Daniel Ruf

"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.

Deep In A Slot

"Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendships a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day."  John Wooden

Waiting for Spring to come in Iowa is like watching paint dry. We're in the last week of March and every winter event has hit us in some way shape or form. Snow? We got it.  Rain? We're having it. Ice? You guessed it. Wind? Never stops. The geese are flying about undecided whether they should stay, head North, or fly like jets back to the South.

That puts me right back where I was the last time I sat down to write this blog.  I'm now editing and deleting iPhone files.  It's been fun and I've been doing a lot with Distressed FX textures for the first time. I finally downloaded files to my computer, which makes it easier to work with iPhone images with more effort and detail. Thanks to Cheryl Tarrant's website and blog for that information.

The slot canyon blog image is from a couple of years ago when my wife and I were on our annual "get out of Iowa in ugly March" trip.  I had made a Zion NP trip over 30 years ago on my own and really was excited to show her what a marvelous national park it is. Without thinking we hit the Easter break period for California schools and it was a bit crowded, but there is always a place to hide from the maddening crowd as well as galleries to visit.

Cross your fingers with the hope that Spring will actually show up. Next year we'll board up that groundhog den to see if we can't have an earlier Spring.

Thanks for visiting and don't be a stranger!

"Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendships a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day."  John Wooden

Waiting for Spring to come in Iowa is like watching paint dry. We're in the last week of March and every winter event has hit us in some way shape or form. Snow? We got it.  Rain? We're having it. Ice? You guessed it. Wind? Never stops. The geese are flying about undecided whether they should stay, head North, or fly like jets back to the South.

That puts me right back where I was the last time I sat down to write this blog.  I'm now editing and deleting iPhone files.  It's been fun and I've been doing a lot with Distressed FX textures for the first time. I finally downloaded files to my computer, which makes it easier to work with iPhone images with more effort and detail. Thanks to Cheryl Tarrant's website and blog for that information.

The slot canyon blog image is from a couple of years ago when my wife and I were on our annual "get out of Iowa in ugly March" trip.  I had made a Zion NP trip over 30 years ago on my own and really was excited to show her what a marvelous national park it is. Without thinking we hit the Easter break period for California schools and it was a bit crowded, but there is always a place to hide from the maddening crowd as well as galleries to visit.

Cross your fingers with the hope that Spring will actually show up. Next year we'll board up that groundhog den to see if we can't have an earlier Spring.

Thanks for visiting and don't be a stranger!

Other Times

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work."   Emile Zola

The gallery season in our town is at its end with only the "Artisan Road Trip" coming on October 14-15 left to close.  That being said it's now time for me to concentrate on works for Our Iowa Magazine and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, as well as combing files from the past for any "gems" I may have missed.  Since I do this during the down season each year I still manage to find something that surprises me after a little bit of "handling" in the editing process.  It makes sense since the art of digital photography is constantly changing with new techniques,tools and individual approaches or developments.

The blog image, however, is from this year and is the result of a trip to the west coast, a place I've seen only once when my wife and I were fortunate enough to know someone that lived in Carmel, California.  This scene, however, is from the Oregon coast and a place that I couldn't get enough of even considering that it rained most of the time we were there.  To me it had it all; the waves, clouds, reflections, rocks, etc.  Plenty of subjects, too little time.

As when I worked for the Forest Service in my youth and traveled many trails with a great sense of peace that comes with being in nature, standing on the beaches of Oregon and California was no different. The early morning light and the constant sound of waves was my best way to get into a rhythm of creativity.  It was so mesmerizing that I needed to constantly remind myself to look for different angles, change lenses, take a step one way or the other, etc.  I found my peace in these places.

As we head into the Fall season I hope you all take the time to experience the natural gifts of changing color and scenes and share with others.  Thanks for visiting my site.

Other sites where you can find my work:

http://500px.com

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

Why Wait?

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."  Albert Einstein

Waiting....a term that I am very familiar with as it is an essential part of my photography.  Patience is a word that is as equally important as it requires me to focus on the things in front of me and not on other distracting ideas that are rolling through my head.  Patience is the reason that I continued to wait for the blog scene develop, even though my impatience, only minutes ago, had me walking this beach in Carmel, California, searching for a composition.

Waiting, patience and impatience, therefore, are all elements of the photographic arts and are all lessons of life that I continue to learn.  A little curiosity can't hurt!

Thank you for joining up with me at this site.  The Summerwind Gallery opens for the summer season on May 17.  I hope I can see you there.

Other sites where you can find my work:

Google +

http://500px.com

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