Daniel Ruf

Offerings

"I think if you shake the tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up."

Mary Cassatt

The last few days our part of the world has been fortunate enough to experience a few days of fog and, to paraphrase Dorcas Lane of "Larkrise To Candleford"..."Fog is my only weakness", I've been out exploring a lot of different nooks and crannies.  On the day of the blog image I found an area of ground fog, while on the road, and was pretty excited since it was a perfect background to a farmstead that I've wanted to capture for a long time.  The perfect sunrise colors made it all the better so I made a hard right turn to find a set up location to wait for the "announcement" of the colors.

The image was processed through Nik HDR Efex Pro, then Photoshop CS5 and finally some touches in Nik Color Efex Pro 4.  Color Efex provided the Tonal Contrast correction and also the use of the Split Neutral Density Grad Filter which are two favorites and with the brush tool in the software filter allows the opportunity to paint the effects on the image.  The Nik brush tools and the U-point technology are great to use for those subtle touches throughout an image.

While working on this piece it wasn't too difficult to remember past mornings on the farm...out early to start chores, then in for a hardy breakfast at about 9 a.m. and then back out 'til noon.  While the days were long and full there was always a sense of pride in the American Heartland that went with the work no matter how compelling the day.

Thanks for visiting the site and don't forget to stop to take a deep breath...Spring is here, my friend.

A big shout for the Baylor men's and women's basketball team for having won their way to the final eight of the NCAA tournaments.  We're so proud.

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

Review

"I believe that art is a humanitarian act and I believe there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to effect mankind, to make the world a better place. 

Jeff Koons

The Smoky Mountains were calling to me this week to return to those files of several months ago for a review of the captures from a two week period when I was there for a workshop given by Tony Sweet.  It was during this review that I was struck by the fact that my usual routine during my first review of work is to go directly to the captures that had strong impact on me while I was in the process of clicking the shutter, bypassing all others.  I'm beginning to believe that with more and more experience a photographer begins to know "the winners" as they are composed and collected.  It is hard to contain my excitement about an image from the time of taking the picture until the time when I can begin the editing process toward completion.  Luckily, at the Sweet workshops, we are required to bring a certain amount of "work of the day" to critique sessions, which I find extremely beneficial as an "on the job" training procedure, which also gives me an early preview of a "favorite".

As my experience has evolved I've learned that, due to the aforementioned "impulsive" behavior, a later review of files can often result in finding the so called diamond in the rough image, which is the case of this blog image. 

 As is my usual custom I arrive at workshop locations a few days early so that I can "limber up" my skills and spend some time alone in the area learning lighting situations and finding areas of interest.  As it turned out on this trip I was able to work in some foggy conditions that did not present themselves during the workshop period and I was extremely happy about the "chance" I was given.

This particular image of the iconic Sparks Lane was accomplished on one of the few occasions when I was alone on Spark Lane, since usually there seems to be about 10 to 20 photographers vying for position on this road during the early morning hours.

This capture was processed in Photoshop CS5 and then further handled in Nik Color Efex Complete edition where I added a little more foreground fog and then painted the foreground trees, grass and road back to their original definition to bring them forward from the middle ground.  It seemed necessary to darken the upper extremities of these same trees as they seemed to recede into the background and I didn't want that.

All in all it was a good stroll down memory lane with favorable results.  It was also a reminder to me about the importance of attending workshops as a "growth promotion" of sorts.  I would encourage anyone seeking on location experience with photography, or any art for that matter, to give some thought to attending workshops given by a qualified master.  It will be an experience I doubt you'll regret.

Thank you for stopping and feel free to comment.

My 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=V

Don't Give Up

"Ambition is the path to success, persistence is the vehicle you arrive in."

William Eardley IV

There are constant daily reminders about persistence when I am out looking for subjects for my photography and the blog image is one of those cases in point.  When I woke on this morning there was a thick fog over the lake so I quickly put cloths on, grabbed my camera gear and headed out the door in search of fog shots.  While driving I found a number of possible captures, but all were in need of either a foreground or background subject to tie the scene all together.  As the sun rose and the fog subsided I was turning the truck for home when I decided to duck into Gull Point State Park on a lark.  Not far from the gate to the park I was met with this scene (Minus the walker) and decided this might be just the opportunity I was looking for.  The only thing I had to do is wait for a walker...right?  Well, as usually happens, it took a while for a walker to arrive, but then it had to be the right walker.  Yes, I could have resorted to "cloning" in a walker where I wanted, but it was a nice morning and I had time.

Persistence is an important fabric of our daily lives and for those of us with Depression Era parents it was a core value that was a part of rearing of children.  Whether I was helping to paint the house or learning how to change oil my dad was determined to make persistence a part of my genetic makeup.  As I look back on my life I can now see the value lesson that I often couldn't see through the sweat of doing daily tasks.  Persistence has proved to be a savior in a lot of situations that had "crisis" written all over them and I am grateful for my father's dedication.  I only hope that my children have gained the same acquaintance with "stamina" that I gained in my growing years because I know that through the years of farming the days were full of lessons about striving onward.

Thank you for stopping and feel free to comment.

My 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=V

Winter Color

"My apple tree will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'."

from "Mending Wall" by
Robert Frost

Finding winter color can be a challenge up here in Northwest Iowa and I had been looking for quite some time for a Bittersweet vine to work with when I stumbled on this one, clinging to an old fence line that has escaped removal by the land owner. I was most fortunate that the day started with a nice heavy fog which gave way to a heavy layer of hoar frost on everything in the open, including this stunning blast of colorful Bittersweet berries.

The demise of Bittersweet and other fence "decor" is the result of the push/rush by many farmers to add a couple of acres and/or reduce the need to keep planting machinary, etc. clear of snagging these "tempermental" land dividers.  My minimal experience in the field had taught me to allow a couple of feet of clearance to avoid such problems, but I'll admit, watching with a craned neck and steering a tractor were not my strong suit at certain times. 

The biggest problem in removal of a fence line is about more than just the loss of some Bittersweet vines or grape vines.  Since a margin for error was required for working along a fence line with farm equipment, it meant that most fence lines "protected" about 3 - 4 feet, counting both sides of the fence.  This "acreage" was, and still is, vitally important as wildlife cover, especially with such birds as pheasants and animals like rabbits, etc.  Today, it's not uncommon to see whole sections of land (640 acres) that are devoid of fence lines, meaning a large loss of wildlife habitat and food sources, especially during the winter months.  Add to that the fact that fence lines make acceptable snow fences during the winter and one can clearly see that fence removal is a harsh solution to gaining an acre of ground, maybe a row of corn or beans, and faster completion of farming chores. 

While I do understand the farmer "side of the fence" I'm not sure that a row of corn makes up for loss of habitat and snow fence with the removal of these aged lines of demarcation.  And, yes, as I found out personally, good fences do make good neighbors as some farmers tend to farm a little farther out of their fence line when a sturdy fence is absent.

The blog image is a simple production using Photoshop CS5 and a mild use of both Topaz Adjust and Nik Viveza plug in to enhance sharpness and color presentation.

Thanks for visiting my blog site.

    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

Remembrance

 

"Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language."
— Aldo Leopold (A Sand County Almanac)

 

    Last week we were again fortunate to have a morning when fog filled the air that made quite a show of hoar frost that clung to everything in site.  Not wanting to miss a photo op like this I left early in the morning with the anticipation that as the sun burned off the fog some interesting scenes may develop.

    After a couple of hours I hadn't really found anything that caught my eye until I drove around a fa miliar curve in a country road to be greeted by this scene...an old hay rake sitting under a large oak tree.  As a retired farmer this scene evoked a number of memories about my experiences pulling hay rakes.  They are a fantastic instrument that can often break a person by sheer frustration.  Episodes of frustration were usually isolated to days when a pending thunderstorm was looming in the forecast and the hay needed one more turn prior to baling.

    While setting up the tripod and camera my memory could still summon a whiff of new mown hay or the various repetitious sounds of the spinning reel.  The job of raking was fairly simple, or so it would seem as one watched a tractor and rake going back and forth in a field, but actually, as I eventually learned, the running of a rake was much like being a part of a team where the accuracy and efficiency of the rake depended on the timed ability of the person in the tractor.

    The editing of this image in Photoshop CS5 was pretty simple with a few touch-ups in Nik Viveza and some minor color balancing to reduce some of the bluish tint on the snow.  It is my sense that more often than not subjects, such as this one, that really grab my attention, are often the easiest to edit.  Although in this case the good farmer made it much simpler for me since he used the canopy of this expansive oak as shelter for this rake during the summer; the oak became part of the picture frame of this image while the fence-line finished up and also became a strong leading diagonal.

    Take no scene for granted!

    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

Atmospherics

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."  Mohandus Gandi

This past weekend I took off for a couple of days to do some shooting in northern Minnesota and north western Wisconsin.  Even though I promised my wife that I would stop on my way on Thursday night to catch a few winks, it turned out I counted sheep until I got tired of counting and kept driving, reaching a favorite spot on the north shore of Lake Superior by 3 a.m. on Friday.  While I waited for sunrise the vision of "sugar plum images" danced in my head as I wondered what the morning light would hold in store.  One of the problems with heading to other parts of the country to engage the camera is that it can be a crap shoot.  With camp sites reserved and time blocked out for such a trip, everything can depend on the weather and timing.

As it turned out dawns early light on Friday was dark and cloudy, which was a huge disappointment.  I knew that rain was in the forecast for Friday so I decided to spend the day scouting some new spots and some favorite spots to help in planning my weekend.  During one period of "rainlessness" on Friday I grabbed the camera and umbrella to head up to Caribou Falls to take a chance.  Half way to the falls the clouds opened up and it poured.  While standing in the shelter of a tree I decided that since I had walked about halfway to the falls I wasn't about to turn back.  After waiting several minutes I opened the umbrella and headed down to the base of the falls to make the best of a bad situation.  My idea, hoping that the heavy rain would cause a veil like screen in front of the falls, is that I could get a layering effect to the falls and the background while leaving the foreground rocks and stream clear.  Well, it may have been a good idea in theory, but it didn't happen.

The next two days turned out to be foggy most of each day, which did allow for some creative intervention from above.  The blog image comes from the Split Rock State Park area.  While waiting to get a "memorable" shot of the Split Rock Lighthouse surrounded by fog I had to settle for this alternative.  After some minor adjustments in Elements 8 I converted the image to a black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro which really enhanced the separation of the hills.

With the help of some natural atmospherics I was able to steal a few good images before heading home on Monday, but not without being reminded that the earth does not turn on our time clock.  It seems that the farther one wanders from home turf the more difficult it becomes to get the stars to align in ones favor.  With all that being said it still was beautiful, the streams are still musical and the nights reading by candlelight in my tent, serene.

Thank you for visiting and take the opportunity to catch the tail end of summer with someone special.  The north woods tell me fall is coming...soon.

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

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

Fog Chaser

 

“My best work is almost unconscious and occurs ahead of my ability to understand it.” – Sam Abell

There's no doubt about it...if there is fog in the air I'm usually racing through the countryside, touching base with favorite locations, and hoping that I'll find something that works before the sun burns the veil away.  Such was the activity for this weeks blog image, which really involved pointing my pickup down a gravel rural road and following it until I hit the brakes.  A group of horses in a field back lit by the rising sun...hit the brakes.  A prairie landscape dripping with spider webs and dew...hit the brakes.  The sun is rising higher and the wind is just starting to become evident...drive faster (but safely).  Layers of hillsides off to the east with fog banks in between...hit the brakes.  Suddenly, at a blacktop crossing, a full stop was applied (in accordance with a legal stop sign) and I'm sitting in front of a grouping of trees that I've always wanted to "capture", but never was excited about the moments I've been here.  I looked at the composition, the direction of the sun, the holes of light and almost...I say almost...decided to turn the corner.  Something shouted in my brain...TAKE THIS ONE, IDIOT!  The word "idiot" was an indication that it was NOT Divine inspiration, just my intuitive way to make a decision.

AND I'M GLAD I DID!

When I got home I loading the image into Adobe Elements 8 and went straight to the Nik Silver Efex Pro plug-in and achieved the black and white image I was hoping for, but I couldn't help doing a little dream chasing in Topaz Adjust, clicked on the "Smooth And Flat" tab and bingo.  My wife was looking over my shoulder when the final came on screen and said "it's too gloomy" to which I responded "too bad".  A few days later she saw it hanging in the gallery and she had a changing of heart and mind.

The more I do this work the more I am reminded of the days when I was farming and had only a couple of hours during the week (if that much)  to chase this passion of photography.  During that time it was more of a trial and error period of re-learning camera functions and composition elements and, before I knew it, class time was up.  Today, I'm convinced that daily exposure to photography, whether leaning on the web or standing behind a camera, the items of f/stops, shutter speeds and composition become almost subliminal to the actual capture of a digital image.  It may sound simple, but it's taken me a long time, a lot of mistakes, a lot of head scratching and a fair amount of on the job prayer, to realize this fact.

So, if the fog machine is on, I'm covering ground while jumping with excitement.  

This past week I've found some really great photography/photographer sites that I'd like to share with you:

http://grafphoto.com/wordpress/

http://bobcornelis.wordpress.com/

http://singhray.blogspot.com/

It's all about filling the mental file!!!

Thanks for joining me here at my site and take time with family and friends.

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

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