Daniel Ruf

Waiting

   

"Patience is the art of concealing your impatience."  Guy Kawasaki

Several years ago my wife and managed to make our way to the Joshua Tree National Park on our way to the West Coast. Neither of us had been there before and were excited to see in person what we had seen in pictures. We were disappointed that our timing wasn't right for seeing the Joshua trees, but it turned out that as evening approached it was a good time for some landscape photography. The above scene of layers of landscape defined by fog is something I have always enjoyed working with. It is a panorama of approximately 8 exposures.

It was enjoyable for me to stand and wait with some measure of hope that other scenes would follow as the sun got closer to setting on the Western horizon. My wife has always been good at striking up a conversation with people and before I knew it we were talking to a family from Sweden. We did a lot of laughing, talked a little photography and time passed quickly.

Little did I know that the upper blog scene would develop into the above dynamic of light, form, and color. We waited until the last drop of light was beginning to fade and then started the walk on the trail back to the car. I remember distinctly that my mind was full of wishes and hope that once back home I would be rewarded for the patient efforts and chance.

Thanks for visiting....keep safe....wash hands often.....Love one another.....Normalcy will return.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Miles And Differences

"I live in a landscape, which every single day of my life is enriching."  Daniel Day  -Lewis

I remember standing on this spot, waiting for the light and clouds to do the evening magic, and thinking what a geological difference from less than 400 miles from my home in Iowa. From topsoil to bedrock, prehistoric bedrock at that, and each place holds its own beauty. Yet my Iowa is a product of glaciers, while this is a product of eons of course sands wearing away the soil and floods of water cutting a pattern through the landscape that is now the Badlands. 

The Badlands story is played out all over our great America, but in different ways and circumstances.  Mountains in the West suffering the heaves of the inner earth and the heartland being formed by not only glacial activity, but also tons of soil being blown in from the western landscape to form our luscious hills, with water carving the valleys. If you could flap your wings and fly 100 to 200 miles in any direction and the story and landscape if different and loved no less by those that roam those spaces.

Despite the place, the year, the altitude, the heavenly light does its dance and creates its magic making each and every nuance of the landscape an amazing miracle of lights and darks and colors.

Thanks for visiting me again and I wish all of you the most blessed Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for your attention and that I have been lucky to witness each and every location that has splashed across these pages. 

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???)

"May your trails be crooked,winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading t the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."  Edward Abbey

A couple of weeks ago I went to Arizona to help my son move two vehicles to his new job in California.  Despite the 700 mile in one day trip, following the behind of a Volkswagen RV, and traveling some of the hottest and most boring desert scenery I think I've ever seen, we did make it in about the 10 hours that we had planned.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity of being in California with a camera I decided to cap off my remaining 3 days (more or less) in Yosemite National Park.  It was my first reunion with the park since 1977 when I attended an Ansel Adams workshop, an experience I will never forget.  Ten days of working with photographic artists along with the master himself and learning as much as I possible.

Despite the road construction, heavy crowds and disappointing cloudless skies (except for this morning shot), the reunion was worth the trip, but I was disappointed that my son couldn't be with me as we had planned since he was preparing for a face to face interview for a second possible job.

Yosemite is another one of those must see parks that my wife has yet to see and hopefully will soon. It's expansive with many views and ample pullouts for those special pictures.  In the above shot there is El Capitan on the left, Bridalveil Falls on the right, and Half Dome deep in the background center.

Thanks for visiting and have a great Spring.

Bits And Pieces

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep."  Scott Adams

Years ago when I first got my taste of digital photography after years of film based photography, my editing process was pretty simple.  My camera was still set to turning out Jpeg results with the camera making many adjustment through its default settings.  My task, if I chose to do so, was changing the color a little, increasing or decreasing the contrast, darkening or brightening the image, and that was about it.  During that point in time photographers had to deal with a lot of the weaknesses in the digital realm like horrible noise reduction programs, poor sharpening adjustments, etc. Today, programs have improved, expanded and moved digital photography into more artistic areas.  Now granted, there are some programs that are of little use, but a lot of new programs and new camera adjustments that allow the photographer the discretion to move into new areas of creativity.

The image above was captured in the Smoky Mountain National Park in 2014. In my opinion it's impossible to not find something beautiful in this park.  That being said, I did come home with a few "what the heck" types of images that will not see the light of day in my lifetime. In the case of this particular shot I was standing on a rock in the middle of this rushing stream with balance being the biggest issue and a good image a prayer. Nature had provided the rest and I couldn't resist the challenge of staying dry in the process, but I did survive.

The image comes out of the camera as a RAW product, meaning that 100% of the data is available in contrast to the regular Jpeg type image which has data left out. If you need more details just do some searching online.

The RAW image generally comes out of the camera a little flat in contrast, a little dull in color and a little soft with respect to sharpness.  All of these are correctable, in most cases, in most editing processes. But, in todays digital age, many of us that can't avoid the creative nudge, will take images a bit farther, or maybe a lot farther in our creative search/journey.

In the case of this shot it is all about "selections", an editing term which allows one to select specific areas to make specific changes in that area in the computer.  And example here is that the deep background at the end of the stream was very dark in the original RAW form.  By selecting only that area I was able to both brighten and increase the color saturation to my taste. This kind of selection adjustment was brought into play through out the scene. All adjustments were made with the concept of keeping the viewers eye involved in the image.

The most fascinating and thrilling thing about digital photography in this day is that when one makes a capture, no matter how far away from the computer they may be, they can make the capture knowing that there are certain editing processes available to correct or enhance the final outcome.  This does not mean that the capture doesn't need to be done well, as the camera and operator are still part of the early stages of the creative process and needs to be done properly.

We're hopefully into our last winter snow and I get one more chance to search the fresh white stuff with the camera.

2016 Dribbles Away

"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into."  Ansel Adams

Winter has finally made it to NW Iowa and it came with a bang.  First was the super freeze with temps in the minus 20's....that coming after we wondered if the lakes would ever freeze.  They did!  But before that I was blessed with seeing a dozen trumpeter swans spend a day on our lake, which is the first time I've seen them "wild".  Then the snow and cold came and they vanished.

This year has been filled with experiences with trips to Zion NP, Bryce NP and a short visit to Arches NP, all in the great state of Utah.  I spent a good deal of time in Sabino Canyon near Tucson and more time among the crags of the Granite Dells near Prescott, AZ.  The summer was full with photography around the lakes in NW Iowa and my keeping my space at Summerwind Gallery filled for the summer.  Met a lot of fantastic people, started spending Friday afternoons with my good friend, Mike Houge (mikehouge.typepad.com)  having coffee and cookies at the local McD's and talking a lot of photography.  I never had the time for regularly scheduled coffee outings when I farmed as there was always livestock to entertain me and fill my days.  Retirement is great and I recommend it highly.  I think Mike is tiring of my asking when he's going to retire, but I can wait.

This blog image was taken during a snow flurry at the Lakeside Laboratory facility near where I live. "Lakeside Lab is owned by the state of Iowa and operated through the Board of Regents. Its mission is twofold: 1) to provide science classes and research opportunities for university students, and 2) to offer Outreach Programs and provide services through the state universities."   It's a place for special times...snowfall,sunsets, clouds backgrounds, etc.  The stone structures were constructed in the '30's by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and it's a shame that the CCC isn't alive today as it was such a source of income for a lot of men and families during the depression.  Many of stone structures in state and national parks are the results of the CCC, as well as roads, trails, reforestation, etc.  If you get a chance you should Google and find out what a success it was for our country.

It is my wish that you all have a happy and prosperous new year, that our country thrives and flourishes, that wishes are met and prayers are answered, that our men and women of the armed services are protected and come home, that our veterans needs are finally met, and, most importantly, that we love one another.  God bless you all.

Other sites where you can find my work:

Twitter

Instagram

Google +

http://500px.com

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

Looking Up

"The scenic ideals that surround even our national parks are carriers of a nostalgia for heavenly bliss and eternal calmness."  Robert Smithson

The habits developed while running around with camera bags, tripods, lenses, assorted attachments, and a head full of ideas, results, solutions and destinations can often restrict our vision to looking ahead and sideways while missing something above.  The grand Zion National Park is a monument of steep vaulted walls clothed in natures graffiti of lines and colors that have been painted over time...a very long, long time....millions of years of time.  On more than one occasion as my wife and I walked through those monumental canyons I was so caught up with the "walls of ahhhhh's" that I forgot about the third, fourth and fifth dimensions, if there are that many.  However, I wasn't always delirious by the glowing reflections of sunlight as it bounced from one wall to another.  On this particular day I DID look up to the "high and mighty" elevations that are Zion.

Splashes of light from wall to wall brought out every fissure and varnish that directed my eye upward to the light colored wall and rolling clouds. As in the above quote it was "....heavenly bliss and eternal calmness."  It was a jaw dropping moment that was a result of the volumes of color, shades, lights, darks and everything in between.  My eyes traveled a lacework of cracks, ledges, and nuanced tones, that blinked off and on as the clouds passed through the spotlight of the day star.

I haven't been to all the national parks, but I've been fortunate to see some of the best including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Arches, Bryce, Zion and others.  They all have their best points, their best overlooks, their best trails and their best side.  At Zion I felt comfortable, excited and refreshed.  The highlands were decked out in a frosting of snow, the river was cold and clear, the air fresh and the walls were vibrant.

It's a life wasted that does not step into a national park once in a while, IMHO.

The Summerwind Gallery in Arnolds Park, Iowa is getting close to the opening date of May 1, with a grand opening date of  June 4.  Visit the gallery and get an eye full of some outstanding art by Iowa artists and meet the new owner, Roberta Williams, an artist with a remarkable vision.  We look forward to seeing you.

For more views of my work visit;

http://500px.com

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

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