Daniel Ruf

Early Riser

"There is only you and your camera.  The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are."    Ernst Haas

It took several trips to my favorite prairie, Freda Haffner Kettlehole Preserve, near Milford, Iowa, but finally I found the Pasque Flowers in early bloom.  One of my favorite Spring arrivals, small, short, and extremely fragile, but growing in some of the least desirable location of the prairie ecosystem.  On this day the wind was howling and it took a while to find a protected location where movement was reduced.  It was my intention to get some back lighting from the rising sun, but, as luck would have it, the clouds were moving in and the situation didn't look promising. 

My tripod was set with camera and 100 - 400 mm zoom with extender attached so that I could get up close and personal with the camera lens.  Now, it was waiting time.  While slits in the clouds passed within small distances of letting light from the fireball out, I had time to sit, think, observe the surrounding hillside and once again marvel at the opportunity to sit in the quietness of natures arms.  It's times like this that I am reminded that it's less about the shoot and more about the content of the shoot, which gets me out of bed at these hours.

Finally it appeared that the sun had found an opening and for one brief 30 second period I had time to capture the above shot.  I was expecting more, but often we have to make due with what were given and just enjoy the process.  In this setting the thrill of the wait was present and my heart was touched by the fragility of the moment.  I'll be back next year.

Enjoy this remarkable season and for all the farmers out there, stay save during the hectic planting season.

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  

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

Camera vs. Cabin Fever

 "I want to grow, create and produce...this is possible only if I'm willing to change."  Clement Stone

The last couple of weeks have been a blur and dedicated to non-camera photography.  A few weeks ago the climate here in Spirit Lake was balmy, foggy and gray for an entire week.  There were several days when the fog lasted from morning until night with few occasions when the sun actually was brave enough to peek out for several minutes.  Along with that I've been feverishly composing notes, lists and slide presentations for a workshop lasting four Saturday's at A Piece Of Work www.apieceofworkinc.com . During these few weeks I've passed my camera gear with reluctance, knowing that time away is time lost.

Today, after finishing some word publishing for the class lectures I decided to sit down with my latest Tony Sweet DVD, "Visual Artistry", in the effort to blow some cobwebs out and some fresh air into my creative brain.  As I was watching the program I kept glancing at a couple of Poinsettia plants sitting on the fireplace and, after my head was spinning from twitching from t.v. to plants, I jumped up, grabbed the camera bag and worked with the Poinsettia's on the kitchen table that gets a healthy blast of sun during the afternoon.  After about an hour of work (play) I downloaded the effort into the computer and was pleasantly pleased with the outcome, one of which is the blog picture.

While I enjoyed the session of playing with light, form and color I was more excited with immersing myself in the creative process again.  The time spent focusing, setting f/stops, repositioning both camera and plant and viewing the results in the LCD reminded me of how important camera time is over all else.  While I realize that computer time is necessary to gain the final result, or that a letter to a magazine publisher is a key to gain space in a publication,  I am a believer that camera time IS productive time.  All the software and plugin's in the world will not cover up for fuzzy concepts or lagging creative approaches which grow from lack of creative exercise.  When shooting some natural scenes or wildlife speed of conviction spells the difference between almost or perfect timing and in a lot of cases a re-shoot may not be an option.

So, tomorrow, when I begin class instruction, guess what will be first on the agenda?  Grab your camera and let's get busy!

A special thank you to all of you that have voted in The Nature Conservancy 2009 photography contest.  Your kindness and time is greatly appreciated.  Now, just cross your fingers!

For more views of my work visit:

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

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

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

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

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

Latest News

Last Saturday an email brought the news that I had two images find their way into the finals of The Nature Conservancy 2009 photography contest.  This is the second year that I have entered and I was pleasantly surprised by the news.  The Sandhill Crane shot at the left was one selection and was taken at the Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney, Nebraska this past spring.  It was my first opportunity to be up close and personal with these magnificent birds and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  Due to some travel plans this spring I was afraid that I was going to have to miss the chance to go the Kearney again this year, but, due to some changes in dates, I am going to spend a weekend peeking out a porthole in a blind along the Platte River.  I can hardly wait to get there and renew some of the relationships I made during last years visit.

The picture on the right was the second finalist and is an old favorite from Ft. Defiance State Park in Northwest Iowa.  This park is kind of a hidden pearl for my friends Mike, Bob and myself, and we all get down to the creek bed on many occasions.  It is my hope that the contest would bring new impetus to some state funding for up keep and maintenance to our parks. 

The road to the grand prize is now up to a "peoples choice" selection which throws a whole new twist to the final selection process.  If you would like to vote for the finalists go to the following link

http://support.nature.org/site/PageServer?pagename=vote_xx&autologin=true .

Organizations like The Nature Conservancy spend a great deal of money and effort to save and preserve the wild areas of the world and I'm happy to be involved with such an outstanding group.  With the economic demands on the private sector I'm sure that non-profits are feeling the pinch in every area.

During an internet search the other day for works by Dewitt Jones I happened to come on a link on MySpace that I was unaware of and if you follow the link below I think you'll what you find.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=43381348

Every once in a while a little inspiration is a good thing, and while I found Jones through his photography prowess years ago, he is also well known for motivational lectures in the corporate world.  After listening to this talk I can see why.

Thanks to all of you that take the time to visit this site and your support is really appreciated.

For more views of my work visit:

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

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

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

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

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