Daniel Ruf

Pocket Camera

"Creativity itself doesn't care at all about the results - the only thing it craves is the process. Learn to love the process and let whatever happens next happen, without fussing too much about it.  Work like a monk, or a mule, or some other representative metaphor for diligence. Love the work.Destiny will do what it wants with you, regardless.                                                                  

Elizabeth Gilbert

Walking everyday has been a daily agenda item for some time, but this summer I've made it a priority and in the process have been averaging  3 - 5 miles a day. I usually go out in the early morning hours specifically for the light, but if there is a partly cloudy forecast, then I'm traveling in my truck with my camera looking for sunrise and special light situations.

The "pocket phone" has been a nice tool to have along when walking. In my case it would be the iPhone as well as a library of photo apps at the ready. The good thing about having a "camera" tagging along is that it's another tool of discovery along the way. It helps keep the creative juices flowing and ready for those just right opportunities that may come along.

The blog image is from the iPhone and is a field I pass many times during the week.  In this case the tree on the right was just getting a brush of sunrise light that attracted my attention. After getting home I sat down to develop the image and found my way to a painting process. In this case I used some textures, a JixiPix painting app and combined it with a Topaz painting app on my MAC to get the results that I was looking for.

Landscape photography only works if one gets up off the couch and walks out the door. The getting off the couch is the same effort required of any type of art that I'm aware of, even if robots are involved. One has to get up to make the effort to turn on the switch.  For me, being in the outdoors is the switch for my adventure to begin.

Thank you for joining me and I hope that you grab a little of the Fall season before it's gone.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

Facebook - Daniel Ruf Photography  (I can't believe I'm on Facebook again???)

 

"I search for realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the texture around it... I always want to see the third dimension... I want to come alive with the subject.  Andrew Wyeth

We had a really foggy morning a couple of days ago and the farther away from the boat ramp that I got with my kayak the more dense the fog became.  It was so dense that I finally decided that the safe option was to stay close to shore in case boaters were zooming through the lake.

I was intentionally headed toward a wetland that I was familiar with, but the water level is so high in our area that shore birds were none existent.  I continued paddling and the sunlight was starting to get brighter which, with the dense fog, might show as a crisp fireball on the horizon.  A workable spot came into view and I got the kayak positioned so that I could catch the sun coming up over the landscape.

The blog image is the result, but with some alterations. I was fortunate that I had a duck fly through as the shutter was released  which gave a sky attraction.  I've added some textures as well to give the sky some interest, opened up the shadows a slight bit and also did a digital watercolor version pulling a bit of the original back through using a layer mask.

My camera was a Canon 5D Mark IV with a 28-105mm lens with an ISO setting of 1600. Initial editing was done in Lightroom, with the final  work being done in Photoshop

We're starting to dry off here in NW Iowa after several days of rain and saturated soils. It should start to look like summer and be wonderful weather for a while.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy summer!

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com  Also on Facebook for up to date activities

500px.com

 

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!