Daniel Ruf

Just Seconds

"What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time"  John Berger

My wife and I just came back from visiting relatives in Wisconsin and while there was autumn colors they were not as strong as usual since the area had had a lot of rain prior to our arrival. All that being said, it was beautiful if one found the right spots. Top that with visiting her cousins and it was a very enjoyable trip.

The blog image is a "pure luck" . To make a long story short, I was getting a hair cut by one of her cousins on his back porch area which opened to a beautiful lake scene. I was taking various trips to the bathroom to see the progress of the haircut and on my last trip my wife yelled at me to get back to the porch as a beautiful sunset was taking place. On the way I was thinking that it couldn't be possible since I just seconds before I had been sitting where I could see the sky and nothing was happening.....not even a hint of a sunset.

When I got to the living room I could see this orange glow filling the porch area. It was incredible. I only had my iPhone at the time and got working as I was concerned that this sunset wasn't going to last long. Within 3 minutes is was gone, leaving no evidence that it had ever occurred.

It was our last night there and it couldn't have been a better ending to our trip.

Thanks for visiting my blog site and enjoy the rest of Autumn as the cold snap is just around the corner

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center - lakesart.org 

Arts On Grand - artsongrand.org

 

Autumn Song

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."  Thomas Merton

The multi colors of autumn escape us in Northwest Iowa so a week in the Three Lakes area of Wisconsin is the next best thing. I have connections via relatives in Three Lakes and also, over the years have begun to understand the lay of the land.  It's the area where one of the largest chain of lakes exists (if not the largest) and a place where my wife finds her soul. She spent summers there at her grandparents summer home and together with her "linked at the hip" cousin enjoyed summer days and nights boating, water skiing and time with family.

Over time and after retiring from the life of a farmer, I began to experience her joy of Wisconsin and the Three Lakes area. It's beautiful lake background as well as a landscape of forests and shorelines is enough to make a landscape photographer feel at home. Surrounded by a fabulous caring family of relative and friends the experience of the area is complete.

Our experience this year was one of putting sweat equity into rehabilitating a boat that her cousin had spotted for us.  Along with his being very generous with his time educating us on the skills of wet sanding, patching,scrubbing,fixing, and painting it was a week of long days going into the night and being fed by his caring wife when we plopped down at the table in exhaustion.  We learned so much, shared so much, and grabbed any free time to immerse ourselves in the fall color that I think we squeezed out as much of Wisconsin that we could.

We are still Iowans, but are well aware that are places beyond the borders that are waiting for our attention. We will try to get to them one at a time.

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy the Fall color and share with your families.

Places to see more of Daniel's work:

Pearson Lakes Art Center  lakesart.com 

500px.com

Camera Ready

"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul."  George Bernard Shaw

Always, always, bring your camera, no matter how mundane or speedy a trip may be; after all it is a tool of vision!

Last year we had a planned wedding trip for a relative in Wisconsin.  It was going to be a short trip and I knew that 99% of the time was going to be spent with relatives at the wedding and  the festivities surrounding the event. I really considered leaving the camera at home simply because I knew it was going to be all blacktop to the wedding, attending the event, and all blacktop heading home.

The above image was about the only time I was away from the celebration and I was so glad that the camera was part of my luggage.  Served on a silver plater were incredible clouds, a field of flowers and glowing grass and one solitary boat making a turn toward my camera. It doesn't take much more to make me happy.

Don't forget....your camera and car keys, the rest will take care of itself.

 

 

 

North Woods

"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

A short trip to Three Lakes, Wisconsin to pick up my exhibit work gave me the chance to slip out one foggy morning, race around areas unfamiliar roads with hopes of finding some "eye candy".  As the sun continued to rise and the fog started to dissapate I was starting to get a little concerned.  My mind is calling for patience, but knowing that I would be leaving the next morning didn't make things any easier.

A few more turns and bends in the road brought me to Seven Mile Lake with one lone goose on the lake obviously waiting for me to arrive.  Wisconsin has so many areas of silence and I had just fallen into one of them.  So quiet that I do believe I could hear the sun rise and clouds moving.  It's hard not to just stand in awe of the scene, but time was of the essence as the scene, the light, the fog was changing rapidly.

This image was processed as an HDR image in Photomatix and later processed in Photoshop CS6  CC as well as NIK Color Efex Pro.

We need enjoy all the moments we're given as days pass to years, then to decades, then to centuries and our lives are only a dot on the timeline.

Enjoy the summer breezes and the shimmering sunsets.

Sic 'em Bears".  The Baylor football season is just around the corner!

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

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

 

Wisconsin...It's More Than Cheese

"Light in Nature creates the movement of colors."  Robert Delaunay

Having spent some beautiful moments in Wisconsin it has become even more clear that the state has much more to offer than cheese and football.  It is miles and miles of forest, marshes, streams and lakes with splashes of color to keep any artist busy for years.

I was there to hang a show at the Three Lakes Center For The Arts, a newly renovated intimate gallery in the heart of the town.  On the morning following the installation I left early in the morning and headed to one of my favorite spots (a relationship of two years) excitedly driving through heavy fog to get there.  One year ago, later in the month, I was making my first trek there on another foggy morning with a wide grin on my face.  Fog is, to many photographers, an act from heaven giving us a whole new  creative "brush" to play with.

Surrounded by peace I was in awe as the sun began to rise more colorful than usual, largely due to the wild fires in Canada, which gave another "color filter" to work its magic.  With time ticking away as the sun rose higher, I was quickly looking for spaces that would work well as the sun crested the tree line.

As my time was short in Wisconsin I was trying to "double down" on an image which was hanging in the exhibit a few miles away that was from the same area under similar sunrise conditions.  That was enough of a personal challenge for me to keep looking and hoping for a place at a time which said more than last years efforts.  How can I lose when standing wet from the knees down to toes watching an event that kissed earths beginning.

Thank you for joining me again and if you are near to Spirit Lake, Iowa I'll be giving a gallery talk at the Dickinson County Nature Center on July 16 at 5 p.m.  I am also giving a one day beginning photography workshop on July 22 starting at 9 a.m and going until 4 p.m.  Early sign up is on going through the nature center at 712.336.6352.

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

Help

"The key is to keep company with the people that uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best."  Epictetus

Recently my wife and I made a trip to Wisconsin and Michigan as one of our first trips together since her retirement that was for relaxation, exploring and, of course, a little photography.  In Wisconsin we visited with parts of her family that she grew up with when spending summers in Three Lakes.  In Michigan we attended a reunion that turned out to be more than we could have imagined (illuminations to come in later blog posts).

For me this was an adventure with some trepidation as I was going to be doing my photography in areas that were very unfamiliar and I would not have the "fall back" of familiar locations or rural and lake scenes as a guide.  With various maps and directions I was sure that getting lost on unfamiliar roads was going to be the sum total of my experience.  What I found, however, was that friends and family would become a "force" in helping me to find the scenes I wanted to capture.  Whether it was maps, drive by, directional help or simply food and lodging all was graciously provided.

The blog image is a result of a ride with cousin Steve and his family to the region of  Thunder Lake.  The next moring at 4:30 I was up, out and, after a short drive, greeted with a marvelous foggy sunrise of a marsh area near the lake.  Even better I found my way back home.  From this point on in our travels I realized that friends and family would become an important structure to my creative journey.  It's not that I'm unaware of the "supporting cast" involved in my quest in photography, but sometimes I need to revisit the importance of everyone that I meet in my life and how a simple suggestion or direction can impact results.

I have had this discussion before on this site as it refers to teachers and parents, but gallery directors, students, customers, friends and family all are a part of the fabric that we call creativity.  The "genius" that others assume, is the result of much more than a few books, workshops and outings with a camera.  There is also a weaving of encouragement and good faith that helps the forward progress.

To everyone a big thank you, especially to my wife and family, for the direction, consideration and positive feedback and support.  I learn so much from the touch of others and I also learned that fear melts away when a good foggy sunrise is in the view finder.

Thanks for visiting this site.

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   www.lanesboroarts.org

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

http://500px.com/pigs4u

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

Wisconsin

Recently took a trip to Three Lakes, Wisconsin to visit family relatives of my wife and enjoy some time in the north woods.  It had been a while since I had been in the area and I had forgotten how beautiful to area is and the multitude of lakes that exist there.  One of my wife's cousin's took us out on a boating tour and I was able to see some beautiful wetland/lake back water areas and the blog image is one such area.  I was shooting toward the sun and was afraid I was going to be dealing with sun flare issues, but on processing I realized all went well.

Normally when shooting in new areas it seems to take me a little time to get in sync with the surroundings and as we were zipping from one location to another I wasn't quite sure how my results would be.  Our cousin was a really patient guide and did several manuveres with the boat to help get into the right positions for each shot.  For that I am tremendously grateful.

The NIK software did an amazing job of bringing out the "rugged" quality of the buildings as well as defining the reflections, which are so important to most lake images.

Thank you all for reading my blog and feel free to post a comment

Sic 'em Bears.

 

 

 

" I dream a lot.  I do more painting when I'm not painting.It's in the subconscious."  Andrew Wyeth

I recently was an exhibitor at the Williams Bay Art In The Park located on Lake Geneva in Southeastern Wisconsin, a beautiful lake area surrounded by farms and rural communities.  As with other art in the park events there are many people with many questions and I'm continually surprised by one question that comes up repeatedly and that involves the brilliant colors of both dawn and dusk that find their way into my work.  

At first I was a little disturbed by the questions and was almost defensive in my answer since many of the questions are preceeded by "Is this digital?" .  I finally realized that there are only a few early risers among us anymore that actually get to witness the magical blending of colors that become our dawn and dusk skies.  There are even fewer still that have the opportunity to watch as the first or last act of the day star is quietly played out.  Some days are more spectacular than others where clouds, haze, and moisture all become elements of the color wheel.

The above blog image is one such morning and I'm ever so grateful to be able to witness these special moments on a regular basis.  Nature has done the work to set the stage, I was just the passerby.

Thanks for visiting and take the time to work the muscle of child like wonder. 

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

Remember

"Best of all is to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song."

Konrad Von Gesner

It is the "reminder" season for all of us...a reminder to be thankful for all the treasures and blessings that have stepped in our way and for those around us that make our worlds so much more special.  It is the "reminder" season for all those easily unnoticed instances of grace that garner the minutes of our day, from a simple door being opened for our entry to every smile and "thank you" that we give and receive.  All are special exclamation points of our existence put there by whatever Holy being we wish to name to add color to our lives or the lives of others.

The blog image reminded me of that as I was doing some last minute touch up's before going to the printing process.  This flower called "Sneezeweed" was a resident of a road ditch near a forest in northern Wisconsin.  Disregarding its unpleasant name there are many parts of this image that, combined, serve to give an absolutely beautiful point of view, at least for me, at the time of capture.  The shaft of light in the background which illuminated the specular high lights, the tiny environment around the subject acting as the supporting cast and the absolutely exquisite mood of the day...to some "gloomy" but to me softly exciting.

For whatever reason, as in nature, I find the simple gestures of a daily life to have great power, yet are often the least regarded.  The eloquence of grace in today's world seem to be few, but, to me, are worthy of the greatest thanksgiving, for these attitudes are the "comforter" of our being and elevate our attitude towards those around us...a sort of "pay it forward".

So, yesterday, as with many days, I gave thanks for the precious moments I've been allowed behind the camera lens as I hope they define how I "lean" towards others.  For all that view this blog site I am thankful for the time that you take to join me and for the many kind comments that have been sent my way. May we all remember daily those precious moments of grace that come into our lives and that we release outward to others.

My book "Places I've Been, Things I've Seen" and new book "Take What's Given" 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

Sic 'em Bears!