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???)

 

This And That

 

"The best artist knows what to leave out." Charles de Lint

It's been a busy couple of months and much of it taken up with a lot of lakes area photography going up on the walls of the Summerwind Gallery in Arnolds Park, Iowa.  The top image is from the amusement park area of Arnolds Park and is always flowing with a city of people and boats galore.  On this particular evening I was there to practice on some fireworks photography as they have been doing a Saturday night fireworks display for the crowd at the park this summer after the 4th.  While waiting for the slow ticking clock hands to reach 10:00 I got a chance to do some low light shooting of the parks colors.  This a 8 shot pano image with the beginning edits done in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and then final work done in Photoshop CC.

Due to the incredible improvements in ACR I find it unnecessary to do HDR type adjustments as most of the adjustment in ACR will give me a firm platform to work from in the final editing processes, whether in Photoshop, NIK, Topaz or Alien Skin "Snap Art".  Add such things as textures and JixiPix programs and things can get pretty interesting.  In this image, however, things were kept pretty simple with the main attraction being the carnival like lights, people and boats.  By paying attention to details behind the camera, such as sharp focus, vibrations, tripod use, shutter speeds and aperture the editing process is made much easier.

 

 

Getting out into the rural areas of Iowa is also one of my objectives as I do manage to get work published in Our Iowa magazine, a magazine dedicated to the Iowa landscape and lifestyles of its citizens.  My interest in the rural parts of Iowa is also a result of 30+ years in farming. In this image, again a panorama, the final results are from working in ACR and not opting for a HDR solution. I should point out that I'm not an enemy of HDR editing as I've had some really nice results in some of my HDR work, but some of my shooting requires some high ISO use and using HDR seems to magnify the problems with these settings as well as chromatic aberrations, which in my case, probably comes from a bag full of zoom lenses which, I've been told,  can magnify that lens issue.

Even though I've been fortunate to join several workshops in the past, done some heavy instructional reading, and watched my share of video tutorials, I've found that there are two things that have been most helpful in my learning process. 1) Making mistakes and learning from them (an activity that I doubt I'll ever be rid of) and 2) Signing up for Tony Sweet's  (tonysweet.com)  individual video critique sessions which have made a big difference in my learning process as well as weeding out bad habits.  He's an excellent instructor and both the video sessions and/or his workshops are well worth the money for a person that is serious about gaining ground with their creativity.  Also, having a good photo friend to keep you on your toes doesn't hurt either...Thanks, Mike!

In the end it's just like a regular job or going to school...a persons improvement is measured by their time spent in learning.  If you're in the Spirit Lake/Arnolds Park area of Iowa drop in to the Summerwind Gallery to meet with the owner, Roberta Williams, and also get a look at the fabulous artwork on exhibit.  As I like to say..."there's not a dog on the wall".

Thanks for joining me here again and please feel free to comment.  I hope you all have a great week.

For more views of my work visit;

Google +

http://500px.com

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

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

 

This And That

 

 

"The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer."   Steven Pinker

I just returned from a trip to Texas and realized that I  missed a blog post for the past weekend.  Not surprising as this trip was a whirlwind with family visits, chasing grand daughters and, last but not least, amusing myself while my wife shops.  Two of the blog posts are the results of walking around mall areas and all three are iPhone collections.

The shadows were done in a mall court yard with chilly winds blowing (what a time to leave Iowa's chilly weather, just to welcome a Texas "blue norther") and processed with JixiPix's. "Dramatic Black And White" and then in NIK Silver Efex Pro.  The portriat of my grand daughter was processed using "My Sketch" app, and the color shot was of a grouping of Manikin's in a department store (I'm sure that caused some odd looks) and then a blur effect was applied with the "Snapseed" app. 

While I'm still getting used to all the various approaches that smart phones provide with respect to photogrpahy I still really enjoy the freedom from lugging a camera bag and other accessories.

While running through various mall areas in Texas I did find one thing troubling that was surprising to me especially considering that Texas has been touted as an expanding economy.  In one large "up scale" mall I would estimate that half of the mall spaces were empty or had been evacuated.  In the window of one such store a sign was posted that stated new keys would not be given out until the renter had paid the rental that was in arrears.  I found this "emptiness" typical of several malls that we visited while in Texas.

What makes this even more troubling is that often, within a stone's through of an affected mall, new contruction was underway on another mall.  I'm still scratching my head over that, but it smells of the "housing bubble" that we are presently experiencing.

Thanks to all of you that venture to this blog site and I hope that winter is treating you well with many cozy fireside evenings and winter walks in the snow.  For those of you in the lakes area take the time to check out a showing of my work at the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji, Iowa.  It will be up until March 2.

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

http://500px.com/pigs4u

www.facebook.com

 

Parting Shot

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”  C. S. Lewis

With the end of 2013 I thought I’d drop in another iphone shot that I did recently of a quaint shop in the town of Milford, Iowa that is dressed in seasonal décor of greens and reds as well as a little light snow.  It’s a building that has definitely seen the passage of time as well as developing a rustic exterior of passing time.

While learning the in’s and out’s of the iphone has been problematic for this “geezer” the one thing I enjoy the most is the opportunity to be creative without the need to fuss with a lot of equipment.  I won’t deny that I have that “equipment envy” thing going on, but I have moderated with great satisfaction.  In the case of the above post I was able to pull over to the curb, hop out, size up the situation and dive in.  I didn’t have to make a spectacle of a tripod in the middle of the street or continued trips to the truck for a different lens and such.

The process in iphone apps included “Snapseed” as well as “FX Distress” and then finishing in Photoshop CS6 as well as Alien Skin “Blow Up” and some mild touches of Jixi Pix “PhotoArtista”.

2013 has been a great year for the learning and maturing of my approaches in photography and I’m sure there is more to come.  In 2014 the Pearson Lakes Art Center show is coming soon as well as a show in a quaint gallery in Three Lakes, Wisconsin, a locality that my wife adores since her summers there as a young women. 

With all of that will be the regular work for 3 different gallery locations including A Piece Of Work, in Spirit Lake (I expect to be back in there in April), the Lanesboro Art Center in Lanesboro, Minnesota (a place I adore) and Arts On Grand in Spencer, Iowa (a gallery of growth).  I still will be instructing beginning (not so easy) photography classes as well as maintaining an active schedule of photography in my “free” time.

Thank you all for your continued visits and support and I hope you all have a very successful and happy new year.

The next important event for both my wife and myself is cheering on the Baylor Bears in there quest to win the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix on New Years day.  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

http://500px.com/pigs4u

www.facebook.com

Finding Gems

       "No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer chosen" Minor White

Searching is as much a part of photography as the mechanical and cerebral functions that involve getting to the final results.  It has been so much a part of my experience that often times it is the very reason that I had a final result...mosquito bites not withstanding.  Over the coarse of time the thought "LOOK AT YOUR FEET" has resulted in finding something that was moments away from my moose sized feet and total destruction.  It is because of this that people may find my movements among flowering plants to be somewhat rediculous since it could only be called "staccato" as I carefully lift one foot high and gently plant it in a nearby open space....and then the other foot follows, very carefully and methodically.  When this need arises I make a survey of the surroundings to make sure that I'm out of eye shot of others.

The blog image is an example of looking down at my feet.  A very simple "found" assortment of ground cover with a hint of fall in the mix.  Mind you, we're a ways off from the autumn season, but in the northern areas we take these reminders seriously.  It seems as spring has only just swept by us and we are more than halfway through summer.  Time does fly when we're having fun.

The capture was processed in Photoshop CS6 with a mild watercolor filter via Jixi Pix (my thanks to Tony Sweet for posting this tip on his blog) and a slight change in opacity to bring the original gently back into play.   

This year has been a practice of a more moderate usage of creative filters and much thanks has to go to Tony for his guidence during an online critique course I took during the winter.  It's not that my past results were "eye throbbing", but a more reserved performance is often the best practice in certain situations.

Enjoy the summer with its fresh tomato sandwiches, cool waters and outdoor escapes.  Bring the family, join friends or just absorb.  Visit my Facebook page at Environmental Photography!

 

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears.  Less than 44 days to an awesome football season!!! 

For more views of my work visit;

"A Piece Of Work", Spirit Lake, Iowa  http://www.apieceofworkinc.com

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

BetterPhoto.com   http://www.betterphoto.com/Premium/Default.aspx?id=251674&mp=V

http://500px.com/pigs4u