Daniel Ruf

Getting Out

        

"Whatever happens in front of the lens stays. What's captured during the encounter is all that exists."   Gregory Heisler

Last week I was on my way to a friends house when I came upon this rural scene that I couldn't resist pulling off the road and grabbing a few shots. As I was getting things together and set up I was reminded of my many years of farming and how that experience has made me more sensitive to this type of scene.

Ansel Adams, Tony Sweet, Phillip Hyde, and others have taught me and influenced my work in so many ways, but especially the special qualities of light and how if can effect a scene. Add to that my love of the influence of my art background and my love of the Hudson River School, which was from the mid to late 1800's, because the artists of that period were so tuned in to natural light and it's effect on the landscape.

It seems that Summer is finally making a stand over the chill of Spring and things are beginning to warm up. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.Ansel Adams

The title is reference to the fact that while Spring has come to Northwest Iowa, we had some snowflakes come through with a wintery system this morning. So, temporarily, Spring has Sprung!

Have been enjoying shooting in the warmer conditions of the past week and happen to come upon this scene at Garlock Slough, near Milford, Iowa.  I will be glad when the trees fill in and the lakes fill up with with the summer crowd and the gallery traffic picks up.

I'm in the countdown mode for the Pearson Lakes Art Center "Art In The Park", August 3, and the opening for my exhibit at the Pearson Lakes Art Center, August 15 .  While it seems early, I know the dates are going to sneak up on me if I don't put the "peddle to the metal", so to speak. My fear is that what I sell at the art in the park session will have to be replaced in time for the Pearson show, which has me a little rattled, but I didn't think it was wise to pass up one for the other.

Hope you all are enjoying Spring. Thanks for the visit.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

Facebook - Daniel Ruf Photography  

 

Sometimes Waiting Is Good

"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary."  David Bailey

Once again standing at the docks waiting. Thoughts of leaving for another location or giving up and heading home made me even more impatient. Thoughts of staying and waiting made me crazy. Ansel Adams once said, when someone asked him about waiting for the right light, if I wait here something maybe happening over there...or words to that effect. 

While I waited for the light and color I was hoping would arrive, I became more impatient. To me the effort was going to be unrewarded and time is ticking. I turn to the truck and grab my gear and, ever so slowly, the faintest of pink hues begin to gather on the edges of clouds. As the pink begins to yield to warmer tones I knew, once again, that waiting was the right choice and I was meant to be in this exact spot.

Thanks for visiting. Come to the Pearson Lakes Art Center to see my work in the walkway. Always changing, always for sale and, hopefully, always easy on the eyes.

I once again have a Facebook presence with a business page...Daniel Ruf Photography.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

 

 

 

Look What Was Behind Me!

"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." Ansel Adams

I was doing an early morning paddle in my kayak to a place that I wanted to photograph at sunrise.  While I was concentrating on looking for boats that were on the water I happen to take a quick look behind me and saw this scene and decided to take a U-turn.  The light was great, the lights across the walking bridge were nice additions, a light fog helped and the water was like glass. I split graduated neutral density filter was a big help.

 I always get an extra thrill when I find some benefits on the way to a shoot.  I would have missed it all if I hadn't looked back!

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you have a fabulous weekend.  Summer is closing and Fall is on the way. The leaves and acorns are falling like rain, days are shortening, and nights are cooler.  It's such a beautiful transition to Fall and I plan on getting as much photography done as possible.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

"May your trails be crooked,winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading t the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."  Edward Abbey

A couple of weeks ago I went to Arizona to help my son move two vehicles to his new job in California.  Despite the 700 mile in one day trip, following the behind of a Volkswagen RV, and traveling some of the hottest and most boring desert scenery I think I've ever seen, we did make it in about the 10 hours that we had planned.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity of being in California with a camera I decided to cap off my remaining 3 days (more or less) in Yosemite National Park.  It was my first reunion with the park since 1977 when I attended an Ansel Adams workshop, an experience I will never forget.  Ten days of working with photographic artists along with the master himself and learning as much as I possible.

Despite the road construction, heavy crowds and disappointing cloudless skies (except for this morning shot), the reunion was worth the trip, but I was disappointed that my son couldn't be with me as we had planned since he was preparing for a face to face interview for a second possible job.

Yosemite is another one of those must see parks that my wife has yet to see and hopefully will soon. It's expansive with many views and ample pullouts for those special pictures.  In the above shot there is El Capitan on the left, Bridalveil Falls on the right, and Half Dome deep in the background center.

Thanks for visiting and have a great Spring.

Reflections

"You have to dream before your dreams can come true." A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

It is with great sadness that I report the Summerwind Gallery in Arnolds Park, Iowa will not reopen this coming summer.  The gallery director did not specify any reasons, but I know that the summer of 2018 will have a hole in it for me.  The gallery director was top notch and for the two years that it was open it was a huge success for my photography.  It is sad to see such a needed person and gallery disappear from our community.

So, where do I go from here?  My mind at this point is a blank, but blank spaces are meant to be filled and I'm waiting for that proverbial door to open for my next experience. I no longer am represented by any gallery, but that doesn't necessarily concern me since I was looking for a gallery when Summerwind Gallery came into my life. "Bert" was an exceptional gallery director and I say that with the experience of treading through many galleries.  As I've mentioned before, when my wife and I travel gallery hunting/visiting is about second on the list behind scouting for scenery.  We've found that the galleries that we have enjoyed the most were run by people that were truly interested in the customer.  They spent time getting to know us, exchanging ideas, and gathering information. We found that to be paramount at the Summerwind Gallery.  I wish "Bert" continued success with her art and future.

Moving on...the above image was taken on a beautiful morning with much frost and fog. The camera was a Canon 5D Mark IV, which I have fallen in love with.  The image was processed in Adobe Lightroom and converted to a black and white (it was pretty monochromatic to start with) in ON1, which is a filter in my Adobe Photoshop CC program. I also used a painting program, very lightly, to soften some of the effects of B/W processing. Just a matter of taste.

Subtle scenes like this, in my opinion, find real depth and mood when converted to black and white.  I have always been a follower of Ansel Adams, especially since attending one of his Yosemite workshops back in 1977.  I've also found the work of John Sexton, an assistant to Ansel way back when, to be extremely inspiring as well as my instruction from Tony Sweet.  Add to that the works of Andrew Wyeth, an artist that I followed when I was wading through college art classes, and all of this makes sense.  All of these artists could squeeze life into compositions, that others might pass by, with their own versions of creativity.

Thank you all for visiting this site and a reminder that Spring is just around the corner.  I'll let you know when I find a gallery!

"It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer.  You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things.  But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary."  David Bailey

As a college  student I was both an art major and a biology major which gives me some experience to address the quote above concerning the differences between photography and painting.  Years ago the statement above would have been true and I have made such comments during discussions with other artists and photographers.  Today, however, photography has seen the playing field similar to the "traditional arts thanks to the digital age. It has even been said by some that the famed photographer, Ansel Adams, would have been thrilled to take his art into the digital medium.

Digital photography has brought photographers to the point of having an increased vision into the future of an image while standing behind the camera at the time of capture.  The same was true during the film based days of photography and Mr. Adams is the "director in chief" when it comes to planning the path of an image before it has even been exposed in the camera.  Today, however, there are many more options for the photographer when planning the course of an image prior to exposure.  Such items as textures, digital painting, digital manipulation, cloning, compositing and all the rest, give a certain sort of "muscle" the the finished product.  The image above is a product of not only the capture of a winter morning in rural Iowa, but also subtle changes using textures, color controls and deliberately placed editing processes.

The downside of the large palette of creative features with digital photography, in my opinion, is the the overuse or extreme use of of various tools of the creative processes.  In these cases some images would have been better left alone rather than "fluffing" them up to the extreme.  That being said the photograph is no different than any other art in that it is a product of the photographers efforts, both visually and internally. The photograph is a translation of ones efforts; an effort not to be made fun of, but acceptably critiqued.

Finally, the concepts of digital photography are the same as film photography and the "traditional" arts in that the use of such tools as composition, design, spacial use, light, etc. are vital in achieving an acceptable camera exposure to work with. The digital world has become a trash heap of works of "in the moment" products of digital photography.  This has become clearer to me since my use of both Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  If one can get by the huge preoccupation by camera owners who "give" us a view into there personal lives or activities, one still has to claw their way through mounds of drab, confused and purposeless photography.  Whether it be a blurred close up of a dogs eye, or a tilted landscape with a rising sun trying to evade sliding off the screen, there do seem to be problems with the "this is good, this is not" part of the editing process.

Again, this is just the opinion of a tired, grumpy photographer and not meant to deter anyone from learning or experimenting with the art of photography. Oh, and by the way, I am still learning as well!  It will never end.

Thank you for visiting this site and I hope you all have a great week.  Remember, Spring is just around the corner. I can hardly wait for the Summerwind Gallery to open this summer!

Other sites where you can find my work:

Twitter

Instagram

Google +

http://500px.com

Summer Wind Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa http://www.summerwindgallery.com

2016 Dribbles Away

"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into."  Ansel Adams

Winter has finally made it to NW Iowa and it came with a bang.  First was the super freeze with temps in the minus 20's....that coming after we wondered if the lakes would ever freeze.  They did!  But before that I was blessed with seeing a dozen trumpeter swans spend a day on our lake, which is the first time I've seen them "wild".  Then the snow and cold came and they vanished.

This year has been filled with experiences with trips to Zion NP, Bryce NP and a short visit to Arches NP, all in the great state of Utah.  I spent a good deal of time in Sabino Canyon near Tucson and more time among the crags of the Granite Dells near Prescott, AZ.  The summer was full with photography around the lakes in NW Iowa and my keeping my space at Summerwind Gallery filled for the summer.  Met a lot of fantastic people, started spending Friday afternoons with my good friend, Mike Houge (mikehouge.typepad.com)  having coffee and cookies at the local McD's and talking a lot of photography.  I never had the time for regularly scheduled coffee outings when I farmed as there was always livestock to entertain me and fill my days.  Retirement is great and I recommend it highly.  I think Mike is tiring of my asking when he's going to retire, but I can wait.

This blog image was taken during a snow flurry at the Lakeside Laboratory facility near where I live. "Lakeside Lab is owned by the state of Iowa and operated through the Board of Regents. Its mission is twofold: 1) to provide science classes and research opportunities for university students, and 2) to offer Outreach Programs and provide services through the state universities."   It's a place for special times...snowfall,sunsets, clouds backgrounds, etc.  The stone structures were constructed in the '30's by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and it's a shame that the CCC isn't alive today as it was such a source of income for a lot of men and families during the depression.  Many of stone structures in state and national parks are the results of the CCC, as well as roads, trails, reforestation, etc.  If you get a chance you should Google and find out what a success it was for our country.

It is my wish that you all have a happy and prosperous new year, that our country thrives and flourishes, that wishes are met and prayers are answered, that our men and women of the armed services are protected and come home, that our veterans needs are finally met, and, most importantly, that we love one another.  God bless you all.

Other sites where you can find my work:

Twitter

Instagram

Google +

http://500px.com

Summer Wind Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa http://www.summerwindgallery.com

Back Roads

"Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art."          Ansel Adams

Spent a day on the road in unfamiliar territory in Southwest Iowa just to get a change of scenery and to see a part of Iowa that I have only sped through on my way to Texas and other points south.  It was a journey of some surprises and disappointments, but impromptu planning is often full of such issues.

One thing I did manage to understand is that the rural scene is changing and along with that change we are losing some architectural heritage such as barns, silos, farm houses and windmills. I hit the brakes hard when I passed this scene as these "wind pumps" are becoming a lost character of the rural landscape, especially ones in such good condition.

This is a capture done with an HDR edit in mind as the contrast was extreme.  Photomatix was the choice for HDR conversion and then other editing was done in Adobe Photoshop and NIK products.  In the end I was glad I stopped, but I wonder how many people will see the beauty that compelled me to pull over.

Tomorrow I will be hanging a new exhibit in the Dickinson County Nature Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa.  The nature center has developed a program named eARTh, which I found to be a really cool name for a program that invites local artists to create art about the environment, whether it be landscapes, animals, flowers, etc.  I will put up 15 framed pieces of natural scenes from several different states that I have visited in the last couple of years.  I still find that America has an incredible treasure of ecosystems that many are unaware or may never experience.

This show will not have any boats, or windmills, or people, just open space from many corners of our land.  Many of the spaces have been protected due to efforts of people of great foresight, one of which was the master photographer, Ansel Adams, who spent much of his life gathering evidence (his amazing art) and speaking with those that had political power to develop our national park system.

Have a great weekend and spend some of it outside.

Sic 'em Bears". 

For more views of my work visit;

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Arts On Grand, Spencer, Iowa http://www.artsongrand.org/

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

Side Street Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa  www.okobojiimages.com

 

Winter Delights

"Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution."   Ansel Adams

This winter has been filled with gloomy windy days with a few photo opportunities dispersed in between.  On this particular morning I noticed a sliver of light coming through the clouds on the horizon and decided to get out for a chance of greeting the sun.  As it turned out the cloud formation was the real surprise, but the sun did eventually play its part.

These "ice slabs" can be found along certain parts of the lake edges and, as far as I know, are caused by the ever expansion and contraction of the ice surface.  In some instances they're a jumbled mess of pieces, while in others one might find large "monuments" pushed into vertical positions.  As you all know from my past blog comments sunrise and sunsets can be fleeting and include rapid color change or disappearance so it's generally a good idea to work fast and deliberately.

Due to the high contrast of this scene I made several sets of three exposures (+2, 0, -2) from many angels.  as the sun continued to rise the colors disappeared and the clouds became a blanket of blue.

At home at the computer I used Photomatix software during the editing process to combine the exposures into an final image.  With some final adjustment in NIK Color Efex Pro the blog image is the final product.  

When I left the house on this particular morning there was no suggestion by the gloomy dawn sky that this was going to be the product my search.  I was hoping for just an opening...a few fleeting moments of spectacular sunlight on a cold winter morning.

Thank you all for visiting this sight and I hope you have an enjoyable weekend.

"Sic 'em Bears".

For more views of my work visit;

Arts On Grand, Spencer, Iowa http://www.artsongrand.org/

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

Side Street Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa  www.okobojiimages.com

http://500px.com/pigs4u