Daniel Ruf

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 Others

"The one phrase you can use is that success has a thousand fathers, and failure is an orphan.

Alan Price

I've noted before on this blog site my gratitude for those that have played a part in my growth in the photographic art, whether artist, teacher or friend and the blog image is no exception.  As many of you know I'm a follower of the work and teachings of Tony Sweet and Susan Milestone, Tony's partner.  Their expertise, as well as that of many others listed in the upper right column of this blog, have been instrumental in my growth as well as the growth of many other photographers.

The concept for this particular image came from one of Tony's instructional DVD's "Flower Photography Artistry" that is available for purchase on his website. The image here is a combination of a flower in front of one of my prints from a while back.  The print was of a field of yellow coneflowers and had been blurred in Photoshop Elements as a creative measure.

After fighting the wind on several days in the attempt to capture some images of tulips around our house I decided that indoors shooting was going to be the answer.  Our tulip beds are new and therefore don't offer a lot of background color due to the sparse populations (this will be improved over the next few years with more plantings).  I had wanted to use the background print on several occasions and this became the appropriate time to experiment.

In this case the distance of the tulip from the background is probably double the distance of the tulip from the camera and the setup is catching soft ambient light from a window to the right.  As many of you know I really enjoy doing still life photography in natural light since it is such an exceptional light full of color and softness.

Since I was working with a recently purchased used Nikon D300s I also practice the use of the overlay program which is a fabulous in camera tool that I have high hopes for as well as other camera adjustments that come with this camera.  My thanks again to Tony for his advice and guidence in this selection.

While we all are affected in some way by those that pass through our lives it is often forgotten the role, however incidental, these wonderful "exclamation points" play in ones development.  To all those in the right hand column, as well as many others, a big thank you.

Sic 'em Bears!

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

One The Job Training

"You know, you do need mentors, but in the end, you really just  need to believe in yourself."

Diana Ross

For those of you that frequent this blog on a regular basis I really encourage you to visit the sites that are listed on the right side of the blog page so that you can enjoy a number of views and insights that other photographers have to offer.  It's how I usually start my day with the belief that I can  use all the help I can get and I'm usually never disappointed.  This morning was no exception with my visit to John Barclay's site and a bit of "humble pie" serving as a reminder of all those that have touched not only my life, but my journey in photography.

Workshop instructors, friends, fellow artists all have a claim, or at the very least a finger print on my vision, thought processes and  work ethic, which, in a large way has great bearing on the finished image.  During the course of this education I have found that there are those that one should step away from, being of little contribution accept for personal inflation, and those that become a tutor of great relevance, usually giving greatly to an individuals growth.

My most recent workshop experience has been as a participant of the Tony Sweet workshop series and, as I've noted in past posts, the time spent has left a major impression on my direction and abilities.  It's often been my feeling that if one spends the dollars to attend a workshop, no matter the media involved, that person should be exhausted by the workshops end and this certainly is the result of 5 days with Mr. Sweet and his partner Susan Milestone.

It is my hope that I will, someday, have the opportunity to sign up for a Barclay workshop as I find his verbal insights, as well has his visual artistry, to be remarkable and provoking.  As with Sweet, his following is huge and results worth considering.

The biggest mistake, in my opinion, an artist can make would be to believe they can be their own instructor, engineer, mediator, judge and jury. As with construction operation that takes architects, plumbers and carpenters to give a plan a life, such it is with artists that allow others to help stir the pot with loving care so that others can savor the visual meal.

Listen to others, accept advice, then work up a good sweat!

Thank you all for visiting this site...now go visit others at the right!

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

Spaces

My mind is still filing through those days at the Badlands workshop and while sitting in front of the computer editing work I am continually reminded of lessons learned from Tony Sweet and Susan Milestone.  The keys to the whole workshop class work and field work sessions could be summed up in a few words; designing space and subtle adjustments.  So, while hunting down subjects I found myself looking for situations that made for unique design elements while still recording the beauty that is the Badlands.

The blog image was taken at sunrise at the "doors and windows" area on the eastern side of the Badlands National Park.  While watching the sun rise I was attracted to this unique silhouette and the hard edge line that trickled down the cliff and then proceeded across the viewing plane.  The only real problem in the capture of the image was situating the camera in such a place as to hide the sun to alleviate any specular highlights from causing distracting problems in the image and, of course, finding this position before all the color was drained from the scene.

The black negative space is a compliment to the overall scene and I think enriches the design and color of the image.  So far this is one of my favorites, but I'm sure that memory of the morning, time and place, are strong prejudices for me.

The time at the Badlands proved a long standing belief I have that location workshops are a good jolt to the learning process, especially when led by qualified instructors that are mentors of the art of photography.

For more views of my work visit:

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

"Art On 16th"  http://www.hankhallarton16th.com

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V1

Telling Secrets

This past Saturday I was conducting my last session of a beginning photography workshop at A Piece Of Work, Inc. and I was joking to them about telling them all my secrets as I divulged to them that I had a file of "moons" in my editing software that I use for special situations such as the above image, a rather dark, somber production from outside my normal "comfort zone".  This led to an explanation of how the artistry of photography has changed so much since I sloshed paper in chemicals before I found the digital persuasion.   Today, while have a conversation with another artist, Hank Hall, during a creative drawing class that I'm taking, the subject of artistic secrets came up once again as I sat there listening with a big Cheshire grin on my face.  The grin wasn't so much about how two recent conversations managed to find the same "yellow brick" road, but more about the fine mentors that I've stumbled into on life's path.

Of course classes with the famed Ansel Adams at one of his Yosemite workshops ranks high on the list, but my college art professor, the late James Green at Principia College, probably had the strongest influence on not only my love of art, but also my energy with art.  While many profess to being artists, just as many lack the stamina and energy to pursue art activity.  While all of us, at one time or another, become so infuriated by the creative process it is of great importance to pick up the brush or pencil again and make lemonade out of our lemon rather than walk away.  I still can feel Mr. Green standing over my right shoulder challenging me to completion with a watercolor that I thought was a failure.

Before these two monuments art was not even a reality in my world.  The high school art curriculum was so close to a bad joke that it only lacked a punch line.  It wasn't until college, when art instructors, at least in my realm, actually took their art seriously and were real WORKING artists, not mere instructors of art, that the institution of studio art began to take on a life in my mind.  Recently I've had the opportunity to witness 3 art shows given by 3 different high schools, two of which were quite good and one that was appalling, to say the least.  In the case of the two quality exhibits the art teachers were actual working artists, meaning that in their free time they were slinging paint or throwing pots.  In the case of the other show the instructor not only was a "retired" artist of a youthful age, but didn't even bother to show up to the reception of the student work.

Art in America deserves the best in quality instructors as well as quality time to produce enthusiastic students of fine art.  For too long art classes in our lower grades of education have  been listed as "elective" courses and given minimal time during the class day for the rearing of artistic production.  Just as woefully for art is the concept that art teachers need only be active teachers and not active artists. 

Lastly, I have my parents to thank, not only for raving every time I took a new step in an artistic direction, but for never suggesting that art wasn't a method of gainful employment...I was my own worst enemy in that department.  For too long American citizens have not seemed to take fine art too seriously, but why should they if the education process in our schools doesn't hold the creative process in high esteem. 

So, to all those mentors, mentioned and not, that have blessed my life with their gift of both art and education and all there secrets, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

For more views of my work visit:

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

"Art On 16th"  http://www.hankhallarton16th.com

Art Of The Vine Gallery http://www.artofthevinegallery.com

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

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