Daniel Ruf

Punch

"Quality is not an act, it's a habit."  Aristotle

As mentioned in the previous blog post I just got back from a  trip to the southwestern parts of the U.S. and one of the stops was in Prescott.  Previous to this stop there had been a "drought" of clouds and I had tired of cropping out blue sky.  In Prescott the clouds finally started to appear and I was again reminded the important roll of these puffy forms play in a composition and, of course, the break up of the blue.  Their beauty is an added bonus as well.

My initial interest in this scene was not only the unique rock formations, but also the white lines running through the rock caused by a geological epoch before my time.  The early morning light along with the feathered clouds really added some punch to the scene making this too good to pass up.  The exposures were made with an HDR edit in mind, which was done with NIK HDR Efex Pro with other editing done in NIK Viveza to locally adjust color, contrast, etc.

After finishing I realized that this was image would be well suited for a black and white conversion which I accomplished with NIK Silver Efex Pro.

 

With some minor local adjustments to the shadow areas I think this rendition is a stronger representative of the original largely due to increased strength of the lighting on the scene.

One of the things I like most about digital photography is the options present to make these kinds of changes with the original capture in the editing process.  In the film days I had two cameras, each carrying different films which had its own complications.

As an instructive side note to new digital photographers, it's a good idea to always make a color capture as it might turn out to be the best option.  One can always make an in camera black and white capture as well or make a conversion during the editing process while still saving the original color edition.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a good weekend.

"Sic 'em Bears". 

For more views of my work visit;

http://500px.com/pigs4u

Arts On Grand, Spencer, Iowa http://www.artsongrand.org/

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

Side Street Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa  www.okobojiimages.com

 

Rainy Days

"My hand is an extension of the thinking process-the creative process."  Tadao Ando

it was a rainy dreary day when I decided to get out for some "wet" work...puddles and such, all while visiting some regular stops along the way.  In the process, as is usually the case, I was fortunate to find a couple of surprises one of which is the subject of today's blog post.

While I take every precaution to keep my equipment dry with several types of camera rain gear, I don't find many of them to be enjoyable to work with or around. It always seems that a flap is in the way or the material begins to "crawl" down in front of the lens no matter how many fasteners are available.  It was the main reason I was hesitant to just hop out amongst the raindrops, especially during downpours.  In this case I didn't melt nor did my camera, but a quick drying off session was necessary when I finished.

There were numerous intrusions in this scene including fenceposts, another dock, various items along the rock wall and background paraphenalia.  All required either good camera placement or editing during post processing.

The first attraction...the boat; the second...rock wall; the third...rain drops on the water, and finally the vertical reflections.  Because of the subdued lighting the colors were more saturated which really helped bring the grass area into play.

The scene was captured with Canon 5D Mrk II at an ISO of 1600 (rare for this ol' boy), but the noice was reduced in Topaz DeNoise with other editing done in NIK Color Efex and Viveza software.  I also applied a texture to enhance the color of the water as well as reflections and darken the outside edges.  I take care to use texture adjustments delicately...most of the time.

Scenes like this, even with the rain, are reflecting and comforting, in my opinion, and also act as a diversion from standard seasonal photography.  They rank right up there with chasing fog and snowflakes.

Thanks for joining me and feel free to comment.

Sic “Em Bears. Go Baylor!

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

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19338959@N06/

Arrived

“Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer!  I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.”

Gustav Mahler

Spring has found its way to Northwest Iowa and with it the joys of being out among the living again.  The cows are calving, the wild flowers blooming and birds are building nests for the next brood.  The sky seems a little bluer and the air pungent with the odor of a warming soil.  Every road has new photographic adventure around the corner, as is the case with the blog image…a wrong turn developed into the right turn.

Calving time, back roads and country farms are what this shot is all about.  The few clouds in the sky allow for some crossing shadows to give added depth the the scene and “character” to the skyline.  Shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and multiple images processed as an HDR in Photomatix.  Further editing was done in NIK Viveza using their fabulous Upoint technology and that was about it.  The selective editing that Upoint allows one to do is one of the high points of NIK products (I’m not making any money saying this).  The fact that Google has taken over NIK…not so fabulous IMO (I might not make any friends saying that).

My 2014 round of classes in beginning photography started last night at the Pearson Lakes Art Center and in a couple of weeks I will re-install my work in A Piece Of Work (APOW) in downtown Spirit Lake.  It will be nice to have work back in the gallery in time for the May First Friday.  I have classes scheduled for Saturday's in May at APOW as well.

Enjoy your Friday and the possibilities the weekend has to offer.  Breathe that fresh air!

Sic “Em Bears. Go Baylor!

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

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19338959@N06/

Crooked Road To Spring

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."   Michelangelo

A couple of days ago my wife and I were outside raking leaves in the yard with no coats on.  Yesterday, I was shoveling snow from the walkway and I thought that the road to spring is a very crooked one...at least this year.  Be that as it may, I took advantage of the new fallen snow and colder temperatures to once again walk down into Ft. Defiance State Park hoping to find thin ice and clean snow.

The blog image is from the Spring Creek area and I was fascinated by the "trench" that the water had cut into the upper layer of frozen ice and snow.  I would imagine that an early melt of water traveled the path of least resistance to gradually wear a "track" in the upper crust and finally reached the creek bed.

It was early morning, which necessitated making an HDR image from multiple exposures in order to bring the lights and darks into relevence in the final image.  I used NIK HDR Efex for the process and then worked in Photoshop CS6, NIK Viveza and NIK Silver Efex for the final black and white composition.

While I spend a good deal of time and energy walking up and down the trails in this park, I find that nothing ever stays the same.  Expecting the unexpected is what keeps me returning to this area that is a multiple of many small ecosystems offering mulitples of opportunities.  It won't be long before the wildflowers begin to bloom in many differing phases depending on the species.  Until then I will continue to enjoy the crisp cold mornings offering ice patterns and frosting of fall leaves.

I wish you all a bountiful spring full of nature's beautiful offerings.  Take the time to recover from winter's cold with a walk in the parks near you.

 

The “Tweener” Season

“The biggest challenge, I think for any new artist, is patience.”  Brett Eldredge

There’s one season of every year that drives me absolutely crazy and I like to call it the “tweener” season…that time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring.  The landscape seems, in my opinion, to be empty.  Deathly looking wasted browns topped in some places by dirty tired snow.  It’s a time when I often wonder if I’ll ever make another image as I hike from one place to another looking for a glint of  inspiration.

Such was the case a couple of days ago when I headed into one of my favorite state parks to shake out the mental cobwebs and get the motor running.  Since  the year has been lacking on moisture I wanted to check the creek areas in this park to see if water was once again flowing and I specifically wanted to look for some ice patterns that would serve as a subject.  Last fall I had made an extra effort to start looking down as I walk through forest areas for leaf patterns and such and was pleased with several results.  It only seemed appropriate to care that challenge forward to the “tweener” season.

The blog image is one of the results as it actually occurred near the creeks edge.  These thin formations of ice that are continually melting away during the day and then freezing again during the evening to form thin layers complete with natural design patterns.  The leaf just happened to be the “frosting on the cake”.

The capture was processed in Photoshop CS6 with various applications of NIK and Topaz software being applied to get to the end result.  It is a perfect snippet of a “tweener” day and what it has to offer if one looks hard enough and believes that beauty can be as close as ones feet.  It also was proof that spring is pushing its way in and winter is slinking out.

Sic “Em Bears. Go Baylor!

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

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19338959@N06/

Thank you for coming to this site and I hope you all are beginning to see the effort of spring returning.

Slipping Away

“Be a yardstick of quality.  Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

Steve Jobs

A couple of days ago I stood by a roadside watching, waiting, hoping and praying that magic would happen.  At the same time I got a sense that winter was struggling for its last moments of the year.  Today, it’s snowing outside and I sense that winter is laughing at me, snickering that there just might be a pulse…yet.  No matter…as I see this opportunity as a blanket of fresh snow waiting for my return.

The subject of the blog image, the sunset, began when I was about 20 miles away from where I needed to be.  As many photographers know, once you see the color of a sunset the end is usually just minutes away.  In this case I was a little lucky as the sunset was like an aging wine…getting better with each passing minute, but I knew there still had to be an end and feared that I wouldn’t find the necessary foreground player.

It seems that the rural landscape continues to play a part in my work even considering that I’ve been away from the life style and work habits for over 6 years.  Fence lines and silo’s continue to interest me and I realize with every passing year there are fewer of them.  As I work behind the camera my mind reflects on what goes on inside the barn, the time it takes to set a fence, and that chores are almost done and suppers on the table.  The rural timeline is ingrained in many a farm family as well as the strength of spirit required to operate in the field of agriculture.

This is a long exposure three shot HDR processed in Photomatix software.  Final adjustment were made with the help of NIK Viveza and Color Efex software.

The last day for my exhibit at the Pearson Lakes Art Center is tomorrow, Saturday, March 1.  I’ve received many kind comments and have enjoyed being able to discuss my work with many people.  Thank you all for your support.  In about one month I will again have work on display at A Piece Of Work in downtown Spirit Lake, Iowa and look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.

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

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19338959@N06/

Winter’s Grip

“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas.  It is a creative art.”  Ansel Adams

Northwest Iowa finds itself in winter’s grip and due to yesterdays blizzard like conditions the reception for my photography exhibit at the Pearson Lakes Art Center was pushed to tonight, Friday, January 17.  Having lived in Iowa since 1982 winter postponements have become less unusual and more a fact of winter’s fickle tendencies. 

The blog image is a good look at the present Iowa landscape…little snow, cold temps and cloud laced sky.  While this scene portrays a sense of winter’s beauty it does also give me pause for two reasons.  One, that the Iowa landscape is very short on precipitation for this year and for agricultural success in 2014, there needs to be a “wet trend” to fill the water table.  That’s the farmer speaking.

The other relates to the barn deep in the background of this image.  As of a couple of months ago, this barn is now flat.  It is disheartening to me as this is a place I often come for landscapes of an eastern view.  Many dawns and cloud laden skies have been shot of this location and the barn scene provided a nice background anchor point for the eyes.  What’s worse is that to the left, out of view in this capture, is another often photographed location that has changed with the recent razing of some farm buildings and large silo’s.

It is with regret that both problems exist, but the latter is one that can’t be altered as small farms give way to larger operations with modern facilities for efficiency.  Life does go on.

The image was processed as a 3 shot HDR in NIK HDR Efex Pro, further processed in Photoshop CS 6 and followed with some minimal work in NIK Viveza and NIK Color Efex Pro using the fabulous “U Point” technology.

Thanks for joining me here and hope that winter is revealing amazing views to wander through.

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

Collecting Collections

 

“There are no lines in nature, only areas of color, one against another.”  Edouard Manet

My entire month of November has been spent in preparation for an upcoming show at the Pearson Lakes Art Center http://www.lakesart.org/ opening with a reception on January 16, 2014.  As a habit from my farming days I started early to try to circumvent any “surprises” that may occur during the process of organizing, printing, matting, framing, etc.  While I know that only a fool with such intentions tempts the fates, I at least have enough time to scurry around towards the completion of the task.

At this point all the printing and framing has been completed and now the job of going through the pricing, cataloguing and labeling begins.  The funny thing is I can barely remember the names of the selections, but all that has been written down, scratched out, rewritten, changed, added to, subtracted from, etc.  My past workshop participants won’t find this surprising as it’s been a standard joke that I struggle to remember names and put them to the right faces.

The blog post is one of the new pieces that will be in this exhibit and was captured during my trip this past Fall on Michigan’s U.P.  This was one situation that I was able to find a spot of color within the confines of the subject and was honored that mother nature provided it.  It’s a pretty straight forward shot taken with my Canon 5D and processed in Photoshop and NIK software.  I was pleased that I could gain a position that allowed the overhanging color to become a sort of “frame” for the subject.  These types of techniques will be the focus of a digital photography workshop that I will be teaching at the Pearson during the month of April.

It is such an honor to be asked to exhibit at the Pearson and I’m excited to see this body of work, most from 2013, displayed as it gives me the opportunity to sort of scroll through “the book of 2013”.

One other side note…I will be removing my work from A Piece Of Work at the end of this month, largely due to the size and needs of the Pearson show, but expect to return in April, 2014.

Thank you all for visiting and being the supportive elements for the writing of this blog.  I hope you all had a marvelous Thanksgiving and wish you a happy weekend.

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears!  FINISH STRONG!

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

Personal Challenge

“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself.”   Muhammad Ali

This past week was a flurry of activity for getting out often to catch the fading Fall color before it’s gone.  I spent quite some time down in Ft. Defiance State Park doing several camera blurs (check in next week for results), but one night, after having realized that I did more looking up than down during the photographic process, I planned on concentrating more on the forest floor.  The next morning came and with it a gently rain/mist which was enough reason to get into the truck and drive.

Of course the lighting was excellent since low light really brings out the color saturation in an image and then there was not only the droplets of water on the leaves, but also the sheen of wetness.  My intent was to find a still life that was complete and didn’t involve my “messing” with nature to try to improve…as  that seldom seems to work.  Due to that it took a while of stumbling around, back tracking, moving this way and that, but finally I spied some standout red leaves poking up from the forest floor.

The blog image is the result without a human hand involved, except of course with the camera.  The line of red going from the upper right to lower left wsa the real attraction that started the wheels turning.  I used Photoshop CS6 to process and then used the u-point technology of NIK software in Viveza to adjust the color, highlights and darks to my satisfaction.  Then some work in NIK Color Efex Pro to add an edge vignette and also adjust the color balance of the scene.

After completing this self assignment I couldn’t take my eyes off the floor of the valley and I hope the exercise more cognizant of all dimensions that I’m walking through.  After all beauty is not just what we’re walking toward, but all around us, including at our feet and mine are size 12 so not easily missed.

Thank you all for coming to my blog and please feel free to comment on this or any other of my blog posts.  Enjoy the Fall as it is slipping fast in our area with frost predicted for tomorrow.  FROST?  I feel another assignment coming….a good frost image!

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

On The Road

I just returned from a week long visit to Michigan’s U.P. to reconnect to a place I discovered last Fall.  While the color was spotty compared to last years wash of vibrant colors, it was good to be back and challenged by new scenes and circumstances.

The start of my trip began with a visit to the Lanesboro Gallery ( www.lanesboroarts.org ) to drop off some new work in a gallery that I still enjoy visiting and being a part of.  I make this trip at least 2 times a year and on the trek I always look forward to passing the farm seen in the above.  Until this trip the scene was never complete to my liking…whether it be too cloudy, wrong time of year or any other issue…but this year it was perfect as a nice ground fog had begun to lift out of the area to form a crop of beautiful soft clouds overhead. With the sun peaking in and out a number of differing lighting situations were provided.

As the contrast was on the high side I chose to take the HDR road to deal with the scene.  I used both Photomatix and NIK HDR Efex Pro and settled on the results found with NIK.  A few minor tweaks in NIK Viveza completed the editing process.

I’ll have more from the trip in future posts and I thank you all for joining me and contributing to the comment section.

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