Daniel Ruf

Expanding View

    "They are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life." Jane Austen

As many of you know I've been spending a lot of time recently searching among the new flowers for photographic opportunites as the spring flush of color is upon us in northwest Iowa.  A few days ago, however, I did come across a scene that had many of my favorite subjects all in one "basket".  A nice long fence line, a sky of broken cloud formations and a barn.  How much better can it get for a person with a camera that has spent a lifetime in the farming sector?

This scene was captured with my Nikon D300, process as an HDR in Photoshop CS6 and then tweaked in Topaz Clean plug-in.  I just recently upgraded to the new Adobe Photoshop CS6 and find myself learning a number of new tools and operations, which leads me to believe that learning will never end in the field of photography.  One of the biggest confrontations is the impulse to try anything and everything that comes on the market...each having a little different twist over a product that one has on hand.  I am continually reminding myself of the necessity to master the implements at hand...FIRST.  Yet, there always seems to be that "twinkle" on the horizon.

The tulips are up, the trees are leafing out and the air is ripe with the promise of life.  How much better can it get?  Let's all find time to take that walk, do a little flower exploration, a little bird watching, or even a little self contemplation.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Blooming Crazy

Once the Spring season begins it's "pedal to the metal" in order to capture all the natural surprises and we haven't even gotten into the tulip bloom and I've got about 80 new plantings that are just now peaking toward the sky.  It seems like everytime I take the walk down into one of our state parks something new has revealed itself.

The blog image is of a Trout Lily, which are just now showing up in the low lying areas in local forests.  They're only about 3 -4 inches in height and it takes some real shrinking to get a birds eye view of this delicate flower.  As I've told many, as they spy me proned on the ground, the view is better from down here!

As added amusement I've just recieved a notice from a local magazine that submissions are being taking for their Fall print.  Imagine that...we've just shaken off the snow (sorry, shouldn't have said that) and it's time to search the 2012 files for fall color.  I'm still waiting for the greening of the trees!

Thanks for visiting the site and I hope you all take time to smell the roses...or tulips.  Just get out in the Spring air.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

 

Up Close

    "We all start in this medium because of the magic and the challenge is to keep it going."  John Sexton

I spent a few days this past week in Ft. Defiance State Park as the Snow Trillium's were beginning to bloom and having the time of my life.  I also spent most of that time laying on the ground for a more "up close and personal" view as I encourage many to do when working with floral subjects.  The view is better from the soils surface as well as the aroma of Mother Nature.  The blog image was also capture with the help of a Lensbaby lense attachment to my Canon 5D Mark II giving the soft dream like look.

The Snow Trillium is one of the first forest botanicals to break the surface of the ground and manages to compete it's two to three inch growth spurt in a couple of days with weathers cooperation.  The simple blossom is an indication that winters grip has been broken, even if only for a few days, as was the case this year.  A day later and another round of snow fell, but has quickly disappeared.

I've included a new link on the right side to a custom printing lab that I've just started working with.  My own Epson printer is limited to a 13 inch width so any image of larger size requires an outside printing source.  Gale Johnson of CDI has been a remarkable find and offers a personal service that is both reasonable in cost and exceptional in quality.  Check out his link and give his service some thought.

Thank you all for your continued support and enjoy those treasures that are pushing up through the earth...and those that surround us called friends.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

It Begins

 "I think having nature be a part of people's lives helps all of us see ourselves as part of something larger."
                                                                 Ethan Hawke

The prairie Pasque Flower is a true early riser of spring and for me is the kick off for spring flower photography.  These ruggid little beauties are only about 2 inches tall and fight their way through late season frosts (as was the case in the early morning of the day I captured these), live in some of the poorest soil conditions under pretty dry conditions.

This image captured with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 70-200mm zoom lens with lens extender attached and processed in Photoshop CS5 with additional processing in NIK software.

There will be many flowers making their introductions over the next few months so make an effort to take that walk down some crooked woodland path to enjoy the scenery.

Thank  you all for visiting.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

 

Peace

                        "In all things of Nature, there is something of the marvelous."   Aristotle

It seems that our area of Iowa has caught it's 5 months of winter all in one month, but the good thing is that it might be coming to an end with last yesterdays 8 inches of snowfall and blizzard like conditions.  The good thing is that winter scene opportunities were extended for this photographer as my 2012 winter portfolio is very thin.

The above image is a blur created through the use of Photoshop and camera movement.  I often forget about using this creative tool, but once I get the chance I'm glad I have that option.  While it might appear to be a black and white it does contain some color, but still remains a monochromatic image.

After all that's gone on this past week I could stand in the peace of the place above for a long time wishing to never return to society.  My thoughts and prayers (seems so feeble) go out to all those affected by not ony the Boston bombing, but the West, Texas explosion as well.  While it is much simpler to accept the reasons of an accident like happened in Texas, I will never be able to understand (nor should I) the acts of violence on mankind. We are being surrounded by visuals of violence not only caused by extreme individuals, but also coming from our televisions, computer games, websites and social media.  As if this were not enough it seems that each year the violence in the media gets "ramped up" to increase viewer ratings.

The kindness and graciousness in our societies is slipping away the same as those precious areas of natural beauty and there are few places to run for cover.  One can still find a coffee shop in rural America where the talk is more about the Friday night basketball game or crop prices and less about our crumbling of our values.  And there are still small spots like the image above where one can reside, sit, walk and ponder the "truth" of life or tomorrows joys.

This quagmire that we find ourselves in is not, in my opinion, God's doing, a corporations doing, or a countries doing...it's our doing...or lack of doing.  It has less to do with who has guns or a political philosophy and more to do with the slippage of American values and the lack of respect and comfort with one another.

I wish comfort to all those affected by the trauma of this week and if you weren't affected by any of it, then I suggest you check your pulse.  We all need places were our hearts and minds can heal.  For some it's our home and family and for others it might be a natural place or church, but where ever it might be our world is in great need of healing.  Healing starts with a lot of Love.

Thank  you all for visiting.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Preparations

"Art is the signature of civilizations."  Beverly Sills

Somewhere I read that when flowers begin to finish their blooming it is a good time to bring out the camera, so the other day I had some purchased tulips that were beginning to fade and I grabbed my camera and headed to the basement for some practice.  I set up a few white pieces of foam core board and proceeded to do some hi-key work with one flash and a lot bouncing of light.  The blog image is the result of a couple hours of shooting.

As I looked through the viewfinder of my Nikon D300 I rotated the potted plant to find views that might have some merit.  In this case I thought it was interesting to see the inner parts of the flower (stamens) peeking through a "window" between two petals.

It's not the great outdoor, laying on the soft earth and peering into the lives of little things, but it keeps me out of trouble until we get the greening of the countryside.

Thank  you all for visiting.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

 

 

Practice

       "Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself."
                                                                 L. Wolfe Gilbert

During the last several days I've spent my time working indoors with flower setups in preparation for the natural outdoor floral occurances that should be coming soon.  Too me it's a whole different exercise in seeing and working almost in miniature.  It's also a time when I spend long moments with my nose within inches of the ground absorbing the aroma of the spring soil and Mother Earth.  Here in northwest Iowa there is a large "spring flush" of color and then things sort of slow down and the task becomes being at certain places at certain times for certain species.  Of course weather plays an important part in all of this as well as the warming spring light of the sun.

The blog image is brought to you by a grouping of daffodil's, well, one exactly...the others were watching in envy.  I "constructed" (liberal use of the term) a fairly large box where light from my electronic flash would be bounced around, thus avoiding shadows.  The background is a blurred print that I use for such occasions (I need to make more, but usually forget) that provides a complimentary "garden" feel of color and blur. 

I was about ready to fold things up when I decided to try a shot of the back of a daffodil and I'm quite happy that I followed my instincts, although I do stress in my beginner classes of the importance of working from several points of view from any subject.

Winter is fading fast, the lake is about to shed it's icy coat and it won't be long before the lush Spring greens will surround all of us.  Take the time to get out, walk, chase the kids, run the dog and enjoy this greening of the earth.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Spring Thaw

"Behold my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embrace of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love."  Sitting Bull

Having spent yesterday morning in the depths of Ft. Defiance State Park it was reassuring to see a healthy flow of water from the snow melt.  I spent the whole morning being captivated by the various designs of ice patterns...as different as snow flakes and just as beautiful.  What graceful lines the spring warmth forms on the thining sheets of frozen water.

The blog image was taken with a Canon 5D II through a 70 - 200mm f/2.8 lens with a 1.4 teleconverter attached.  Processing was done in Photoshop CS5 and tweaking done in NIK software.  The sun was being filtered by some thin cloud cover which helped in taming the glare that would normally be a problem.

I was a really good boy for most of the time when I was in the valley, avoiding any temptations of  going into areas that I might have problems getting out of due to snow cover with some ice beneath.  I did, however, succumb to the urge to make my way to a small raised area in the stream to capture a nice ice formation and managed to fill a boot with some very cold water.  Such is life!

Thank you for visiting...post a comment...it doesn't take courage to do so and will be appreciated.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

File Hunting

                            "Do all you can to make your dreams come true."  Joel Osteen

A couple of Fall's ago my friend Mike Houge, mikehouge.typepad.com , and myself made a trip to the Arrowhead region of Northeastern Minnesota to photograph around the Gooseberry Falls and Lake Superior regions.  I remember spending a lot of time at the site of the blog image trying to get a particular capture of this scene of which the hardest part was straddling this small portion of the Gooseberry River, which is downstream of the falls area. I can't even imagine what Mike was thinking as I tried to execute several "rubber legged" approaches to the situation.

When I got home it was one of the first files I looked for after downloading the results of this particular session, but was disappointed by the results and left the file as unworthy of consideration.  It seemed that the HDR exposure range was not good enough to render a final execution that I could appreciate.  It's not a new story, but a learning curve about the importance of not being too hasty when one is onsite and needing to fulfill the personal assignment.

The other day, as I was file hopping, I happened to realize that, judging by the file arrangement for the session, I had apparently walked away to do some other captures at the scene, and then returned for some final attemps.  As "luck" would have it I did made several other exposures which were indeed had appropiate outcomes for a final image.

This scene was taken with my ol' trusty Canon 50D, processed in Photomatix HDR software and finished with applications in Photoshop CS5, NIK Color Efex Pro and NIK Viveza.  The results are above and once again a reminder to myself that shooting sessions are never over and that file reviewing is a necessary part of digital photography just as it was with traditional film photography.  As artist, we are evolving in our approaches to our work as well as are the tools we use.  The more learning and research we do the more our approaches and tastes change, which will be reflected in our work.

Life is learning and change....and yes, about the journey.

Thank you for visiting...post a comment...it doesn't take courage to do so and will be appreciated.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Gifting

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."  Soren Kiekegaard

My daughter-in-law got me to thinking the other day after I started reading her new blog that I believe was encouraged by a group of her friends and it's called "Girls Gone Grateful". 
http://galentinesgiving.wordpress.com/the-givers/amanda/.

I was drawn to her site by a recent visit we had with her, my son and our extended family in Texas.  Since it was the first time she had met our grandchildren she brought some hand made aprons for catching artistic drips and spills, and also a book that had been her when she was younger.  If you go to the link above and then check out day one, you will see the unique results of the girls gone grateful.

It encouraged me to think more about the importance of gifting and how simple a gift can be.  In fact, if you read more of her blog and the writings of others that are part of this experience you might well realize that we often give personal gifts that we aren't aware of and those are the really special ones as they may not cost a lot in cash, but are touching and full of the grace that we need so much in the global society.

Gifting doesn't have to be rocket science or monetary, as with Amanda's precious gift to her nieces, and I think that gifts of a heart felt nature are the silver linings in our daily lives. 

Giving a gift from of the heart really affects both the giver and the receiver and if you really stop to think about gifts that each of you have given in the past you'll know what I mean and I think you'll  be reminded of the gifts longevity, especially on one's heart.

Thanks, for visiting and feel free to comment on this blog or share this link with others.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears. 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota   www.lanesboroarts.org

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u