Daniel Ruf

Summer Recall

                                         "Nothing will work unless you do."  Maya Angelou

Last summer I participated in the Lanesboro Art In The Park in Southeast Minnesota and after it was finished I found this country road scene complete with decorated sky.  While it doesn't always happen I find it pleasing to be able to return home with something to work on after a long trip.

When I teach my summer photography classes at the local gallery I always try to stress the fact that developing photographic skill is as much about doing as it is about learning, and these points go hand in hand  to improving skills.  Often it seems that some students believe that "absorption" is the quickest way to develop skills and they leave class with a certain amount of disappointment.  It's because of this that we have class assignments and critique sessions to make sure they are actually using their cameras and new found skills.

No matter what one's skill level is there is always a great feeling of pride when a person opens the newest "edition" of work from the camera and they see growth occurring since their last work.  It seems to me that art gives that impetus to move forward.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears

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

Playing It Loose

"There is not a blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice."

John Calvin

The trip to Minnesota was a joy with layers of colorful landscapes and a few sprinkles of surprises thrown in.  This scene of birches begged for some experimentation with the camera which led me to try a "swipe" shot that, in my case, don't normally turn out to be very pleasing.  A "swipe" capture just amounts to using a slow shutter speed and then moving the camera while the shutter is open.  There are no specific formulas other than maybe letting the scene determine the direction of the movement...maybe.

Playing a little "fast and loose" with a camera reminds me, just as in life, can be both fascinating and rewarding.  It takes a bit of a playful "aw, what the heck" attitude to get the ball rolling and the right subject that will yield the desired results.  Just as with any other technique with an artistic medium practice does help with both eye and hand.

Presently I am up to my ears in printing and framing work for a joint show with Mike Houge which will be at Arts On Grand in http://www.artsongrand.org Spencer, Iowa during the month of December, with a reception on December 15.  It will be a great time to visit with friends while getting an overview of a year of work.  Join us!

Thank you for visiting this site and please feel free to comment.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

The new 2011 edition "Take What's Given" is on the way.

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

Never Too Late

"Know where to find the sunrise and sunset times and note how the sky looks at those times, at least once."

Marilyn vos Savant

"On a recent trip to the north shore of Lake Superior with my friend Mike Houge we were on our way back from a daylong shoot of fall color when we both took notice of the changing sky color as the sun dipped below the horizon.  We were close to the Split Rock Light House and knew a bay that just might be the place to be at the particular time and rushed to find a spot.  Being good friends we generally stay out of each others hair by heading in our own directions...I happened to plop down in some shallow surf with the water trickling in and out between the rocks beneath my bottom side. 

The required exposure with a Singh-Ray Vari-Neutral density filter was 8 seconds as I wanted to minimize water detail so I could maximize the reflection of sky and scenery on the surface.  In such situations a large number of exposures are necessary since one never knows when the peak of color is reached until the color begins to fade.  The good thing about sitting in such a beautiful setting is that a good deal of thinking and rejoicing takes place...as well as a slight bit of praying, crossing of fingers, throwing salt over the shoulder (if some is available) or rubbing the well used rabbits foot.  Even when one has a good sense of the numbers...shutter speed, aperture, etc...it is possible to get to the computer only to find something less than what was expected.  The one positive thing about such situations of light, color and magic is making a point of being there, front row center with a finger on the cable release.

It really doesn't get better than this and I believe this will be a night that I'll carry with me for years to come.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Opposites

"A work of art that did not begin in emotion is not art."

Paul Cezanne

Wisking down a road in northern Minnesota brought me to this tempting little eye catcher as I topped a small hill which immediatly caused me to swerve to the shoulder for a better look.  It was horribly windy, which at first seemed to be a real downer, but having a better look and being intriqued by the combination of a rigid steel dump truck that was sporting an antique set of bed frames was a little too much to dismiss.  The solution for the wind situation was to just let the wind do it's thing so as to become a backdrop for the solid subject.  I used a Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter which alowed me to slow the shutter speed to about 6 seconds giving the wind a chance to do a creative blur with the background trees.

The capture was processed in Photoshop CS5 and the further work was done in Nik Color Efex Complete with Tonal Contrast and then Polaroid Transfer.  The gritty nature of the truck against the softness of the background seems to really harmonize well together with the bed ends being the exclimation point. 

As in life opposite combinations that confront us can come together for a fulfilling result...it's just a matter of sitting back and letting "nature" take its course while rejoicing in the unexpected.

Thanks to everyone of you that stop at my blog space and a shout out to all the great Baylor people that are part of this community.  Sic 'em Bears.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

I Just Love 'Em

"Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and wind, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate and inanimate existence, leaves its impress on the soul of man."

Orison Swett Marden

A trip to the north shore of Lake Superior with good friend Mike Houge meant a few days in unfamiliar, but beautiful landscapes far from the farm land and harvest activities of Iowa.  The days were filled with autumn colors, crashing waves and miles of clouds and I think I might have gotten record of a little of each.

One morning I found myself for a second time at Stony Point, a little patch of lake shore with slabs of rock that disappeared into the water without a whimper, with a mass of clouds moving across the sky.  Many shots later the morning rays of the sun began to poke through the thick mass of clouds and the race began.

The HDR image that I had hoped for was developing some artifacts that I didn't care for so I did a layer overlay and then painted one of the original lake surfaces in.  I followed with some work with "Tonal Contrast" in Nik Color Efex Complete as well as a mild vignette around the perimeter of the scene.

Sitting before this scene it was hard to imagine any other place that would be more comfortable or enchanting.  Early morning streaks of light through a blanket of clouds will just about do it for me on any given day.  These are our gifts to be opened with joy and treated with great care.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment on your favorite of this post.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Take What You're Given...

"There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going."  Beverly Sills

....It's called opportunity!

In my case, as you've read here before, sometimes "opportunity" has to literally slap me in the face before I begin to pay attention and the scene above was a perfect case in point.  While standing with my camera I could not for the life of me figure out why I was even contemplating this capture.  The truth be told I almost edited out before downloading my work into the computer and even after looking at it on the computer screen I was none too thrilled. 

After a few days of editing other work I decided to "take the bull by the horns" and wrestle with this "pest".  Don't get me wrong...I love trains and their surroundings and as a boy, usually on Sunday mornings, I would go with my father down to the train yards to watch the large steam locomotives come into the local station.  I even had my own Lionel train set which I held as priceless as a youngster (and now that I don't have it anymore it probably is).

As I looked at this image of the shiny yellow diesel engine and spiffy station I realized that most trains and stations that I've witnessed are pretty "grungy" looking.  In fact the only "shiny" diesel engines I've ever seen are in a magazine ad and never spiffed up in the working world.

So, the answer was to bring this scene into real life by dirtying it up a bit, which I did through the HDR process in Nik HDR Efex Pro. After this process I had to correct some converging lines of the building through Photoshop CS5 and a little later I wandered into Nik Color Efex and worked with the Tonal Contrast alterations and also gave the image a slight vignette.  After looking at it for a while (most of the day) I decided that the blank blue sky (what little there is) was bothersome and the scene was still not "vintage" enough so I used a "Fly Paper" texture to finish the story.

Now, I can sit back and revel in what a smart boy I was to recognize this opportunity when it presented itself.....NOT!  I'm just glad I kept my finger off the delete button and that the pesky image kept showing up on my computer screen.

Sometimes opportunities don't come with a red flag and warning sign.  Don't pass yours up!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment on your favorite of this post.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

 

 

Looking For The Needle In The Haystack

"A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something."  Frank Capra

A few weeks ago I was chasing a few clouds along the southern border of Minnesota when I came upon this scene in a small clearing of farmland.  The wagon seemed so out of place for our time and I couldn't help thinking about how it had survived so long from the Minnesota weather.  As I started shooting the scene the center cloud was far to the left side, but while minutes went by I noticed that it was traveling in the "right" direction, meaning becoming a part of the scene.

Clouds are such a magical thing to me...that they are formed from mini water droplets drawn from the earth and then given back to us in the form of rain.....or snow, while during the process providing us with a myriad of forms and backdrops to witness.  It reminds me of a comment made to me by a west coast photographer regarding the lack of clouds as we see here in the midwest in his part of the country.  I was astounded since I only assumed that everyone had these same puffy white masses in their sky as well.

During the editing process I processed this image in the new Topaz B & W Effects and was pretty impressed by the amount of creative options that are available and the ease of doing custom adjustments.

It was then that I decided to take it a step further using the transparency adjustable slide to add a small amount of color to give the image the more vintage look seen below.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment on your favorite of this post.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" can be purchased online at-

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1868649

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

Artisans Road Trip

"My first thought is always of light."  Galen Rowell

Tomorrow, October 1, will be full of preparations for Northwest Iowa's Artisans Road Trip (ART) with the kick off opening for me and others beginning at 4 p.m.  At A Piece Of Work, Inc. in downtown Spirit Lake, Iowa four artist will be participating in this three day event.  They are Anita Plucker, watercolorist extrodinaire, Avis Davis, also an outstanding watercolorist, Mike Houge, gifted photographer and all around good egg, and myself, Daniel Ruf.  Mike and I will be putting the finishing touches on our alcoves so that all is ready for opening night, which goes until 8 p.m.  During the 4 hours A Piece Of Work, Inc. will be having a reception for Ms. Plucker in the special exhibition alcove with gallery talk to follow. 

Thirty five artist in Northwest Iowa will be spending the three day event showing their wares and some will even be demonstrating their artistic skills in their workshops.  Mediums include everything from pottery and sculpture to painting and photography and all points in between and it is a real opportunity for travelers to make the stops, indicated on a provided map (www.artisansroadtrip.com), visit with artisans and purchase outstanding local art of the area while enjoying the fall scenes on the way.

The hours on Saturday and Sunday will be 9am - 5pm which allows travelers ample time during the three day festival to be a part of the sights and sounds of our artistic area.  In past years there have been visitors from as far away as Vermont to the east and California to the west, all taking part in the annual road show.

The above blog image was taken during my recent trip to Banning State Park and is NOT an HDR!  It was captured with a Canon 50D, 17 - 40mm L lens with a Singh-Ray Vari-Neutral Density Filter attached. Some simple work in Adobe Elements 8 ( I hear Element 9 is out) and then some concentrated work in Nik Viveza 2.  I'm headed back to Banning in two weeks or so with the  hopes of catching the tail end of the color show and visiting Jay Cooke State Park during this tour.

Thanks for stopping by and if you're in the area join us for the road trip...otherwise don't you dare miss the opportunity to enjoy the fall color where you are!

 

 

Stage Fright

"The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking."  Brooks Atkinson

This past week my good friend Mike Houge (http:/mikehouge.typepad.com) called me from Banning State Park in Minnesota to alert me that the fall color had arrived in spite of what the online "color" websites had been predicting.  It presented a dilemma for me in that I have camping reservations for that same park in about two weeks and now I was realizing that in two weeks it may be "poof" as far as the color goes.  Banning is a strong 5 hour drive north from where I live and this past Sunday was the only opportunity I had to get a peek at the fall changes with my camera.  It didn't take much coaxing for me to decide that I better make preparations for going north (not that going north ever takes a big shove, but for only one day...probably more like 6 hours...of work, the thought of passing did cross my mind.)

Sunday morning arrived and I jumped into the truck and started the long drive in a fairly excited state of mind, but when I hit the turn at I-35 to head north the butterflies started nesting in the pit of my stomach.  All the "what if's" start coming to mind about what was waiting for me.  I had only been to Banning once and did a minimal scouting effort due to rain, so I was really ill prepared mentally for this quick trip.  Of course this doesn't mean that on the best days such trips are always a bountiful explosion of outstanding images, but having some idea about the choice spots helps as well as does being aware of how lighting effects the lay of the land.

After five hours in the pick up I got out, grabbed my gear and began walking when suddenly the thought "Now what?" jumped into my head.  It wasn't much different than looking at that exam paper in college and the "empty" sign goes off in the brain.  Oh, yeah, I know that feeling well and this was no different.  It was then that Plan B was put into effect which is...keep walking and something will turn up.  As it so happens it did and who would have guessed that it involved my old favorite...WATER!  It didn't take long before I was standing in the middle of this stream and thinking "Heck, I'll be here all day and never have to move".  Well, I did have to move, but it was like fishing in a newly stocked trout stream where every cast is rewarded.

I don't know about other photographers, but stage fright is one of my greatest hurdles until the creative switch finds the "on" position.  It certainly helps when Mother Nature is yelling (there's that yelling again) "Look at me!"  From that point it's about settling in to a routine, remembering that there is more than one lens in the bag and don't forget the verticals.

So, ten hours of driving for 6 hours of bliss is not such a bad thing and I can't wait to see Banning State Park in a couple of weeks.  Right now I've got the Artisans Road Trip to get prepared for which opens on Friday, October 1 and goes through October 3 and then another photography workshop. 

Thanks for visiting and slip into some comfortable walking shoes and go enjoy the fall color.

For more views of my work visit;

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

"Art On 16th"  http://www.hankhallarton16th.com

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

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

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Atmospherics

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."  Mohandus Gandi

This past weekend I took off for a couple of days to do some shooting in northern Minnesota and north western Wisconsin.  Even though I promised my wife that I would stop on my way on Thursday night to catch a few winks, it turned out I counted sheep until I got tired of counting and kept driving, reaching a favorite spot on the north shore of Lake Superior by 3 a.m. on Friday.  While I waited for sunrise the vision of "sugar plum images" danced in my head as I wondered what the morning light would hold in store.  One of the problems with heading to other parts of the country to engage the camera is that it can be a crap shoot.  With camp sites reserved and time blocked out for such a trip, everything can depend on the weather and timing.

As it turned out dawns early light on Friday was dark and cloudy, which was a huge disappointment.  I knew that rain was in the forecast for Friday so I decided to spend the day scouting some new spots and some favorite spots to help in planning my weekend.  During one period of "rainlessness" on Friday I grabbed the camera and umbrella to head up to Caribou Falls to take a chance.  Half way to the falls the clouds opened up and it poured.  While standing in the shelter of a tree I decided that since I had walked about halfway to the falls I wasn't about to turn back.  After waiting several minutes I opened the umbrella and headed down to the base of the falls to make the best of a bad situation.  My idea, hoping that the heavy rain would cause a veil like screen in front of the falls, is that I could get a layering effect to the falls and the background while leaving the foreground rocks and stream clear.  Well, it may have been a good idea in theory, but it didn't happen.

The next two days turned out to be foggy most of each day, which did allow for some creative intervention from above.  The blog image comes from the Split Rock State Park area.  While waiting to get a "memorable" shot of the Split Rock Lighthouse surrounded by fog I had to settle for this alternative.  After some minor adjustments in Elements 8 I converted the image to a black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro which really enhanced the separation of the hills.

With the help of some natural atmospherics I was able to steal a few good images before heading home on Monday, but not without being reminded that the earth does not turn on our time clock.  It seems that the farther one wanders from home turf the more difficult it becomes to get the stars to align in ones favor.  With all that being said it still was beautiful, the streams are still musical and the nights reading by candlelight in my tent, serene.

Thank you for visiting and take the opportunity to catch the tail end of summer with someone special.  The north woods tell me fall is coming...soon.

For more views of my work visit;

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

"Art On 16th"  http://www.hankhallarton16th.com

Artisans Road Trip www.artisansroadtrip.com  

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

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