VIRGINIA BREEZE:  “David’s blog has some of the most beautiful and cherished poetry I’ve read in a long time. It has moved me to tears on more than one occasion. If you enjoy heartfelt honest sentiments that speak of the core issues of our lives then grab a cup of tea, slow down and read some of David’s poems. They are written by someone who feels deeply and has an open heart. You will go away feeling like you know him. They are easy to understand and are mated with beautiful photos. My post this month was inspired by David’s poetry. His writing sets me free and encourages me to be authentic. He also writes about a variety of topics I find interesting, warm, real (and sometimes funny).”

“A Nice Camera Can Change Your Life”

–David

Or, at least, a very nice camera can change your life. It changed mine. I won’t say it was a religious conversion or anything as dramatic as that. But taking photos has made my daily life much more interesting. I am never bored now and I used to find time to be bored. When you watch television a couple of hours every day it could be a sign that you are bored!

And I wasn’t that interested in going out either. Being in an interesting place like Virginia Beach or DC or even Disney World was not that fantastic an experience. I would become involved in watching people and seeing all the stuff that’s not so attractive about them. And then my feet and back would start to hurt too.

I was ready to go back to our home or the hotel and have a drink in short order. But taking photos changed that. Because I started looking for things that are beautiful instead of things that are ugly. I became enthusiastic about the search for the interesting and the artistic in nature or in the things man has created. I became very happy when I found it and ignored my physical discomfort. And I am sure my wife appreciated the new more happy, outgoing and energetic me!

I share this with you because I believe there are a lot of folks out there who could benefit from taking up photography. When we went up to DC recently I was standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial and watching everyone taking photos of Abe. Ninety nine percent of them were using those little digital cameras that take about five seconds to capture a photo. Five seconds is an eternity to try and take a photo. People were moving in front of the photo taker. And I am sure the results were uniformly generic. Do you see what I mean? Did you ever want to take a photo that is unusual or original? Did you ever want to express the artistic side of your personality this way?

Try taking this photo with a small digital camera.

And then try taking it with a Nikon D70. You are standing on the beach just after sunrise. You have your camera in hand and your finger is on the button. As you watch the waves coming in a bird takes off behind you as you whirl, focus and shoot in less than a second. Because that is all the time you have and the camera is up to the job.

Here are a few photos I took when we were up in DC. Having a nice camera and a telephoto lens really makes things much nicer. Sure it can be expensive but not any more expensive than a new computer or a flat screen HDTV.

And it’s not just the taking of the photo. In these days its the editing with one of the many fine software programs that are available. You almost become a painter when you start working with the raw material of a new photo. But you need to start out with a great camera and probably a powerful lens or two in order to get that photo . Then you can capture what most are too busy to see with their own eyes and edit it until it is very clear. Finally you can share it with the world. And believe me people will thank you for it. Everyone wants to know that the world they live in still has beauty left in it.

Photography is an art form and you can become an artist. You don’t have to be an intellectual to be an artist. That was something that always put me off. Because I am not that smart. But I can practice taking photos by the hundreds and the thousands. And you know what? Some of them are going to turn out very well.

People have lots of nice things to say about them. And you can see them in my blogs and on Flickr and Picasa Web. But more importantly you can begin to see how someone with no experience or training like yourself perhaps can become a photographer and an artist.

You can create something that is beautiful and meaningful to thousands of people. You can share it in a blog just like this one. And you can become an artist and change your life.

My Photos here in Virginia Breeze

My Photoblog

My Photos on Flickr

My Photos on Picasa Web

I started taking photos in earnest about nine months ago. They have made my blogs much more entertaining according to my readers. And because I was learning to be creative I also started writing poetry. So one thing can lead to another and soon you will feel like you have done something that will be remembered twenty years down the road. You will be able to look back and see something about your life that was pretty nice. It will be much better than an old, musty diary. (There’s a reason people grab just average photos when their house is burning down).

But NOW in the present you will find out things about yourself and your world.

You will grow.

And you will discover the creative and energetic soul that is in there somewhere and hoping to come out and play!

Virginia Breeze is here to help you along this path. I’m not here to give you much technical knowledge about photography. But I can help you to see that you can do this too. You can take the photos and you can present them in a blog so that many readers will enjoy what you have done.

You can share your life in a way that is interesting and useful to your readers while it is fulfilling to you.

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If you Google “boss poem” you will find this on the first page along with a few other boss poems that people have created. There seems to be a demand for them. Mine has been viewed thousands of times. This one is probably not for the boss you love but actually it might be because it treats the subject with some humor. And if your boss has a good sense of humor he might enjoy it!

So if you just want to say “Boss I love you and will miss you” this is not the poem. But if you enjoy jerking him around it will work. And if you want to liberate some negative feelings it will also work. Behind his back. Because you wouldn’t want to seriously tell him that you wish he would take a cruise and be eaten by some cannibals. Or would you?

Also below is a photo I took at the Electric Light Parade at Disney World a few years ago. Hopefully the boss and employee relationship doesn’t degenerate into this either!

THE BOSS POEM

Dear Boss I wish you well this year

And well upon your way from here.

May soon you land on distant shores

Where they won’t let you pray before

They sacrifice your scrawny butt

And hang your head above a hut

Next to the tribal eating place

Where you are served up after grace.

Because they really love to eat

And you are such a lovely treat.

So here’s a ticket. There’s the boat

Happy hunting you old goat.

You are the prize so don’t delay

Just say goodbye and go away!

We won’t be seeing you around

But we will manage anyway.

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http://davidnotes.com/virginia-breeze-poety/

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More poetry from Davidlind

Beach Watching/ Mother Nature Arrives

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Children laugh long and play under the sun

While waves crash around their happy actions.

And I was out there for a short while too

Watching a babe who was lithe and dark tanned.

When the ocean quite fast zeroed in on its man

And knocked me sideways onto my tender can.

Tumbling around in a large playful wave

I suddenly knew I should try to behave

And struggling emerged from a watery grave

To rest my poor bod in some inviting shade.

“Dear Father”

“Lay us down now

Let us rest for awhile

May the heat heal somehow

And improve our profiles.

The sound of children

Splashing nearby

Mend our souls and make us sane

Before we try to swim again.”

“Amen”.

It’s safer watching them from here.

The radar’s working well this year.

It seeks and finds brief suits defined

Curvaceous thighs victorious smiles. . .

read the rest

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The Promises of Love

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The evening has left us

Quietly to ourselves.

I watch you move before the mirror

Releasing all the catches and stays

The predictable moments and habitual ways.

Until the softness of the light reveals

Your moving presence and my cautious appeal.

Can I catch the light that glitters in your eyes

And hold you in my arms?

A prayer weaves its way above

As we explore

The promises of love.

I am not sure this animal is a deer. In fact I’m pretty sure it’s not. But I don’t know what to call it and here at Davidlind’s VB we are not really worried about classifications of animals and plants and other things. We just want to appreciate their beauty for a moment. Let someone with a scientific temperament run a blog that will give you the latin names of the latest fern. I can’t get into it. So maybe this is an antelope. One thing for sure is that it’s hiding from us. It is shy and I don’t blame it for being that way. Even in Disney World you never know when some crazy human is going to jump out of his safari wagon and sprint across the simulated African landscape to pet his favorite furry creature. You just don’t know. That’s why they print that stuff on the back of the tickets. I have read it closely many times. It says “In the event that you leave the safety of your conveyance and run into our simulated jungle we cannot be held responsible if a gang of chimpanzees decides you are a threat and tears you limb from limb. And if one of our hungry lions comes along and eats what is left of you before you and your wallet can be retrieved by our staff then it’s not our fault. Don’t even try to sue us because we have been down this road many times. If you feel like you might like to try out running a tiger or out swimming an alligator why don’t you save us all a lot of trouble. Get your papers in order and kiss your family good-bye. Also, you may want to check out the sale we are having on running shoes down by Cinderella’s Castle. Because you definitely are going to need them.”

So I know why my shy deer is trying to hide. But she is wonderful to watch from a safe distance. You just don’t want to get too close to wild animals. Which is why I get nervous the moment we first get in line for the Safari Ride. I’m looking for the guy. And I’m checking out his running shoes.

http://davidnotes.com/2007/09/06/they-are-driving-me-mad/

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/photogallery/

http://davidnotes.com/2007/08/03/alligators-need-to-learn-to-smile/

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Yesterday we were at the wildlife refuge and we were walking down a narrow path. It had tall grass and bushes on each side and there were butterflies flitting here and there. I would follow one hoping it would sit down for a second so I could take its picture. And there were one or two that obliged. In fact one seemed very friendly and appeared to want its picture taken. It followed us out to the bay area where we could see for several miles over open water. The thing that impressed me most was how quiet it was. For most of the time Beth and I were alone with the plants, animals and insects. At one point Beth pointed out a bird down to the left of our path. I would have totally missed it because it was frozen behind some undergrowth while it tried to catch a fish. It was still there fifteen minutes later when we returned to that spot. Most of the folks I know are no where near as patient as this bird. Even a fisherman will pull out his line once in awhile. This bird was in the same position we left it with one foot in the air ready to strike. I don’t know if he ever caught his dinner. But he earned my award for patience and fortitude in the line of duty.

This photo was taken out in a nature preserve. Most of the bird photos I have in here were not. Many were taken in Disney World. So I am particularly fond of this one. And hope I can take more like it in the future.

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