Daniel Ruf

Buried Treasures

Recently I was watching a television program concerning various fossil finds around the country and the thought came to me that the narration treated these bones of unfortunate animals as treasures, hidden in the earth, from a time long ago.  As I reflected on the rendered scenes of the environment of that time I couldn't help wondering what civilizations in the distant future might think of the remains our civilization leaves behind as our historic ledger.

I've noticed a lot of discussion lately about the environmental movement as it relates to endangered species and become really disappointed by those that would take issue with the preservation of some near extinct species which they feel is insignificant, especially when the plant or animal is standing in the way of some huge construction project of human design.  Advocates from both sides of the debate hurl platitudes back and forth in an effort to sell their position to a public that, in most cases, is ill equipped to even render a fair opinion on the subject or even cares about BOTH sides of the argument.

The question that I have for those that see no real reason to yield to an endangered species is when is the time right to grant consideration to the last of a species.  Would it be when just one elephant is left standing?  Or perhaps it would be when clean water is no longer available and lines have begun to form in the streets behind some tanker truck that shows up on the odd dates of the month.  I know to many this might sound like a huge stretch, but I'm not sure it's as far off as people believe.  In fact, I'm not sure many people, other than environmentalists, give a moments thought about any of this as long as such things as lumber and eggs are still readily available at any price.

As a retired farmer I've been involved in many discussions, around a table in the local grain elevator, concerning commodity prices, falling markets, cost of production, etc.  One flag that is always raised in these discussions is that the American public will never understand the value of food and it's production until the shelves at the local super market are bare, such as we saw years ago in film clips from Russia.  Just as today's public is more removed from the farm sector than it was 50 years ago, so are those same individuals more distant from the wilderness experiences of families of the past.

Ansel Adams once discussed the value of the American wilderness as a re-creation experience over recreational experience and I think that's a pretty profound statement for our time.  Until we see the value of the environment as a place to recharge, reflect and contemplate many of us will fail to see or value the wildness that still exists on this planet.  More importantly, until we see the value of open space over office space, many will never stand on the side of endangered ecosystems.

Nature Photographers Unite!

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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Artisans Road Trip

"My first thought is always of light."  Galen Rowell

Tomorrow, October 1, will be full of preparations for Northwest Iowa's Artisans Road Trip (ART) with the kick off opening for me and others beginning at 4 p.m.  At A Piece Of Work, Inc. in downtown Spirit Lake, Iowa four artist will be participating in this three day event.  They are Anita Plucker, watercolorist extrodinaire, Avis Davis, also an outstanding watercolorist, Mike Houge, gifted photographer and all around good egg, and myself, Daniel Ruf.  Mike and I will be putting the finishing touches on our alcoves so that all is ready for opening night, which goes until 8 p.m.  During the 4 hours A Piece Of Work, Inc. will be having a reception for Ms. Plucker in the special exhibition alcove with gallery talk to follow. 

Thirty five artist in Northwest Iowa will be spending the three day event showing their wares and some will even be demonstrating their artistic skills in their workshops.  Mediums include everything from pottery and sculpture to painting and photography and all points in between and it is a real opportunity for travelers to make the stops, indicated on a provided map (www.artisansroadtrip.com), visit with artisans and purchase outstanding local art of the area while enjoying the fall scenes on the way.

The hours on Saturday and Sunday will be 9am - 5pm which allows travelers ample time during the three day festival to be a part of the sights and sounds of our artistic area.  In past years there have been visitors from as far away as Vermont to the east and California to the west, all taking part in the annual road show.

The above blog image was taken during my recent trip to Banning State Park and is NOT an HDR!  It was captured with a Canon 50D, 17 - 40mm L lens with a Singh-Ray Vari-Neutral Density Filter attached. Some simple work in Adobe Elements 8 ( I hear Element 9 is out) and then some concentrated work in Nik Viveza 2.  I'm headed back to Banning in two weeks or so with the  hopes of catching the tail end of the color show and visiting Jay Cooke State Park during this tour.

Thanks for stopping by and if you're in the area join us for the road trip...otherwise don't you dare miss the opportunity to enjoy the fall color where you are!

 

 

Learning Can Be Fun

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength..."  John Muir

This past week found me at South Dakota's Badlands at a five day photography workshop given by Tony Sweet and his partner, Susan Milestone, and what a week it was.  Both of these master photographers were excellent in knowing where to be and when and I can still hear Tony calling to all of us "here comes the light" while many of us were facing the opposite direction waiting for the sunrise glow to paint the eastern facing escarpments of the Badlands area.

The blog image was taken during a 3 minute period of luxurious light at the Big Badlands overlook area.  Just below my feet is a large expanse of air which I was trying not to be blown into by the south westerly winds of the morning.  While we all stood in awe of the special lighting effects I somehow managed to get the camera reset, shutter speeds and f/stops dialed in to fire off this three image file for HDR processing later in my motel room.  While making such a capture is a real thrill, being in the very presence of this changing light in a vast open landscape such as the Badlands, is indescribable. 

Both instructors fulfill the word "work" in workshop with a fairly non stop schedule of activity.  By 4:30am most of the attendees were loading their vehicles for departure at 4:45am to parts unknown in the Badlands National Park near Wall, South Dakota, our home for the five day photographic event.  We usually were on site long before the actual rising of the famed fireball, our sun, but the dawn light can be some of the most delicate pastels that any artist can imagine, and this morning was no exception...except for the gala event shown above. 

After about a four to five hour shoot at various locations, we usually gather for our only feast together at a local restaurant and fill up on carbs.  After breakfast we had about 4 hours to ourselves to process our previous work (or nap...so they tell me) and then we would meet for a two hour critique/instructional session with Tony and Susan.  It was a growing experience for me that involved learning about how various color or design nuances can elevate an "o.k." picture to a full fledged image of quality.  After 5 days of this instruction we all were surprised that, while we were all in the same location for a shoot, there were no similar images shown at the meeting.  Could it be that 9 photographers of equal ability proved that vision IS in the eye of the beholder?

When the class was over, we grabbed a bite to eat and loaded our gear again at about 4:30pm for the evening shoot, which took us to new venues and scenic lands within the park.  Usually, and this applied to morning an evening shoots, if the skies were partly cloudy the shoot would last longer since that golden light would spend more time bouncing around the cloud banks making us scurry around for new locations for different lighting situations.  By and large our day would end at about 8pm and we would head back to our rooms to ready ourselves for the next day.

For those of you that are longing for a fulfilling workshop experience and are willing to invest yourself in your artistry, take the time to check out Tony Sweets website, http://tonysweet.com , and click on his workshop tab.  Also, take the time to check his blog and get to know this amazingly gifted artist.

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  

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Losing Silence

The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders.

Edward Abbey

While doing some reading on The WIlderness Society website I came across some data that was put together by the U.S. Forest Service.  It stated that the U.S. loses 6,000 acres of open area per day to such uses as industrial, residential and agriculture.  When I computed the figure over a years time I figured that in 369 days we destroy the equivalent of the entire acres in Yellowstone National Park.  I was wondering about these figures because I've begun to think about a natural resource that we are losing along with those acres...Silence.  The loss of trees, rivers and wildlife is huge in each of those 6,000 acre, but those acres, in many cases, are replaced by things that make noise or provide a platform for things that are noisy.

In a discussion today with my friend Mike we were relishing in the fact that one of the things that we liked most about the art of photography...or at least nature photography...is the connection that we have with the places that we photograph.  Unlike many artistic endeavors that are created in a man made studio, the outdoors is our studio and with that comes all the peace that comes with these location shoots.  And peace doesn't mean the absence of sound, for the very sound of the wind through the pines or waves sliding over a sandy beach give us a sense of peace.  As we stand behind our camera our view of the living image is enhanced by the sensations that surround our being, including the peace.

As luck would have it, Guy Tal, www.guytal.com , discusses these treasures that are a part of making an image on his blog today.  The hiking, the camping, the searching, the finding and all the other dots on the map of creativity in between, become part of the process of making an image.  The capture of the image becomes much more than pushing the shutter release, it becomes an internal record of a sense of place and peace.  Our hope is that our internal image becomes visual to the viewer.

I'm beginning to believe that the benefits of nature photography are as much psychological as they are artistic for I know that when I exit a forest I am better for the travel in this sanctum.  The question is...how long will it be before we no longer have these quiet places or no longer realize what we've lost?

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  

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