Daniel Ruf

Butler Bros. Again

"Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention luck are kidding themselves."  Larry King

A good sky is just enough to get me geared up and gone and the last few days have had some marvelous clouds with rich blue skies.  The only other hurdle at hand is finding a subject for a good foreground attaction and these bins were on the list for this particular evening.  Some of you probably know that I have a "thing" for grain bins in just the right setting and on this day and time I knew a group where the late light would be skimming along the front edges of the bins.  these have become a part of the "Butler Brothers" series, but I have no idea were this fixation is headed, and I really don't care.  It's an appropriate rural subject that is changing and there is a clouded sky involved and that's enough.

One of the things to remember when confronted with any dazzling subject of ones passion is to look at all sides and angles for repeated opportunities.  This light and cloud structure is only good for a few minutes and, in this particular case, may only work for this subject once in a long, long time.  So, I tried a few other approaches and below is a capture with the sun directly behind the bins, a couple of sunbeams coming from the strong backlight and a background subject.

Both captures were taken as HDR and processed in Nik HDR Efex Pro 2.  Some light work was done in Nik Color Efex Pro 4, especially with the reflector effects to open up the darker shadow side of the bins and strengthen the reflected light on the bins of the second image.

I hope you all had a memorable Thanksgiving with friends and family surrounding you.  America is the greatest place to live and its beauty is only second to the marvelous canvas of people and nationalities that live here.  Bless you all.

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's Here!

"No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination."

Edward Hopper

No sooner had I posted the last blog when we were hit with a beautiful snow storm that covered Fall's remains with white.  It IS beginning to look more like Christmas and I'm one happy camper.

The blog image "Butler Brother's 2" is the second of what I hope will be a collection of images of Butler grain bin images...if they're not all dozed and buried before I can find enough.   Of course I'm not looking for just any grouping of bins as there has to be a bit of character involved which defines aspects of vanishing rural America.  The previous "original"  "Butler Brother's" is

Next week my friend Mike Houge and myself will hang a showing of our photography at Arts On Grand http://www.artsongrand.org/ located in Spencer, Iowa.  The public reception will be held on December 15, from 5 - 7 pm.  We both look forward to seeing and talking to all that attend.

Finally, a big shout out to Baylor Football and their #12 finish in the college standings and their bowl appearance at the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.  Also my congrats to Robert Griffin III (RGIII) for his selection as one of the 5 Heisman Trophy finalist.  GO BEARS!

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!

You Just Never Know

 

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisable to others."  Jonathan Swift

Northwest Iowa has its share of beautiful skies and sometimes the trick is to find something to put in front of a good cloudscape as was the case with this image taken on a warm, humid July afternoon.  While driving down a country road it was easy to see that this bank of clouds could be the beginnings of an interesting image and as I was scurrying around I just happen to come upon this set of grain bins that needed a background.  As I was setting up the equipment I immediately was struck by the title before the shutter was even released.  What better title than "The Butler Brothers" sitting alone in one of Iowa's large farm landscapes?

This is a simple HDR image with some primping in Nik's Viveza 2 which helped in strengthening some local areas of the image.  I think I spent more time being amused by the way this came together and its symbolism of the Iowa landscape than any other capture that I've done.  Even my wife and I have had a few laughs about its suitability for framing, especially considering that greeting cards have flown out of the rack and the first framed edition was purchased soon after it was hung.  It is definitely the type of setting that is only going to appeal to a specific customer, and, as I am finding out, not always a farmer.

It's not unusual to fall in love with a subject while preparing to make a capture, but it has been rare that I've laughed as much from start to finish to sale with any other capture that I've made to date.  I hope that I have many more such experiences during future travels.

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  

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

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