Daniel Ruf

Not So Hot

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used  everything you gave me'."

Erma Bombeck

I see that Typepad has made some changes in their operation without asking me.  I love it when techno people decide to get cute with a simple system that worked so well.  Oh, well.  And this ties in with what I was going to write about today....that is software operation and the people that make life more difficult.

This past week I've had the "opportunity" to purchase a couple of items for my education and work process.  The software, a new HDR product that has recently been released, had some great pre-launch videos that seemed to indicate that it was better than what I have been using.  So, I made the purchase and the devil walked into my computer.  As it turned out the software does not meet its pre-launch hype and is dismal, to say the least.  I notified the company that I wanted my money back and they replied, "no problem".  They did ask if I would send them a sample of the problem image...I did.  I also sent them the same image processed by a competitor HDR product (which came out much better) so that they could see the difference.  After that I also tried to run another image through the "offensive" software and the result was worse.  I sent them that image as well.

My point to all this is to ask...why do computer/software brainiacs send out products for us to test?  Isn't it their job to get the bugs out prior to release?  Wouldn't that be better than having droves of people very unhappy and wasting their time? Makes sense to me, how about you? Kind of like buying a car without a steering wheel.  Yeah, it can be fixed but why would anyone want to go through the hassle of having to get that steering wheel?

On a more positive note...Among my purchases this past week were two videos by Tony Sweet about iPhone photography or iPhoneography.  They were very helpful and his work is incredible.  And along with that I purchased his recently released "Visual Creativity" video which is a 7 session instruction on creative photography.  I've been a attendee at two of his 5 day workshops and have been an avid follower since.  This video did nothing to change my view.  His instruction is simple, well thought out and served with his normal sense of humor.  While getting the ear full from Tony you also get an eyeful of his work which is used as examples for his tutelage.  The man is a master that makes one want to search and work harder.

Finally, the image above is the result of some of the things I learned from his iPhone instruction.  I happen to be in the small town of May City, Iowa to get new tires put on my truck.  May City is a very small town that is sliding away, as many small town in Iowa and the midwest are facing.  Curt of Curt's Repair (now Van Steel) has been a gem of a business for May City and farmers in the area.  He's fixed anything I could break.

While waiting I saw this scene across the street.  This building is part of what used to be the May City Store.  My children stood in front of this building every morning waiting for the school bus.  Since the store handled everything from candy to nails, I tend to think that my kids kept their sweet tooth satisfied.  Joyce and Bill Shattuck (now deceased) were the owners and two of the most special people that I've known.  Joyce would always have coffee on and some special pastries waiting for those farmers (like me) that would need a break in the morning. Joyce was the "keeper of the board" which was a small blackboard on which she would document the passing of birthdays and anniversaries of the town people and local farmers.

This place is where I worked and where my children grew up and I'm sad to see it disappearing as are so many other towns in America.  These towns were a part of the landscape and served it's citizens more than we will ever imagine.  Yes, it might be easier and more convenient to visit the "big box" stores, but these small town stores are run by our neighbors, our friends. They stand beside us at weddings, birthdays and funerals.  They pitch in when times are tough (Curt was a blessing when the farm crisis hit our family in the '80's) and they're there when it's time to celebrate.  Big box stores...not so much.

To end this, support your local business', especially those in small towns and "burgs".  They will support you if you support them.

Thanks for visiting this site and have a great weekend.  We've got snow!

Sic 'em Bears". Baylor Football at Oklahoma State - TONIGHT!

For more views of my work visit;

http://500px.com

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

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

Summer Wind Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa

Expanding

"Light makes photography.  Embrace it.  Admire it.  Love it.  But above all know light!  Know if for all it's worth, and you will know the key to photography."   George Eastman

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to give a gallery talk for an exhibit that I have hanging in the Dickinson County Nature Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa.  I'm not fond of public speaking as I'm not comfortable speaking in front of people.  I can still remember those awful book reports that we were required to do in high school to summarize our reading from some assigned book.  Painful.

While dwelling on the task at hand I did come across the above quote which I thought stated the importance of light in photography...or rather the use of light.  It's simple to understand that light comes into the camera and "dances" on the sensor for the creation of an image.  It's another thing to understand the true meaning of the quote as it pertains to the quality of light that dances on said sensor.  This quote turned out to be the substance of my talk as I don't believe the average art patron understands that light quality is the foundation of many, many pieces of art.

In speaking of my work, and photography in general, it gave me great comfort to speak about this subject as it relates to the "trigger" to an image.  Whether it's the early or late hour that I stand watching the dance of light or the way clouds can reflect, bend or diffuse light, or the way light can cause glowing reflections on water, few people are aware of the importance of light in a final piece of work.  In my case photography became a little easier once I understood the value of light in all its forms and intensities.

The above image was taken with my iPhone with a Slow Shutter app and then developed in several painting apps in the post processing efforts.  Subdued early morning light with the first rays touching the clouds above the marina.  What a great morning.

One small note...Side Street Gallery has now changed hands and the new owner, Roberta Williams, an incredible artist as well, will be opening the Summer Wind Gallery some time soon.  I'm so happy that I will be a part of this gallery as well as many other extraordinary artists. I will keep you posted.

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

Summer Wind Gallery, Arnolds Park, Iowa

 

Another Turn

We had an incredible fog event going on this morning as I'm sure the lake surface was cooler than the air above, but the really nice thing was that it was a lingering fog.  By lingering I mean I had time to run to a number of different places to accept the challenge.  The funny thing was that the last place was a place that I've never shot from before....Imagine that! It was very close to a number of my favorite places, but I think my usual assessment was too many obstacles.  WRONG ASSESSMENT!

This shot was taken with my iPhone 5s using the "AutoStitch" app and then edited in Google "Snapseed".  I did a little further editing in Photoshop CS6 to diminish artifacts and to increase the size.

The bird...well, that's just plain dumb luck.  I made two pano efforts while I was there and this was the second.  If I would have taken just one, my little friend would have missed its opportunity.  Of course I could have shot pano's until I was blue in the face and never seen a bird (gull) at all.  That's why I say, "pure dumb luck".

I have several other shots waiting to be edited and, yes, I did pull out the "big boy" camera and, yes, I do have a pano done with my 5D as well.  I don't like to tempt the photo gods.

One sidelight....the experience of watching the fog lift and blow around really was worth being out early.  Fog is a unpredictable event as it can vanish a few minutes after sunrise, or it can hang around, or it can be so thick that not much light comes through.  It is, however, always worth the trip.

Thank you all for continuing to follow this site and I hope you all have a great 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

Time Travel

"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together."

John Ruskin

Almost 40 years ago I first saw the Grand Canyon as a young photographer while attending a photography workshop given by, among others, Phillip Hyde and Edward Abbey.  A strange combination until I tell you that the workshop was about photography and its role in giving voice to the natural landscape.  Hyde was (and is) well know for his master work in color photography.  Abbey was an author with the southwest landscape as his backdrop with many twists of humor.

This past month I, along with my wife, reconnected with the spaces of the Southwest and it was much like a homecoming for me.  It was made even better as I saw the excitement in my wife's eyes as she scanned the same horizons I did years ago.  We walked many trails, stood on many overlooks and watched a few sunsets...together.

Along with this backward time travel, I was taken back to not only the moments with Hyde as the group gathered around the camera, but also the discussions around a campfire with Abbey as we all discovered the environmental passion woven through his writings.  Questions of conservation and photography lit up the discussion as our mentors guided our thoughts to even more questions.

The blog image is from my iPhone ("big boy" camera work to come in future posts) and was on a morning when I was hoping for clouds as most of the days in the canyon area had been cloudless.  As I crept out of our motel room I could  see cloud forms in the dark sky and had a rush of excitement.  As the morning unfolded the sun and clouds did their magic.  This image is the very first edited work from this trip with many more to come as the process continues.

Finally, I am stunned by the feeling of home that I felt as I made my way through the canyon areas of Arizona and Utah.  As the previous visit was so long ago I was not expecting any connection to that time to be relevant to the present.

I'M STILL LEARNING.

Thank you all for your continued visits and support.  

"Sic 'em Bears".  A special shout out to those special Lady Bear basketball players that made it to the "Sweet 16".  We all wanted more, but the trip was thrill and we can hardly wait until next season.

For more views of my work visit;

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

http://500px.com/pigs4u

On To Spring

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall."                                              
Henry David Thoreau

Since the shortest day of the year is behind us I thought I'd start thinking positive thoughts about getting closer to Spring.  In case you readers get too carried away with that thought I also enclosed a blog image that will bring you back to reality.  

This will be a short note to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2015.  Can you believe that?  It doesn't seem very long from the last days of 1999 when we all wondered if our computers were going to blow up from confusion when the year clock flipped to 2000.  I remember that I woke up to switch on my computer just to make sure the numbers were right.

The blog image is from the Triboji area of the lakes region of Northwest Iowa.  I'm not quite sure of the reasoning for location name....I just snap the shutter.  The fog, however, was luscious and helped to cover a clutter of boat hoists and docks that normally reek havoc with shooting during the year.  The fissures in the ice were calling along with the cool gray tones, and the warm toned grasses on the island. By the way this capture was done with an iPhone.

I have been doing a fair share of reading about photography and found that the ebook "More Than A Rock" by Guy Tal is a treasure.  A lot of words of wisdom and superb writing as well as photographic images.  Along with reading I've continued to do a good deal of editing, re-editing, trashing, critiquing (myself), throwing out, and editing some more.  Artists visions are ever changing as well as their approach which keeps the wheels turning.  Never stop looking, going back to favorite places and searching for the new.

Best to all during this holy time of Christmas...love the time with family and friends.

The Baylor Football team is headed to the Cotton Bowl.....what a fabulous year it's been. 

"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

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

http://500px.com/pigs4u

 

Winter Gifts

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a shape, from a spider’s web.”  Pablo Picasso

When I left home on this particular day I had no idea that I would find myself at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park, which is a local attraction of the summer months that draws large crowds of people looking for distraction and fun.  On this day it was gloomy when I found myself driving down the main avenue to check out an attraction at the park…The Queen, the boat that ferry’s sightseers around West Lake.

Finishing up with some shots of The Queen, I was headed back to the truck, slipping and sliding on the snow covered ice, when I spied this composition, saw it as a black and white, pulled out my iphone and made the capture. The main attraction to me was the curving fence line and the juxtaposition of the statures of summer in the confines of winter. 

The in phone edits were done in “Snapseed” and  “Dramatic Black and White” apps, while in the computer I used Alien Skin “Blow Up” to add size and then added a little more contrast in Photoshop.

Winter is sliding away, but not giving up easily.  Promises of warmer temps are one the horizon and I’m ready for change.  Thanks for joining me here and I hope that you will continue to visit.

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/

 

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

New Lessons

"To me, photography is the art of observation.  It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…I found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”  Elliot Erwitt

Recently my wife’s mobile phone died and it became necessary to replace hers as well as mine.  The choice was made to purchase smart phones since the industry was heading in that direction and dragging the population with it along the way.  As you might have guessed these two 60 something seniors spent a lot of time searching for learning aids while traveling the new learning curve of smartville.edu.  Of course, even as a digital photographer, I found the curve equally as challenging using this little “gadget” as a capturing device, editing device, and image retriever.

The above blog image is one of my first attempts with the phone and photography system.  While I’m sure that others may view this as a contemptible result of using this highly technical devise, I have learned at least one thing and that is the fact that it allows the pursuit of photography even while on walks with ones better half.  In such a situation dragging a camera bag and tripod around would be ridiculous, but with a smart phone one is allowed a little more spontaneity of both thought and artistic vision.

I have once again learned that I should never say “never” as I should have learned years ago when I professed that I would never get involved with digital photography. 

Learning is a long slow process for some!

Go Baylor...Sic 'Em Bears! Congrats on the Texas Tech win and congrats to all.  Baylor Proud!

For more views of my work visit;

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

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

Lanesboro Art Center, Lanesboro, Minnesota  http://www.lanesboroarts.org/

http://500px.com/pigs4u