Daniel Ruf

Summer Memories

     "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who only dream at night."
                                                                   Edgar Allan Poe

My days have been spent rambling through work of this past year in search of any "diamonds in the rough" so that I can continue to keep myself busy and out of trouble.  Our location in Iowa is still suffering under a winter drought and the shortage of snow has made for a dull boy.  While this doesn't mean that I'm not getting out on a regular basis, it does mean that I'm suffering under my own creative drought at present.

The blog picture is from a local area that I often work, especially when clouds are in abundance and last summer proved to be the summer of beautiful skies.  This is a five stitch HDR pano that was first processed in NIK HDR Efex 2 and then put together through the pano program in Photoshop CS5 and finally tweaked through the use of NIK's Color Efex Pro 4 and Viveza.  Both of these programs are really helpful as then not only contain the U-Point technology of NIK software, but also allow the artist to use a brush system to apply effects locally.

Never give up looking at previous captures as many times, in our haste to process and develope captures that we initially knew were destined to meet the printer, we often times miss those quiet jewels on the first pass...and second.

Thanks to all that take the time to visit this site and please feel free to comment.

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

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

Still The Michigan U.P.

              "Happiness is not something ready made.It comes from your own actions."   Dalai Lama

The blog image is another look at the Presque Isle River and the Manabezho Falls in particular located in the Porcupine Mountains State Park on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The reflections of Fall colors and the unique texture of the water going over the rock edge gives a number of areas to photograph and absorb the beauty.

At first glance it was  assumed that I would just clone out the figure in red in the background, but the more I looked through the viewfinder the more it became clear that it was a nice draw to the eye.  The more I worked with the positioning aspect of this shot the more I was aware that cropping was going to be one of the important issues and the other would be placement of the camera, which, as it turned out, was  almost level with the water level itself.

After placement and cropping items were resolved shutter speed became the next decision and after a few shots 1.3 seconds seemed to give the effect that I was looking for.  It was a 5 shot HDR image that was processed in Nik HDR Efex with further processing in Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

This is an area that I'm anxious to visit in the Spring as I would imagine that increased waterflow from seasonal snow and rain would make a dramatic affect on this scene.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the chilled morning air which brings with it new ice and frost.

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

Details, Details, Details

                                 "The principle of art is to pause, not bypass."   Jerzy Kosinski

Ft. Wilkins is located near Copper Harbor on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is a well preserved fortified structure of the 1800's.  As many of you regular viewers know I'm a fan of still life work and take any opportunity to photograph still life's when they arrive.  Such is the case in this room of Ft. Wilkins when I was there a few weeks ago.  The outside lighting was overcast so the interior of this particular room was much softer, the colors richer and the contrast levels much lower.  All critical elements in photography, but especially most still life work.

I was using my Nikon D300s and I still captured this scene as a 5 shot HDR with processing done in Nik HDR Efex Pro 2, which is a much improved edition from their first intro HDR software.  Later I did some minor adjustments in Nik Color Efex Color Efex Pro with special use of the U-point technology to pin point adaptive changes.  As a final touch I added a texture layer from my Totally Rad texture software which served to brighten certain areas and also add a light texture quality to the image.

While this particular day was quite gloomy it was a prime opportinity to fulfill my hunger for still life work and to brush up on the local history of the area.

Thank you for stopping by and feel free to make a note in the comment section of this blog space and also to visit the blog spots listed on the right side of this commentary.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More From The U.P.

            "Imagination is everything.  It is the preview of life's coming attractions."   Albert Einstein

Traveling west from the small town of Ontonagon, Michigan one will arrive at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, situated in the Porcupine Mountains, otherwise known as the "Porkies".   In that park is one of America's photographic icons, a mile long piece of the Presque Isle River including the Manabezho Falls.  I visited this area a number of times throughout my stay in the U.P. to experience the many changes caused by the movement of light across the scene.  The river bed is a cluster of pot holes, stone slabs and rapids and when the light is right colorful reflections enhance the water surfaces making photography a real thrill.

A nearby bridge supplies a nice overall view of this stretch of the river and nearly ever person carrying a camera will take the 15 second "quickee" and then move on to other photographic recording.  Those with a more serious photographic drive will find themselves not only shooting from the bridge, but losing hours weaving along the waterline below the bridge searching the curves and angles and lines found in the details of the waters course.

For me the pursuit of photography is no doubt a huge learning experience, both through books, workshops, or hands on trial and error.  It also contains two sensational "highs"...one being achieving the final image and the other...the search.  Each takes time,effort and curiosity which are all necessary in the final result.

A certain amount of passion doesn't hurt either!

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

Passport

     "The Universe is one great kindergarten for man.  Everything that exists has brought with it its own  peculiar lesson."   Orison Swett Marden

During my short stay in Michigan I was treated to some really beautiful scenes of fall color and wetland experiences.  The one thing that was most heartening was the large amount of park visitors that were holding cameras and even more so those that were carrying DSLR's.  Many of the locations that I visited and worked within had a number of photographic workshop groups that were not only practicing camera skills, but also enjoying the company of one another.  It's so refreshing to see people discussing their photographic interests and practicing the craft of photography.  It gave me hope that there is still a large segment of our society that is willing to experience, breath in, and celebrate what the natural world has to offer.  While the digital world has consumed many with texting, cellular discussions, and the social media much of photography encourages immersion into the natural elements or some human interaction.

The blog image is of Bond Falls found near the town of Paulding, Michigan and, while it is easy to get to, is still secluded in a forest setting.  There was a certain amount of "waiting your turn" or friendly discussion occurring, but I did manage to find a ground level spot which a "picture frame" composition of part of the falls details.  The timing was excellent and well worth the early drive to the location and the setting even made more moody with the presence of bits of fog and mist around the falls area.  The capture was with my Canon 5D II and was an hdr capture to enable the preservation of detail in the hot spots of the falls.

Post processing and finish work was accomplished with the help of Nik HDR Efex 2 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4 using the adjustment sliders to achieve the final image of muted tones of an early fall morning.

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to comment.

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

Special Places

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us."

Henry David Thoreau

It's no secret to people that know me that I enjoy standing in the solitude of quiet places.  What with my experience working for the Forest Service during my college summer breaks and my frequent visits to Yellowstone as a younger man the need for quiet spaces runs deep.

This year, in the effort to bring more of the local scene into my portfolio of work I had to come to terms with issues of the clamor and clutter of urban life to find those special places that exist around me.  After a certain amount of effort I finally reached the conclusion that the task was quite simple because the task is always about light.  As a result I've been able to capture the special times and places of our lake region, which has also given me those quiet places that I've felt were missing, yet had always been around me.

The blog image is of a grouping of docks that I have posted previously in black and white form.  In this case a mild fog did exist and I wanted to include a more expanded look of the Minnewashta area of our lake system.  The colors of a morning sunrise completes the scene of a peaceful lakeside complete with dock chiars inviting anyone to sit, absorb and reflect.

Captured with my Canon 5d II and later processed in Nik HDR Efex 2, I now have a reminder that special places are all around us.  It's just in the seeking that we will find them.

1 DAY 'TIL BAYLOR FOOTBALL...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

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

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