Daniel Ruf

They're Back!

"I paint objects as I imagine them, not as I see them."  Pablo Picasso

The "summer people" are back...those people that come from near and far to recreate in and around the lake area of our town.  Many see this added population as an inconvenience, but it's wise to remember the influx of dollars that come with them.  The life and welfare of all is benefited by their presence no matter how long the lines at the stores are.

It hasn't always been easy for me to accept this, especially since I've spent much of my adult life living in a rural area, but this year I have made it a purpose to try to make more images of life in our "summer" town...including its "ornaments".  Funny thing is that I'm having some fun in the process.

The blog image, taken with a Nikon 300s, is of one of the iconic places of our area, the walking bridge between East and West Lake, also know as the Spine Trail Bridge.  The hour was late and the sun was fading, but the two people on the bridge seemed fascinated with the view.  I wanted a capture that would reveal the pleasantness of the two individuals along with the chaos of a fleet of boats going under the span.

The image was processed in Photoshop CS5 with further work being done in Topaz software.  Finally, I used an oil painting effect found in Alien Skin Snap Art, but adjusted the opacity to allow a bit of the original image to come through.

It's summer at the Iowa Lakes!

Thank you all for visiting and please feel free to comment.

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

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

People, Too?

"There are many teachers that could ruin you.  Before you know it you could be a pale copy of this teacher or that teacher.  You have to evolve on your own."

Berenice Abbott

Yes, I too can photograph human beings,  but I try to capture a special moment and I usually am more comfortable around family.  In the case of the first blog image the family was in San Antonio to atttend the Valero Alamo Bowl and we happen to be walking along the beautiful River Walk.  My daughter and granddaughter were on the other side feeding the pigeons, a task that my granddaughter loved to do, and, with the backdrop of the various store fronts, the right pose presented itself.

My daughter has a surprisingly deep affection for our two granddaughters, which I find incredible considering the trend of a lot of today's young adults.  Yes, she is absorbed with her Ipod, her job and friends, but when it comes to her niece's she is a first class auntie and I'm so proud of the affection she gives towards the girls.

The capture is from a Canon 50D, processed in Photoshop CS5 and then worked in the Topaz B&W Effects plug-in.  I used a transparency filter to bring a little faded color back into the image and then added a slight blur to the entire scene.  With a layer mask I then brought some of the original color back into the primary subjects and the pigeons.

In this second scene at a court yard inside the Alamo area I was hoping to get a capture of the beautiful lighting in this fountain area, but finally went with the smallest amount of "human intervention" that would work.  This was processed in Photoshop CS5 with Nik HDR Efex and then converted to a black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 which emphasized the lighting as well as the textural qualities of the scene.  Again, using a layer mask, I brought back a hint of flesh tones in the young girl.  I'm really glad that I didn't walk away from this scene and decided to wait for an opening when the crowd melted away.

I often surprise myself when I do these types of portrait situations since I spend a large part of my time searching for grand landscapes, clear waters or summer skies that are void of appearances by people.  I guess, when one really thinks about it, people probably have more of an influence on our lives compared to our surroundings which can define the person that one becomes.

Thank you for joining me today and please feel free to comment.

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

Looking For The Needle In The Haystack

"A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something."  Frank Capra

A few weeks ago I was chasing a few clouds along the southern border of Minnesota when I came upon this scene in a small clearing of farmland.  The wagon seemed so out of place for our time and I couldn't help thinking about how it had survived so long from the Minnesota weather.  As I started shooting the scene the center cloud was far to the left side, but while minutes went by I noticed that it was traveling in the "right" direction, meaning becoming a part of the scene.

Clouds are such a magical thing to me...that they are formed from mini water droplets drawn from the earth and then given back to us in the form of rain.....or snow, while during the process providing us with a myriad of forms and backdrops to witness.  It reminds me of a comment made to me by a west coast photographer regarding the lack of clouds as we see here in the midwest in his part of the country.  I was astounded since I only assumed that everyone had these same puffy white masses in their sky as well.

During the editing process I processed this image in the new Topaz B & W Effects and was pretty impressed by the amount of creative options that are available and the ease of doing custom adjustments.

It was then that I decided to take it a step further using the transparency adjustable slide to add a small amount of color to give the image the more vintage look seen below.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment on your favorite of this post.

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

Sometimes...

  

"Passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavors."

W. Eugene Smith

...you just have to turn around to see the image you have been looking for and in this case, on an extremely hot day at Ft. Defiance State Park, such was the case when I turned from the actual coneflowers I was shooting and found this window view staring at me.  Sometimes it's a no brainer...even if the brain is in sleep mode.

The original capture, actually two of them are below and due to the low light conditions it was 

necessary to make two captures with specific focus for the window frame and the flowers.  During the editing process the two were merged as combined layers and the flowers were then painted into the window frame areas.  After some adjustments in Photoshop CS5 for brightness and contrast the next step was to go into Nik Color Efex Pro to make additional adjustment in tonal contrast and foliage color.

The last steps included some color work in Nik Viveza using their fantastic "U-Point" technology and then doing a little "copy and paste" to rid the window frame of the obnoxious chip in the lower left.

Finally some work was done in Alien Skin's "Topaz" to give the scene a slight painterly effect for the final blog image at the top.

As I remind participants of my local workshops most subjects have at least 6 sides to explore which can give you at least 6 different lighting scenario's.  In this case, though, it was necessary for a 180 degree turn from the subject to see what was behind both me and the camera. 

Move your feet and take the time to investigate all the possibilities.

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

Punt

 
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

Abraham Lincoln

With the winter temperatures hovering below zero and brooding skies I developed a case of "shutter jitters" which forced me to grab some dried flowers, camera, and tripod and head to the nearest light of an available window.  A few pieces of furniture, some books, a scarf of my wife's, an old jar and a light reflector were the sum total of my props for breaking winter's boredom and the beginning of a nice afternoon using every lens in my bag and every rusty idea I could scare up.

I love shooting in available light as it always seems to obey much better than fiddling with a strobe and the array of switches that are available.  Natural light is malleable and no matter what you do to it remains luxurious to the subject.  One can point it, shield it, defuse it and it still reveals a comforting quality that makes "still" things alive with color. 

This capture was made with a "tilt-shift" lens which not only helps in "recovering" some depth of field, but also aids in gathering some extra light by not having to stop down the aperture as much due to the ability to align the lens plane with the plane of the subject.  While there are times when I wonder why I haul this lens around there are other times when I'm glad I have it as one of my tools.

During the digital darkroom phase I used Nik HDR Efex to assemble and process a group of 6 shots with a one stop variation between shots and then made some minor adjustments in Photoshop CS5 as well as some tweaking in Topaz Adjust for detail.  Finally, back to Nik Color Efex to lighten the center and that was about it. 

Don't let the winter blues convince you to leave your camera on the shelf.  As you can see, with very little effort and props you can spend a nice afternoon massaging your creative Muse and have something to show for the efforts.

By the way, Valentines Day is just around the corner which would give you a chance to buy some flowers for the wife/girlfriend and then practice with those flowers later.  I wasn't born yesterday, you know?

    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

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

Weather.....HOT AND HUMID

"The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him (her) to keep on looking."  Brooks Atkinson

Two words...HOT and HUMID...explain the weather in Northwest Iowa for the past few days.  We're in the August doldrums and life after 8:00 a.m. is pretty horrible.  The good side is that with the excessive humidity we get HAZY mornings, which allows for some layering effects in rolling landscapes.  So, as you might have guessed, I was out bright and early to scope out the possibilities.

After running up and down a few rural roads, passing a few deer and jumping in and out of the truck, I finally found an intersection that looked to have some options to work with.  After a couple of shots it was clear that the most advantageous position was shooting across the road, toward the farmstead I was hoping I would find in my travels, while using the obvious compositional features created by power poles and fence lines.  I was using a Canon 70 - 200mm f/2.8 L lens, which I'm falling in love with, and this helped pull the poles closer together due to the zoom effect of foreshortening distance. 

From the time I set up the tripod THIS was going to be a black and white image, although I always take a color image...just in case....  As you can plainly see the humidity was doing it's thing and then a car came along to make things a little more interesting.  All in all, as a color image with the sun smack in your face, it's not too exciting.

After some minor work in Adobe Elements 8, I turned to Nik Silver Efex Pro plug-in for the black and white conversion.  There a several combination's and filter choices that will have significant effects on an image and it is much like looking at a new car and choosing the options that best suit your taste and inclinations.

After the visit in Nik software I turned to the Topaz "Adjust" plug-in to simplify the general definition of the image.  My main "theme" here, other than swatting mosquitoes and wiping sweat off myself, was the layering effect caused by the haze in the air.  By using the "simplify" tab the tonal areas of the image become a little more defined.  After getting these issues solved there were a couple of power lines that went horizontally through the image that were major distractions.  I didn't have the wire cutter's with me and the power company doesn't seem to appreciate my needs, so I cloned the two sets of lines out.

It's a pretty straight forward image and subject selection, but it did make for some stimulating conversation between the computer and myself.

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

 

A Good Woman And Flowers

"She is a friend of mine. She gather me, man.  The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back in all the right order.  It's good, you know, when you got a woman that is a friend of your mind."

    Toni Morrison

Just recently my wife went on a small journey giving me the house to myself, a place to rattle around in, eat beans from a can if I wish, watch those war movies if I wish, snore and scratch if I wish.  But, as all other times when such trips have occurred, my leaving her or vise versa, there is a distinct difference when her presence is missing.  Together there is a wholeness, even a goodness about a life long friendship...of unity of learning, comforting, laying together in darkness or laughing together on a street corner.  Our separations from one another only serve to define our reasons for being together...that life without the other is certainly livable, but not as flavorful.

I find flowers much the same in that our world would certainly go on without these sprinkles of color that need to be weeded around, fertilized and watered, tended in sickness and in health, but what a dull place our world would be without those names and faces.  Penstamon, Coneflower, Rattlebox, Partridge Pea; musical names with a countenance to match.   Long walks among these silent creatures is like living with a good woman; a life of completeness on a changing stage.

The blog image is from a friends garden which is a refreshing place to gather thoughts while testing one's skills with a camera.  After processing in Elements 8 and a little use of the the "find edges" filter, I dabbled with Totally Rad's "Dirty Pictures", lost my way and then found it again realizing that a "trip" map is good for such forays into the editing world, and finally a touch of Topaz Adjust and Nik Viveza thrown in for good measure.

Enjoy the life before you, take a good woman along for the ride and bring your camera.

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