Daniel Ruf

Enjoy The Leaves

       

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

One morning I was looking out a window looking at the autumn leaves hitting the ground and realized that the previous frost had done its damage and I needed to get out to gather what pics that I could before every leaf had hit the ground. I grabbed my camera gear and ran to the truck to start my sleuthing for the autumn views.

The trip was a lot of stops and starts as I would get out, set up camera gear, take the shot, gather the gear up and place it all in my truck and head to the next opportunity, if there was one.

After cruising up and down roads I started to head back toward the lakes areas for a different scenic view which turned out to be a good decision or listening to that other voice that does tend to show up quietly at times. As you can see in the blog pic above not only did I have some nice shadows to work with there just happened to be a dock and a person to create the attraction that was needed to complete the image.

My experience over the years have taught me that the best pictures are the ones that included a bit of a surprise to fill in the blank spaces.

Thank you  all for visiting my blog site and I wish you the most beautiful Christmas this year.

More of my work can be seen at Arts On Grand in Spencer, Iowa

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

 

Rocking The Night Away

"The power of imagination makes us infinite." John Muir

Another couple of weeks closer to Spring, yet I sit here watching a snow storm blow past my window. The days are getting longer marching toward scenes like the above seen of a concert at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Arnolds Park, Iowa.  This past week the scene was a little different as people were playing ice hockey and taking a "polar Plunge" into the icy waters of the lake.

The scene above was taken with a 100-400mm zoom lens from across the lake with my Canon 5D mark IV camera....which I still LOVE. The park is a colorful place to shoot at night when the activity is rocking. There was a jam session going on so traffic and lights were wild.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the winter and pray for spring.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

Facebook - Daniel Ruf Photography  

When It Rains......

"Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks."  Yo-Yo Ma

....it pours, at least it did at yesterdays annual Art In The Park held by the Pearson Lakes Art Center.  It started with a little sprinkling and by the time we were midway into tent raising, with much help from other artists next to us, the sprinkles turned to a pour and lasted until about noon. My wife and I scrambled until 1:00 p.m. getting panels put up, work hung, cards laid out, etc.  Meanwhile people are walking in and out, asking questions and purchasing items. It was crazy, but the best 3 hours of sales I could imagine. While I was drip drying for an hour after we set up, still wearing a pair of water proof chore boots from farming days, I regained my composure after the whirlwind set up. I owe all the visitors and customers alike a big thank you for visiting with us, asking questions, purchasing work and showing their kindness and understanding.

The blog image is from the wooden boat show at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park in Arnolds Park, Iowa a week ago.  This annual event is always a show stopper as some really beautiful and unusual wooden boats are lined up for the afternoon while visitors window shop, day dream, and reminisce.  This was a hand held shot with my Canon 5D Mark IV using the HDR setting in the camera, which is pretty amazing...to me at least. I just finished the editing/creative process a few minutes ago after using Lightroom, Photoshop and Topaz Studio during the processing, including the Studio Impression painting app.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of summer.  Where did summer go?

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

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

500px.com

Splash Of Color

"I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also."  John McCain

Arizona has a wealth of incredible landscapes, whether it be the Grand Canyon, Saguaro N.P., Granite Dells, etc.  With all that being said I think Arizona has some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I have seen.  Since my first look at a Arizona Highways Magazine years ago until my more recent visits I am always in awe of the color, gradations, and expanse of the golden hours of the morning and evening.

This shot is from Tucson with my iPhone and was one of the longest sunset events that I can remember. At least a half hour of changing color and intensity.

I hope you all have a great 2018.

Thanks for following my blog.

Other sites where you can find my work:

http://500px.com

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

Just Far Enough

"This world is but a canvas to our imagination."  Henry David Thoreau

Chasing sunrises and sunsets can be an adventure with mixed results.  On this particular morning I was looking out over a large prairie that was dotted with several ponds/wetlands.  The light had not yet reached the "golden hour", which meant I still had time to position myself for a photograph that would include the color filled clouds (hopefully) with a reflective pond in the foreground.  

After a walk of about a half mile I realized that the angle of the clouds was not going to work for my idea of the reflective pond.  As I looked around I saw another higher vantage point that might work, but the color was beginning to splash onto the clouds, meaning I had little time to find my perch.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a odd shaped item sitting in the tall grasses and decided to take a look as I still needed a subject for my foreground.  As I got closer I realized it was the remains of a windmill and the closer I got the more excited I got about the find.  

So, after what appeared to be a long walk towards a lost cause a happenstance became a result.

Thanks for following my blog.

Other sites where you can find my work:

http://500px.com

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

Just Down The Street

"Share your smile with the world. It's a symbol of friendship and peace."  Christie Brinkley

Whitby, England was a vey nice city in Yorkshire and its situation along the east coast as well a vibrant harbor meant a lot of interesting shops, galleries and restaurants to visit. Since carrying an iPhone can be much more convenient than dragging a tripod and camera around, this image is straight out of the phone and the HDR Pro app.

There were a couple of galleries and shops that my wife and I enjoyed visiting as well as making the 99 step climb to the Whitby Abbey and learning more about English history. On the weekend this street, which I believe is Church Street, is bursting full with people, and yes, cars will try to make their way down this narrow passageway at a very slow pace. The abbey is up the street behind me just a short distance and well worth the time and climb. Pets (dogs) are more than welcome in most of the shops and cafes and were enjoyable to see and meet. As we are a "little" partial to the Golden Retriever breed, we were pleased to fill the hole in our hearts that was left by our Bailey years ago by petting many.

As it got closer to dinner we found a recommended cafe/restaurant called "Humble Pie And Mash" and made our way into a small space with quaint tables and interior.  The tables were already full so we were going to have a wait of some time and decided to sit outside.  On our way out the door a young girl asked if we would like to join her and her father at their table. We accepted the invite and not only had a delicious meal of steak and ale pie, but a wonderful conversation with our new friends. We covered everything from English and American politics to the huge size of America, which I think we always take for granted. The father had an amazing knowledge of American history and its presidents and the young lady was a jewelry designer. The evening passed quickly, but will long be remembered by us.

I think the most enjoyable part of England, other than the beautiful countryside and towns, was the kindness and generosity of its people.

Thanks for following my blog.

Other sites where you can find my work:

http://500px.com

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

 

 

Something New!

"To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event."  Henri Cartier-Bresson

As I've mentioned in the last blog I have become the owner of the Canon 5D Mark IV and I've been really enjoying the camera.  It's an upgrade from my Canon 5D Mark II, which has  served me well for 6 years and is now my backup camera....just in case.  With the Mark IV I've gained improvement in image "noise", an upgrade from a 20 MP camera in the II to a 30+ MP in the  IV.  This translates into a bigger file giving me suitable image resolution after a crop of the original file image.  It has a bit more of a learning curve than the II, but it comes with a couple of nice in camera editing processes; one is the multiple exposure option and the other is in camera HDR.

More recently I ventured into the realm of metal prints and my first one was of the above image which is the Arnolds Park Amusement Park in Arnold's Park, Iowa.  Early morning, light lifting fog, and a wide color palette.  I had to outsource this exercise and chose Pure Art Printer,pureartprinter.com, in St. George, Utah.  I had heard about them a couple of years ago when they were prepping a start up company to make metal prints.  It seems that metal prints have become quite the thing as they are scratch resistant, light weight,have are not affected by moist environments, such as bathrooms, and are relatively easy to clean. No glass, no frame.  Like many pieces of fine art it has to be kept out of direct sunlight.

Since a couple of years ago I've seen several and most I didn't like. I thought the color was a bit overdone, most I saw had a gloss finish, which I tend to avoid and many were of images that should not have seen daylight. So, I sat and waited to get up the courage to try it out, after the bugs were worked out.

The people at Pure Art Printer were incredible, offer a number of services, and a good price point, which is always an issue with me since my work is for sale at Summerwind Gallery in Arnolds Park. Now, I will wait to see if the idea catches on as I think this is an option that simplifies things for me.

So, change is good even though sometimes I have to be drug, kicking and screaming into the light of change.  The camera was an easy decision...New equipment! what's not to like?  The metal print decision a little tougher because I've had some changes that have backfired on me and I'm a skeptic about a lot of things.  It's an age thing...an old age thing!

I hope you all have a great weekend and stop by a gallery, especially Summerwind Gallery, if your in the area.

Sites where you can find my work:

Google +

http://500px.com

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

The Docks #30

"I tell a student that the most important class you can take is technique.  A great chef is first a great technician. If you are a jeweler, or a surgeon or aa cook, you have to know the trade in your hand.  You have to learn the process.  You learn it through endless repetition until it belongs to you.  Jacques Pepin

If you've read the above quote I have an addition.  The learning never, never ends! That being said here we are again back at those docks that may be familiar to many of you that have followed my blog for any length of time.  It is a place that is always on my radar...I've come to know it and I've come to love it.  It is a "supporting actor" for what happens around it on any given morning/day.  I've kayaked around it, under it, between it.

The great Tony Sweet (tonysweet.com) has been a staunch supporter for revisiting places over and over again.  In different light, different seasons, and different times of day.  It's his reasoning and mentoring that has led me to this place on many a morning at the "bewitching" hour.....like 5:00 am.  Somedays there is a performance such as above and some mornings it can be a let down.  Some times there is a fog across the lake and sometimes the water is still.  

I've been shooting this scene for so long that The Visit is now of equal importance as these spectacular shows.  I have plenty of time to think, to muse, to prepare for what I think might be coming.  To think about tomorrow, or yesterday.  To think about my growth or not. To relax with this view that may change any minute for only minutes.

There have been mornings in which I have waited until I thought it was time to go.  Mornings when I've begun putting my gear in the truck and have turned for one last look to see that the late developing color had begun the show...almost without me.

Like life, we never know when or where the golden nuggets may come from.  We just need to continue to show up and wait with expectation. 

Thanks for joining me here and I hope you have a great week. 

Summerwind Gallery is open (summerwindgallery.com) and summer in Arnolds Park, Iowa has begun.

Sites where you can find my work:

Google +

http://500px.com

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

Little Things

"It's the little details that are vital.  Little things make big things happen."  John Wooden

My wife and I attended the "Friends And Family Night" for the "Spirit Of Harmony Chorus" last evening and have been doing so for several years now.  It's a group of women from all walks of life that come together for the sheer joy of singing, but have also found themselves as regular competitors in national competitions and doing extremely well in the process.

Being in the audience for their "tune ups" for these competitions has allowed us to not only hear some outstanding music and voices, but also to see, hear and follow the evolution of their sound and choreography.  In the opening comments by the director special emphasis was placed on the amount of time that all have spent in practice sessions, critique sessions, and individual preparations that blend together in the final outcome on "opening night".  Believe me, the effort shows every time we see them and sitting in the audience is nothing short of awesome.  It proves the John Wooden quote above that attending to little things can blossom into big outcomes.

Being a different sort of creative artist I am also aware of the time and effort the it takes to create my artistic outcomes and the image above is one of my efforts from a recent trip to the West Coast.  In working through any editing process I am continually reminded of "the whole being a part of its sums".  Little tweaks here to emphasize the touches of light or "brushes" there to bring forward an element like a waterfall is very similar to tweaks made to a voice, sculpture, pencil line and brush stroke.  In fact these sorts of "tweaks toward perfection" are also applicable to life, jobs, relationships and so on.

In the case of the women in the chorus and many artists the tweaks are our inner voices challenging each of us to take another step forward in the betterment of our creative vision and ourselves. The result of our attention to details is our reward.

Thank you for visiting this site and join the Summerwind Gallery of artists for opening night on May 4, for the "Art Crawl" in Arnolds Park, Iowa.