 12, 2024

I took this picture because I wanted a Bokeh picture to enter into the Iowa State Fair Photography Salon. It took 3 different photo sessions before I got the image that I wanted. Or as close as an artist ever gets to their real vision. Art is never finished after all, only abandoned. On one of these sessions, Becca was the photo assistant. Shoutout Becca! What you might not realize is that the hardest part of this image was getting it without a reflection. For the most part Bokeh would hang out on top of the window long enough for me to get a few images. But battling reflections in the glass took some tinkering with the setup. Hint: The solution ended up involving blankets.

I chose a fairly small aperture to keep as much of the image in focus as possible. I used a relatively fast shutter speed to freeze any motions Bokeh made. I overexposed the image by nearly a full stop to try capture Bokeh as bright as possible, but without fully blowing out the sky.

I picked this image to represent March because Bokeh’s birthday is in March. Check your calendar if you doubt me. (Sorry to people that the USPS lost their calendar.)

This was by far the most popular image from the 2025 Photography Calendar. Here are the people that picked it as their favorite:

Andy

Harrison

Brandon

Jay

Jorge

Kim

Kio

Micky

Nader

Olivia

Sara and Gretchen

Scott

Vest

Bill

Tomorrow I will reveal the April image. I’m so excited. I can barely hide it. Fair chance I will lose control. I think I’m moderately enjoying it.

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I’m efforting to get better at sharing when I add new equipment to the arsenal. I’m not a big equipment nerd. I’m about the craft and not about the equipment. But like (and I can’t stress this enough) all art, the equipment you have does have a say in what you make. But what I really like are nerdy manual focus lenses with limited purposes.

I’m sure at least one other photographer thought, “Why doesn’t he just say Lensbaby lenses?”

And you got me hypothetical photographer friend. The most recent piece of glass I’ve added is indeed a Lensbaby lens. For the last few years it has been traditional for me to give my self a Lensbaby lens for Christmas. However, unless they release some new lenses, I’m probably just about out of Lensbaby lenses I can buy. Maybe this Christmas it will be a 7Artisans lens.

If we are being honest, I do totally have the 7Artisans website up on a different monitor right now thinking about their new 60mm f/2.8 2x macro lens. So that might be my birthday present to myself. Or maybe that will be Bokeh’s birthday present to me. I can tell she really wants me to have that lens.

But we’ve gathered here today, to get through this thing called “life”. And the most recent lens I’ve purchased from Lensbaby to get me through life is the Sweet 22.

This is what the bad boy looks like:

If you were to go to the Lensbaby website for a description of this lens you would read something like this:

The Sweet 22 pancake lens from Lensbaby features the smallest sweet spot with the most blur outside the sweet spot of any Lensbaby lens. With a compact, robust metal body and built-in focus down to 5 inches from the front element, this new mirrorless-only creative effects lens brings dramatic optical effects to stills and video imagery that have never before been possible.

The tiny, tack-sharp, centered sweet spot created by the Sweet 22 gives a sense of motion to still images while creating dramatic focus transitions of moving subject matter coming into or out of the Sweet 22’s sweet spot when shooting video. A sea of impressionistic blur gradually transitioning to a precise, tack sharp sweet spot gives photographers the chance to create imagery more dramatic than previous selective focus lenses.

And if you were a big equipment nerd, you might click on the specs and read something like this:

Focal Length: 22mm
Primary Effect: Spot of Focus
Optic Swap Compatible: No
Aperture: f/3.5 fixed
Circular Aperture: Yes
Minimum Focusing Distance: 127mm (5.0in)
Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:5
Filter threads: 46 mm
Format Compatibility: 35mm Full Frame; APS-C
Camera Compatibility: MIL cameras
Focus Type: Manual Barrel Focus
Diagonal Angle of View: Full Frame: 90°; APS-C (1.5x): 64°
Angle of Tilt: N/A
Diaphragm Blades: None
Elements/Groups: Zone Plate: 4 elements / 2 groups
Coating: Broadband multi-coated anti-reflective

But since all of you are nerds, but nerds of a different flavor, you just want to see a picture taken with it. So here is a collection of the first few pictures I took with the new sweetness… The Sweet 22:

You might be wondering why I bought a lens with such a peculiar purpose that produces images that are destined to be unpopular. And if that is the case:

1. You must be new here.
2. I have no doubt I’m going to take some bomb images with the new sweetness. Even if it is only in my mind.

You will just have to stay tuned.

Architecture, Art, Bridge, Calendar, Christianity, History, Jim, Lowell, Monica, Music, Nature, Railroad, Sign, Still Life, Street Photography, Teresa, Travel, Willy

New Orleans Day 2: French Quarter Walkabout

January 3, 2025 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

Time to reveal the February image for the 2025 Photography 139 Calendar:

FEBRUARY

TECHICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony 7M4
LENS: Tamron 28-75 f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 68mm
APERTURE: f/4.5
EXPOSURE: 1/200
ISO: 100

The February image was taken in New Orleans. It was taken on my second day in New Orleans and I had a few hours of free time to walk around and I found this small bit of fence along the river walk that was covered with love locks. It isn’t on a bridge and it isn’t exactly a dock. It is a fence that prevents people from going out onto what is an industrial thing. I don’t even know how to describe it. Maybe a small pier. Best guess. Final answer. I framed the picture so all of that is cropped out and the incredible cluster of love locks frames the “Love Wins” sign is all this is visible. I think that lends an air of mystery to the image. Almost everybody has assume this picture was taken on a bridge. I’ve never seen such a dense collection of love locks. I chose this picture to represent February since this picture represents “love” and the only appropriate day to show somebody you love them is Valentine’s Day.

Here is the group of people that chose February as their favorite calendar image:

Jim

Monica

Teresa

Willy

Lowell

I look forward to revealing the March image tomorrow!

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Coincidentally, today’s collection of images is taken from the beginning of the day when I took the February image. The second day on this work trip is basically waiting around to be told to go to the Convention Center to start working. Before I got that call I decided to take a little walk up by the Saint Louis Cathedral.

Here is the first collection of those images:

Still 2 more collections of images to share from Day 2 of my trip to New Orleans!