Daniel Ruf

Transitions

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountains and sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.  John Lubbock

It seems like the transition from autumn to winter has happened at least three times here in Northwest Iowa. We have seen the East Okoboji Lake surface freeze at least 4 times and each time the ice succumbs to another warming system that passes through for a week or so at a time. We've had about 3 inches of snow which has also disappeared leaving more leaves to collect, which I hope I've done for the last time this year.

The blog image is a morning a couple of weeks ago showing the ice retreating and the sunrise glowing. This has been a year of many glowing sunrises and sunsets and I presume it's largely the result of the western forest fires which have resulted in days and days of haze over the landscape.

This image was captured with my Canon 5D Mark IV using the HDR process in camera. The editing processes started in Lightroom with finishing touches in Photoshop CC, which mainly was focused on brightening the shoreline landscape.

Thank you for joining me here and I hope you have a marvelous Thanksgiving. Stay safe, use your mask and be aware of social distancing. I'm sure we are all tired of hearing the well meant warning, but when I'm out in public it seems that there is a certain deafness to caution by many.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Transition

"Autumn's the mellow time." William Allingham

A rainy day, leaves are falling and the color is silently disappearing. While it was the prettiest autumn that I have seen since  moving to Northwest Iowa in the 80's it feels like such a short visit this year. Last year at this time I was wearing out my camera in Maine during my first visit and the color was blazing. Color in our part of Iowa is a little more subdued and a smaller variety of tones.

The blog shot was taken a couple of days while it was raining. Boredom had taken it's toll and I was planning to take my chances that some fog and haze might have some nice options for photography. I decided to handhold my camera rather than drag a tripod around and it was a little test of a new freedom. There was no setting up of the "pod" as well as no extending and retraction of the legs for each photo session. It was fun.

As I passed this scene I happen to catch the reflections in the water and then the "subtle" blue tone in the background. I quickly made a "U" turn and glad I did. With some fog in the background and spots of color in the last tree of autumn I felt that I had some options to work with.

Processing was done in Lightroom and Photoshop and then some dabbling in NIK Color Efex Pro 4. 

The docks are coming out and the area is going through its regular autumn alterations. It won't be long before the scene is covered in ice and white stuff. Actually, the weather report is calling for some snow this weekend.

Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're in the Spencer, Iowa area the last couple of weeks of my exhibit at Arts On Grand is still showing

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Autumn.....So Soon?

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."  Albert Camus

It's unbelievable that it is autumn already! It seems like just yesterday we were watching the new flowers bursting and having to mow the lawn. The fact is the this is the norm for people of retirement age. It just seems that weeks fly by while we get older. 

The blog image is from a local park on a morning when an unannounced thick fog spread over our landscape. Of course the weather sources didn't happen to mention the fog in the forecast and I had a late start and had to choose the closest location that might have promise.

Just behind me was a totally different composition with the suns rays warming up the color of a grassland landscape. It was a morning of treasures as the fog was around for another hour or so. Since then high winds have shaken a lot of leaves off the trees and the landscape is getting ready for the winter season. 

As I was concentrating on getting these shots I could here pheasants and owls adding their say to the show adding the the autumn feel.

Thanks for following my blog and have a great week and a safe week.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had an unexpected opportunity to hang and exhibit at Arts On Grand in Spencer,Iowa this past week. The show will be up until November 7. The title of the show is "Along The Way" and is a collection of not only lakes area themes, but other places where my wife and I have been outside of Iowa the last couple of years. If you're in the area Arts On Grand is worth the visit.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

A Long Time To Wait

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."  Joseph Campbell

It's been quite a awhile since the last fog event in our area of Northwest Iowa...so long that I can't remember the last time. Because of the wait I was thrilled when I woke up to hazy street lights and hoping that the fog was going to lead to some fun photography.

The blog scene has a much welcomed "Z" line running through the picture with layers of fog caught in the depressions. The interesting thing is that the lake areas really didn't have fog hanging around as I found out making my first swing the the lake areas.

This scene was shot with my Canon 5D Mark IV with a 400mm zoom on the front end. It wasn't until I saw the RAW file on the computer that I saw a bird taking flight near the middle of the image. Judge by the size I'd say it was a hawk of some kind.

The editing process started with Lightroom and Topaz AI Denoise, then Photoshop for the details, and NIK software for final touches.

The next day found us with another foggy morning, which provided another opportunity to try some different areas of our area. This wetland area is a prime area for gulls, pelicans, herons and ducks. As I took this shot a line of pelicans was making their way toward me and the camera. Luck is always welcome.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. The season is making a turn with a lot of leaves and acorns hitting the ground. It won't be long before we'll be seeing the white stuff, but the time for logging fall color is on its way.

Thanks for visiting...Keep safe and use the social distancing options and masks

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Options

   

"For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity."  Henri Cartier-Bresson

Spending an afternoon in a wooded area last week gave me the opportunity to work with natures figures. The oak trees in our area can take on some really graceful poses and with some nice lighting and a few flowers the options for creativity increases. In this case I was first attracted by the light in the background and the flowers in the fore ground. A pretty simple scene to work with. 

At home it went through the editing process starting in Lightroom and moving on to Photoshop to do the finishing detail process. After I finished I decided I'd like to see this scene as a black and white to weigh the differences.

While the scene holds up well, IMO, I still wanted to push this image in another direction. At first I thought I would use the opacity slider to bring in a little the color to see what difference that would make.

After a lot of fiddling I decided to use the brush tools in Photoshop and selectively paint in a thin amount of the original background yellow/green color in certain areas.

As you can see there are three images created from one particular capture. A lot of times I find my brain is locked in to certain "used" creative options and I forget to take on some different challenges.

I used my Canon 5D Mark IV camera with a 24 - 105mm "L" lens for these captures.

Thanks for visiting...Keep safe and use the social distancing options and masks

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Revisit

"Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art." Don Miguel Ruiz

There is a state park near my home which I continually return to looking for subjects to photography. When my time is up I go home vowing never to come back as it seems like such a boring effort with little to no results.

This past week I returned...against my weak vow and after hiking through the area finally sat on a culvert that has a stream running through. As continual thoughts like "why am I wasting time here" flow through my tiny brain, I was entertained by a muskrat, the cicadas and some flowers bloom from arrow plants. With all that going on the reasoning for my attendance was not resolved.

I was gathering up my camera and tripod when I happened to bend over and look to the left and found this amazing "light show" that was going on beyond my sight when I was sitting down on hard concrete. I couldn't believe the glow that was caused by a small shaft of light from the sun...a shaft of light that was slipping through an opening in a tree behind me.

The darkness around it emphasized the light as well as providing the reminder that in darkness there will be light. Very fitting considering todays nonstop news of violence, harshness and unconscionable activities. I needed this moment and the reminder, once again, to always return to sites of success and failure, a lesson I learned long ago from photographer artist, Tony Sweet (tonysweet.com).

Thanks for joining me here at my blog and enjoy the waining summer

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Morning Lights

    

"Photography is about putting the pieces together." Daniel Ruf

This morning was all about patience and putting the pieces together. I changed positions several times, yet as I walked away to my truck to leave for home I turned and found this setup.  My last position was about 10 feet to the left. We can have the best lenses and camera money can buy, but if you don't move your feet you might miss the best shot of the day.

This blog image was taken with my handheld iPhone and its wide angle lens. The clouds and rocks demanded the wide angle approach and both subjects compliment each other. 

While I was driving in search of the right spot for the sunrise at 4:30 a.m. and using "The Photographer's Ephemeris" app I came to this lakeshore spot and realized that the sunrise was less important than the nice cloud formation that was taking place. 

The black and white version.

 

It's continues to be a learning journey no matter how old you might be.

Thanks for visiting

Thank you for dropping by...go plant another tree

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Posing

"Trees go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!"  John Muir

Trees have had my attention for many, many years. From my work with the U.S. Forest Service during my summer vacations away from college, to traveling the the country and hiking miles of trails. I see them as ballet dancers, comedians, and statues. The first blog image reminded me of "high five"! And glad I was since I didn't really want to work on removing the leafless branch touching the clouds.

I've spent more time than I can remember walking among miles and miles of trees during my life and only to become even more amused by their color, stature, grace and strength.

This colony above, joining limbs in togetherness and laying patterns of color at their base created by the pattern of their limbs and clusters of leaves. How can one not be drawn to this spot of light, shelter and warmth? They are inviting, inclusive, and dancing. How can one not be drawn to this meeting of limbs?

And then there is the ballerina; graceful, inviting, and welcoming. In front of a backdrop of color and softness surrounded by fog. A tree that is leaning forward asking to dance. Almost bowing a graceful thank you and at the same time pointing to the dance floor that is perfectly lit for this occasion.

Being alone in the forests of the Northwest obviously did a number on my cranial functions, but, in reality, trees are quite beautiful to me as well as entertaining. Yet everyday we lose them, sometimes one by one and sometimes acres at a time. We are losing an element that not only holds this good earth together, but shades us from the miserable heat of the sun, from a flash drenching of rain and shelters the musicians of the forest...birds.

Thank you for dropping by...go plant another tree

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Passing Time

"The eye should learn to listen before it looks." Robert Frank

I was a beautiful morning when I captured the blog image and I did more drifting in the boat than using the motor. It was calm and there was a light fog on the water surface which really became alive once the sun peaked over the horizon. It just seemed like the morning light drifted from one spot to the next depending on the rising sun.

The biggest annoyance at the time was my brain suggesting and later telling me that I should go to another spot around the point to my left. It teased, yelled and gently spoke, but for some reason I mentally said "back off"!  I stayed here and continued to drift until the above scene came to fruition. 

Waiting and hoping is almost better than having the best camera in the world. You will always get the moment if your inner self say wait

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

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