Welcome to my web site. I hope you enjoy my artistic expressions in both photos and carvings.
I started taking photos in my teen years and fell in love with it. I remember my brother giving me a Minolta camera that was so small it fit into the palm of my hand. I called it my spy camera. Between that and my Kodak, I took a lot of photos until the busy life of youth took over. I picked up the passion again at about 30 and had my own B&W lab as well. Back then I had (and still have) a Konica Auto S2 with a 45mm F1.8 lens and a Minolta Maxxum 3xl with a 35-80mm F4 lens. My education is the experience I gained along the way through trial and error. There are some great books and videos out there and you should be taking advantage of these. In the last several years, I have entered into competitions and have found that this also is a method to grow. Nothing more challenging then to have your work openly judged by others. I think I have been very fortunate to have placed high in these competitions and hopefully will continue to grow and expand my involvement.
Carving is another passion that I have invested time into and is definitely a form of artistic expression as well. I have read a lot of books on carving as well as taken lessons from several professional carvers. The one professional that has given me my most growth in the last 10 years is Rosalyn Daisey. I want to thank her for sharing her knowledge and always being honest in her evaluation of my work. As life goes on, I wish to continue to grow in both areas and hope that health lets me do this up until the end. ------ Update: Life has a way of changing plans for all of us. Due to some issues, I have stopped carving and sold all my equipment. However, to fill that gap I have been trying to teach myself to draw and paint. I hope you find that interesting to view as well.
I started taking photos in my teen years and fell in love with it. I remember my brother giving me a Minolta camera that was so small it fit into the palm of my hand. I called it my spy camera. Between that and my Kodak, I took a lot of photos until the busy life of youth took over. I picked up the passion again at about 30 and had my own B&W lab as well. Back then I had (and still have) a Konica Auto S2 with a 45mm F1.8 lens and a Minolta Maxxum 3xl with a 35-80mm F4 lens. My education is the experience I gained along the way through trial and error. There are some great books and videos out there and you should be taking advantage of these. In the last several years, I have entered into competitions and have found that this also is a method to grow. Nothing more challenging then to have your work openly judged by others. I think I have been very fortunate to have placed high in these competitions and hopefully will continue to grow and expand my involvement.
Carving is another passion that I have invested time into and is definitely a form of artistic expression as well. I have read a lot of books on carving as well as taken lessons from several professional carvers. The one professional that has given me my most growth in the last 10 years is Rosalyn Daisey. I want to thank her for sharing her knowledge and always being honest in her evaluation of my work. As life goes on, I wish to continue to grow in both areas and hope that health lets me do this up until the end. ------ Update: Life has a way of changing plans for all of us. Due to some issues, I have stopped carving and sold all my equipment. However, to fill that gap I have been trying to teach myself to draw and paint. I hope you find that interesting to view as well.
My photos and carvings are a self expression in a lot of ways and are hopefully the image as I imagined it.
Thanks to family and friends for all your support.
"Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes along." Samuel Butler
My equipment is mostly all Nikon - The camera and lens that I use most are:
-
D850 camera
-
Nikon70-200mm AF-S VR F4
-
Nikon 200-500mm F5.6 VR AF-S ED
-
Nikon 24-70mm AF-S F2.8
-
Nikon 105mm Macro F2.8 VR
-
Nikon 16-35mm AF-S F4/G VRII
-
Really Right Stuff tripod and ballhead
"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. " Pablo Picasso
I've only ever entered one carving contest and ended up receiving one First Place, one Third Place and two Honorable Mentions. I have sold several carvings and people seem to like them. That makes me happy, since it is very hard for me to get rid of anything that I have carved. I have done 5 or 6 larger carvings in trees for people and they have turned out nicely as well. If my shoulders hold up, I would like to do a few more of these.
In the photography world, I entered competition for 5-6 years and was fairly successful. I've been fortunate enough to win several Best In Categories and two Best of Shows as well as second and third place winners. I have also expanded my distribution of photos into Wildlife and Landscape Greeting Cards. I find myself wanting to get out every day to take photos, even if only for an hour or two. It's been a blessing to have the skill to carve as well as take photographs and I think the two compliment each other a lot.
As the years go by we all need to adjust what we do. In my case, I've had to stop carving and making cement castings. To fill in this gap, I have started teaching myself to draw and paint. I have a new folder displaying my drawings and paintings under Artistic Mediums. I hope you find it enjoyable to view.
Hope you enjoy the site and keep the shutter clicking! ----- Bob Rutan
© "Bob Rutan P.H.O.T.O.G.R.A.P.H.Y, Wood Carving and Painting"