Daniel Ruf

They're Back!

"I paint objects as I imagine them, not as I see them."  Pablo Picasso

The "summer people" are back...those people that come from near and far to recreate in and around the lake area of our town.  Many see this added population as an inconvenience, but it's wise to remember the influx of dollars that come with them.  The life and welfare of all is benefited by their presence no matter how long the lines at the stores are.

It hasn't always been easy for me to accept this, especially since I've spent much of my adult life living in a rural area, but this year I have made it a purpose to try to make more images of life in our "summer" town...including its "ornaments".  Funny thing is that I'm having some fun in the process.

The blog image, taken with a Nikon 300s, is of one of the iconic places of our area, the walking bridge between East and West Lake, also know as the Spine Trail Bridge.  The hour was late and the sun was fading, but the two people on the bridge seemed fascinated with the view.  I wanted a capture that would reveal the pleasantness of the two individuals along with the chaos of a fleet of boats going under the span.

The image was processed in Photoshop CS5 with further work being done in Topaz software.  Finally, I used an oil painting effect found in Alien Skin Snap Art, but adjusted the opacity to allow a bit of the original image to come through.

It's summer at the Iowa Lakes!

Thank you all for visiting and please feel free to comment.

Sic 'em Bears!

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Past To Present

"A Picture is the expression of an impression.  If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it?"  Ernst Haas

My college art professor, James Green, was also my employer, as I was his weekend yard keeper and all around handy man.  One of the vivid memories about his yard is that his cottage was surrounded by fragrant Lily Of The Valley, and since then I have been rather fond of them.

In the past few years one of my early Spring rituals has been to find a suitable cluster of these flowers to photograph, but I've come up empty handed until this past week.  Quite by accident I was walking through a wooded area trying to energize my creative spirit when I came upon a few lily plants along the trail side. 

While the lighting was, I thought, very contrasty mid day lighting, as I laid down on the small path my viewpoint improved dramatically.  As I've always told class participants, a change in elevation can make a dramatic change in photographic options, I was quite pleased with the new viewpoint.  Specular high lights developed in the background as well as a better point of view for the flowers.  The camera; my Nikon D300s with a 28-300mm Nikkor lens and a lens extender, which turned the lens combination into a macro lens.  WIth this came a softening of the background as well as the highlights causing the flowers to be "front and center" in the composition.

Later, in the editing process I decided to do a digital watercolor of this image with the help of the Alien Skin Snap Art software and my own use of Photoshop CS5's digital brushes.  While this is one of my first attempts at using the digital watercolor palette I'm pleased with the outcome.

While shooting this scene my mind fluttered back to the afternoons that I spent digging, weeding and tending to Mr. Green's gardens.  It also reminded me of the hours of patient tutelage that I gained while attending his class or tending his yard.

"Mentorship" is so important in a persons everyday life, whether it be a second grade teacher, a workshop instructor, or trusted friend.  It accelerates and empowers growth in all of us to propel us ahead on life's journey.

Thank you all for joining me at this blog site and I hope that Spring has been as enjoyable for you as it has for me...a time of growth and expression.

Sic 'em Bears!  Headed toward the Big 12 baseball championship!

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

The Gathering

"All the art of living lies in the fine mingling of letting go and holding on."  Havelock Ellis

For sometime I've wanted to gather some of the memento's of our children in order that I might begin a series of still life images reflecting some of the things I remember most about their adolescent years.  The boys were heavily involved in sports and our daughter as well to a lesser amount.

A few weeks ago I put together a collection of baseball equipment as I glanced into my own past of sandlot baseball, baseball cards and green fields of the past.  I had a place in mind as the backdrop for the remnants and some days later I took on the challenge of making a thought reality all the while the games of the children drifting in and out of my memory.

This image has been processed in Nik software from an HDR capture with following work done in Nik Color Efex Pro 4 and then a couple of light texture layers from Totally Rad followed by a mild Snap Art 3 filter from Alien Skin.

I can still hear the admonition of my wife..."Don't you dare come into this house with those cleats on" and, as a result, the backdoor to our house was usually cluttered with various sports items of the season.

I can't close this post without a big congrats to the Baylor Women's basketball team and the coaching staff for not only winning the NCAA tournament, but also for becoming the first teams, men's or women's, to have a 40 - 0 season.  We are all so proud of their accomplishment's and the time and effort everyone took to finish "UNFINISHED BUSINESS".

Thanks for visiting and enjoy this beautiful Spring.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Foggy Days

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."     Emile Zola

The temperate weather in our area has brought a number of foggy days and fortunate opportunities to find the usual, unusual.  The blog image occurred at  the end of a morning shoot when the fog was actually beginning to drift upward to dissipate, but one last call occurred as I passed over this creek on the way home.

The capture was processed in Nik HDR Efex Pro and then further in Photoshop CS5 with touches using Nik Color Efex Pro 4 with its U Point technology as well as the brush tool to help strengthen the barns presence.

In the past year I think I've seen my approach softening a bit by being a little less heavy handed with different software approaches.  At the same time I've enjoyed the increased use of the creative choices available with not only Nik software, but also Topaz, Alien Skin Snap Art and Totally Rad textures.  My approach has been to use any of the aforementioned elements to enhance rather than cover up as I feel an image in need of a "band aid" is more worthy of the digital waste basket.

Of course this developing process (no pun intended) has occured over many years and has been influenced by reading, internet access and workshops and making a monumental amount of learning mistakes...bless everyone of them!

Thanks to all that frequent this site and please take the time to visit the links on the right to see the work of some real masters and friends.

My hopes are with the Baylor women's basketball team as they take up the challenge of the NCAA Final Four.  Sic 'em Bears!

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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 Must Be March

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light."  Theodore Roethke

As the snow has just about disappeared from our region of the country and the balmy southern winds have brought warm temperatures, it seems so much like March, but I know this is a trick by Mother Nature to confuse those that are so silly as to believe what is before us...to catch us off guard.  It is because the black earth is showing that I have decided to go "underground" to begin doing still life work in order that the creative juices can find a release.

Still life work doesn't require much at all, a little window light, some ordinary props from around the house and maybe a flower or two from a local florist and one can easily set up shop on a dining room table or some other favorite area where the surroundings make little impact on the subject.  I continue to find them enjoyable to do and another lesson of visual understanding.

The top blog image incorporates some of my favorite stand-in's...flowers, books and baskets and once the articles of interest are selected the development of a setting begins.  This not only involves use of light and placement to take advantage of the light, but also the restrictions of the room, background and table.  In this case the reflection of the flowers in the foreground was about as important as the basket prop in the background.

The camera was a Canon 5D Mark II with a Lensbaby lens on the front and, as with any other photographic subject, minor movement of camera or self is important to tweaking the final outcome.  The "tweaking" is really what the still life is all about, after the subject parts are selected, to achieve a natural placement of subject items.

The capture was an HDR processed in Nik HDR Efex Pro, then Nik Color Efex Pro 4 to make subtle changes and finally processed through Alien Skin's Snap Art 3 which is where the painting transformation occurred.  I was relatively sure at the outset that the original capture would be finalized as a painting and it's what I find most enjoyable about digital photography...the ability to "visualize" a final outset to a capture while still in front of the subject.

Change is a primary declaration of life as it also is in the artistic world.  There may be subtle or grand adjustments, but all should be for the betterment of a person, a process, or the art. 

One final note is that on opening the book, placing it on the table and arranging the flowers I gazed in some surprise at the title of one of the poems "The First Flowers".  Prophetic?

Thank you for joining me today and please feel free to comment.

SIC 'EM BEARS!

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Waiting For Snow...

"There are no extra pieces in the universe.  Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."

Deepak Chopra

...but thinking of Spring.

 

It's been an extremely dry this past summer and fall and now we're (I'm) waiting for our first real snowfall.  The bare trees and brown earth is in need of the winter face lift which includes the occasional hoar frost and magic softness of large white flakes.

Since the winter scene is not on hand I thought I'd post a capture of Dogwood blossoms from my visit to the Smoky's in Tennessee last Spring.  As I've stated before inside time during the winter allows me to catch up on work that I've missed in the editing process for one reason or another.  It also gives me a chance to renew my memory of the moment and this was no exception.  In my opinion the Dogwoods and Redbuds of the southern climes are the ornaments of the spring forest...when we are all waiting for the flush of greens these two trees keep our attention span alert.

The second image below has been edited with the use of Alien Skin's Snap Art 3, which is another worthy palette for photography, giving the artist the opportunity to refine a direction of a particular image.  In this case I used the watercolor tool for a softening effect and adjusted the paper texture as well.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a marvelous holiday season.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" can be purchased online at-  http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Sic 'em Bears!

When It Rains...

"The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind."  Khalil Gibran

With a few days of rainy weather upon us I decided that I needed to pull out some props and commence doing some still life images in the comfort of my warm dry house by the glowing light of a window.  I had recently found some old boards deteriorating outside and decided to clean them up and then give them a touch of stain to "warm" them up.  With the rain pouring it was a good day to try them out as a platform for the ideas to come.

When I get ready to do still life work I'm as confused as a beginner.  My body races around finding props among the hidden corners of the house while my brain is trying to decide on a theme, color scheme, etc.  Once these issues are hashed out, things start to flow and the composition begins to fall into place.  Don't be afraid to try this at home when "outside" time is limited for it's a great way to keep the creative wheels oiled.

The foreground napkin (actually a woman's hanky) has turned out to be a prop I really enjoy using, not only for the intricate weave pattern around he edge, but also because it shows such great textural qualities in side lighting.  Actually it seems to have a mind of its own so that any way I plop it down usually seems to work. Also, the flower arrangement in the background is something I threw together from an old basket I found around the house along with a few bucks of artificial (yes, artificial) flowers. One should keep an eye out for these special items that are tucked away in some forgotten drawer or corner.

Still life productions also give me a chance to sharpen my skills using my Lensbaby lens which has some unique focusing abilities to help with compositional strength and directing the eye within the image space.  You can Google Lensbaby on line to get all the features.

After working with this capture in Photoshop and Nik Color Efex Pro I let the wild side come out by using Alien Skin's Snap Art software to develop a final presentation as a watercolor painting.  The plug in has a number of slider adjustments that can be used to really fine tune the final outcome.

The more I do still life work in the odd "off time" the more I'm enjoying the chances I get to sit by a window with a camera in hand while learning the endless possibilities and resources that are at my disposal in this old house.  One of my next adventures will be to find some old "hard bound" books on a garage sale to add to the prop collection.

Start hunting for your treasures, grab the camera and tripod and begin a new adventure.

Thanks for visiting.

My new book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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=V1