Daniel Ruf

Winter Entertainment

"Taking pictures is savoring life, every hundredth of a second" Marc Riboud

Iowa winters can be very "charming" if it involves a sunset or sunrise, otherwise it's probably one of the most difficult seasons to photograph. That being as it is I have a "bandaid" for the problem. 

During my senior year at Principia College I was required to develop a senior project that would be on display on some wall, in some building in the art department. I decided to do some sort of wildlife drawings or paintings which would involve my getting to know an artist at the St.Louis Zoo.  I can't remember is name, but the experience was a real heal to being able to finish my senior project.

Fast forward to 2022 and I find myself using these forgotten tools for graphite drawing to push myself through the winter months in Iowa. Like any other art or sport having a long layoff requires a long recovery time lean how to handle a pencil or brush to achieve an acceptable result, as above. It also takes a good camera and long lens to capture the subject as well.

I'm glad I've gotten back to using my finger, brain and camera to achieve a mental thrill over the Winter season.

Spring IS just around the cornerThanks for joining me here and you can view my work at the following galleries;

 Arts On Grand in Spencer, IA as well as the Pearson Lakes Art Center in Okoboji, IA.

 

Missing And Finding

 

"If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of better stuff." Jim Richardson

If there is one thing that has been the result of the virus is that we all have missed something, whether it be time, place or friends each of us have made sacrifices that we'll never get back. My "something" was making the regular trip to Arizona in the winter and also a planned trip to Italy, land of my ancestors even though my DNA says my genes are more comfortable with British and French connections. IT HAS TO BE WRONG! 

The blog post above is from Sabino Canyon, a place I've spoken about more than once on this blog site. Not only do I get to photograph some incredible light in the canyon I also get to take walks with my daughter and her crazy dog Murphy. It's a time to switch gears from the lakes region of Iowa to the comfortable landscapes of Arizona.

That being said...the time of lock downs and masks has also resulted in other photographic adventures and opportunities.

Our town has an amusement park that decided to light it up through the night as a big thank you to the nurses and first responders that have given so much of themselves to keep us safe and healthy.  On this particular morning I found splashes of color that I didn't know existed as the park is usually dark through the deep of night. I can remember scrambling up and down the docks looking for different angle options. Social distancing wasn't a problem here...just me and the lights.

Even during the day I was occupied with other options of social distancing by sitting in my truck and waiting for the possible.  Being retired makes this a normal day, but I made a bigger effort to find warm blooded options for my camera and in many of the situations I wasn't looking at their butt as they scampered away into the dense forest.

It's impossible to "candy coat" this event that we are all facing on our planet. The solutions involve staying safe, wearing a mask (that might be the reason for the perky ears), and finding something to thrill your heart and soul.

Thanks for stopping by

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

"Our forests offer much more than just beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Each one has a different story to tell."  Raveena Tandon

Snow has finally arrived to our part of the world...not much, but getting more today. Finally it beginning to look like winter with a nice white coat covering a thirsty soil.

Years ago I was attending a Tony Sweet (tonysweet.com) workshop, my first, at the Badlands in South Dakota. As we were loading up our vehicles with our gear he made a statement that still stays with me. "Always have your camera ready to work as you never know what's around the corner." I can't tell you how many times I've ignored that strong advice, but as time went by I soon learned, after watching enough wildlife butts heading over the horizon, that I needed to heed his advice. The blog image above is evidence that being ready makes all the difference.

This youngster was on its way not long after I stopped my truck and grabbed a couple of shots. I used my Canon 5D Mark IV with a Canon 70 - 200mm lens attached. As I finished looking at the shots on the LCD I wasn't sure how much I would like the image of the deer looking back, as I had a couple of normal side poses that I finished with before it left for the deeper forest. As it turned out this pose became a new addition to my file named "Intruder" which is full of different shots of wildlife that were alert to my presence.

This image is a cropped portion of an image that has been popular because of this lone canada goose that  had its eye on me the entire time I was composing this image in its full frame form. As I mentioned in the previous post of December 12, I have been watching videos made by Judy Hancock on YouTube concerning "minimalist" photography. It's a new concept to me and I've enjoyed learning the steps to doing more of this kind of work.

Old dogs can learn new tricks....it just takes longer.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment or share with others. Have a happy New Year, stay safe and don't over do on the holiday. I'll be sleeping right through the celebration as always

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

A Long Time To Wait

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."  Joseph Campbell

It's been quite a awhile since the last fog event in our area of Northwest Iowa...so long that I can't remember the last time. Because of the wait I was thrilled when I woke up to hazy street lights and hoping that the fog was going to lead to some fun photography.

The blog scene has a much welcomed "Z" line running through the picture with layers of fog caught in the depressions. The interesting thing is that the lake areas really didn't have fog hanging around as I found out making my first swing the the lake areas.

This scene was shot with my Canon 5D Mark IV with a 400mm zoom on the front end. It wasn't until I saw the RAW file on the computer that I saw a bird taking flight near the middle of the image. Judge by the size I'd say it was a hawk of some kind.

The editing process started with Lightroom and Topaz AI Denoise, then Photoshop for the details, and NIK software for final touches.

The next day found us with another foggy morning, which provided another opportunity to try some different areas of our area. This wetland area is a prime area for gulls, pelicans, herons and ducks. As I took this shot a line of pelicans was making their way toward me and the camera. Luck is always welcome.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. The season is making a turn with a lot of leaves and acorns hitting the ground. It won't be long before we'll be seeing the white stuff, but the time for logging fall color is on its way.

Thanks for visiting...Keep safe and use the social distancing options and masks

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Entering From Stage Right!

"Great Photography is about depth of feeling not depth of field." Peter Adams

I've spent a lot of mornings waiting for a sunrises, not knowing for sure what the outcome will be, but always with hope for a surprise. There have been a few occasions when Mother Nature adds a significant tune that I wasn't expecting, such as the duck showing up with perfect timing. I'll take these circumstances any way I can get them.

Just when I posted the above blog image I noticed a distraction that I missed in the processing of this image. That distraction would be that buoy left of center. Rather than replace or correct the infraction I thought I'd use it as a lesson.

The change is subtle, but the duck is now the center attraction as opposed to the confusion of the buoy near the horizon. It may be a little thing to many, but removal of distractions either by changing the camera position or software editing is essential to make the story clear and without distractions. It's always a good idea to check the edges of an image for little distractions as well. I use Photoshop CC in most of my work and a Canon 5D Mark IV, which I still love. Lightroom is the first order of editing and Photoshop does the rest, including clean up. I used Topaz AI Denoise to rid the picture of the noise as I had to use a high ISO to achieve the shutter speed to stop the ducks movement. With that being said it's necessary to realize that using multiple editing processes takes a certain bit of balance in the handling. No matter the choice of editing processes used they all seem to leave "artifacts" if not used with a light hand. It's taken me a long time to learn this and, at times, it seems I'm still learning.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the beautiful Spring weather

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Crisp Mornings

It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fires  of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it."

John Burroughs

Days of foggy mornings gave way to colder mornings with crisp chilly winds, which gave way to sub zero temps and frosty coverings on stiff creaking trees. It was such a morning when I made my way to Gull Point State Park with hopes of ice, strong shadows and frosty trees.  I got all that plus fog blowing in from open areas of water across West Lake.

The trees were glittered like crystal and the sun rays broke through a fork in the nearby tree making for strong shadows acting as definite leading line into the scene. The view was more than I could have hoped for especially since the lake near our home had no indications of fog, but West Lake is a deep lake and holds on to its deep warm water for as long as possible.

Standing here, putting tripod together and setting up my Canon camera, the feeling of winter surrounded me. The patches of autumns earth were gone, the shards of ice hid the lake edges and the sky had the deep blue color of a winter day. The beauty of winter was finally here.

Thank you for visiting my blog site and I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a bountiful new year.  Be safe and enjoy the season of winter

 

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Where's The Landscape?

"Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings."  Victor Hugo

The geese have found their way to the lakes area and Spring was right behind them. They chatter all day and night, talking amongst themselves or warning each other of intrusions or dangers that might be spying from the darkness. I find them enjoyable to have around, though there are those that have lake front lawns are not of the same feeling.

I'm not sure how I got this shot as I was focusing on a Spring scene to the left. The one thing I do know about geese is that when they are getting ready to leap into the sky they have a short moment of making a lot of chatter just before they head down the runway. This simple knowledge has been important in my getting a few lucky shots of takeoffs.

In this particular case there wasn't a lot of time for checking of shutter speeds, aperture or ISO's. Luckily all was set from the landscape shot and even a high ISO for "freezing" the movement of leaves and branches in a previous shot. The other thing that helped was that they took a curved path once in the air, which helped me as my camera was still locked to my tripod.

As I've said before, luck is a part of the creative tools.

Thanks for visiting. I'm starting to for my August 15th exhibit opening at the Pearson Lakes Art Center. Since I have an art in the park function a couple of weeks earlier I need to get all my marbles in a row.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

Facebook - Daniel Ruf Photography  

Spring Finally Made It!

"To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event."   Henri Cartier - Bresson

The morning light striking the side of this dilapidated corn crib was just enough to get my attention. The stark tree skeletons as well as the dirty snow would be an artistic definition of this past winter....cold and wicked.  This also happened to be the first day when huge migrations of geese and other waterfowl were in full swing. The background sounds of the geese along with the stunning sunrise was a complete  symphony for my enjoyment.  I'm sure that the people wizzing by in their cars were really struggling with their own reality as they passed a gray haired old guy standing behind a tripod and camera pointed at WHAT?

The image was taken with my Canon 5D Mark IV, which I think was one of the best camera purchases I've made in my life....except for the first Canon F1 years ago.  I used a Canon 70 - 200mm f/2.8 L lens (another purchase that I've been happy with) just to keep from having to cross a speedy highway.  As it turned out a sizable formation of geese did make a pass and I still had my camera mounted and waiting.

I've been trying out two new editing programs put out by Topaz; one is the A.I. (artificial intelligence) Clear, for dealing with noise like artifacts in digital images, and A.I. Gigapixel which is for magnifying sizes of images.  They both are a real surprise and do a much better job than what I had been using. Since I've been able to get much better high ISO pics with my Canon, I've been shooting more in the ISO 1600 - 2500 ranges, which wasn't possible even with the Mark 2 due to noise reasons.  A.I.Clear has been helpful to remove any noise that might come from the results of high ISO's as well as post processing issues. The A.I. gigapixel has been really helpful in upsizing digital images from years ago that had more issues with resolution caused by cameras of earlier editions. It also be helpful for producing large panorama images for metal print processing.

Both Topaz products can be used for 30 day trial options for free which give one ample time to test them out.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the nice Spring days ahead.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

Facebook - Daniel Ruf Photography  

"I search for realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the texture around it... I always want to see the third dimension... I want to come alive with the subject.  Andrew Wyeth

We had a really foggy morning a couple of days ago and the farther away from the boat ramp that I got with my kayak the more dense the fog became.  It was so dense that I finally decided that the safe option was to stay close to shore in case boaters were zooming through the lake.

I was intentionally headed toward a wetland that I was familiar with, but the water level is so high in our area that shore birds were none existent.  I continued paddling and the sunlight was starting to get brighter which, with the dense fog, might show as a crisp fireball on the horizon.  A workable spot came into view and I got the kayak positioned so that I could catch the sun coming up over the landscape.

The blog image is the result, but with some alterations. I was fortunate that I had a duck fly through as the shutter was released  which gave a sky attraction.  I've added some textures as well to give the sky some interest, opened up the shadows a slight bit and also did a digital watercolor version pulling a bit of the original back through using a layer mask.

My camera was a Canon 5D Mark IV with a 28-105mm lens with an ISO setting of 1600. Initial editing was done in Lightroom, with the final  work being done in Photoshop

We're starting to dry off here in NW Iowa after several days of rain and saturated soils. It should start to look like summer and be wonderful weather for a while.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy summer!

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com  Also on Facebook for up to date activities

500px.com

 

Good News

Our life is an expression of our faith.   Daniel Ruf

There IS good news for me to write about this morning and it comes as a result of much faith.  I will be signing a contract to exhibit in the Walkway space of the Pearson Lakes Art Center, in Okoboji, Iowa.

Through the efforts of Danielle Clouse Gast, Visual Arts Director at PLAC, an area in the gallery known as the Walkway is being divided into visual spaces and those spaces are going to be rented to artists that are invited to join.  The thinking process for this idea has been on going since winter and Danielle and I have had some conversations along the way. The gallery is a prized facility in our community with some incredible visual arts shows as well as performances in the theater.

I'm glad to be represented by a gallery once again....so off to work I go!

Thanks to all of you that follow my blog.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com  Also on Facebook for up to date activities

500px.com