The land of my Dreams

This was taken back in 2004 while on the causeway to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. The clouds and the lighting were amazing to me. This photo as some do inspired me poetically. If this is not acceptable please advise me and I will not post this type again. Thanks for viewing

The Land of my Dreams

oh the land of my dreams

where everything is

as fine as it seems

where purpose does not

have to be justified

where people are people

who have no need

to be satisfied

where people can be

what they want to be

restricted by no one

simple, natural and free

where color is no issue

all tongues are one

communication is shared

with grace and fun

a land where there are

no wants or needs

nothing taken

there is no greed

all tomorrows are

met with the son

joyous for all

and all are for one

peace and harmony

fill this domain

no one points fingers

there is no blame or shame

no hunger

no thirst

no last

no first

no pain nor anger

nothing obscene

can be found in the

land of my dreams

where enemies are

nowhere to be found

friendships prevail

yet no one is bound

oh the land of my dreams

where everything is

as fine as it seems

Way back when I did a photography course, one of our assignments was to take a photo based on a poem or piece of prose.The association of a photo with text/prose is very powerful. As is yours.

Thanks for sharing.

Mike

The thing is Mike you can write 10,000 words of magnificent poetry.

But, the reality is, folks are far more interesting in lining their pockets with gold.

The poetry is just poetry stuff.

Mindlessness in the real world..

"The association of a photo with text/prose is very powerful. Mike."

A photo without text is far more powerful.

A photograph has its own language, unfortunately ,most folks cannot read or understand, they have not the eye. So, they need words, having very limited imagination of their own. They need a comforting hand. Sad..

I suppose some folk will never understand nuclear science, or Art, by the same token.

Just the way it is,

But they can still write a load of nonsense for the.....

A photo without text is far more powerful.

Would you like me to hold your hand ,so you can understand the nonsense, you are talking. ? Or, discover for yourself.

Best way.

Lousy crop.

Agree. If one is to use Plain Verse, it best be iambic pentameter.

I admire anyone who can set a photo to poetry.It opens a lot of doors.

Also agree. Moreover, agree more than the above agreement.

WW

masterpieces

I generally don't use “masterpieces” as a photographic gauge. People will enjoy making photos for all sorts of reasons and don't need to aspire to the masterpiece.

A photograph has its own language

The language and vocabulary of photography and art have changed over the years and likely will continue to do so. What a heretic Man Ray was for directly exposing objects on photo paper to light, having the nerve not to use a camera. How dare Alfred Stieglitz talk of the nausea traditional Pictorialist photography caused him as he ventured into the unknowns and unheard-of language of Modernism?

Lately, still in pandemic shutdown mode, I’ve been watching some movies of the French New Wave. Godard, for example, paid homage to great classics of film and literature, simultaneously eschewing the need to make films in those same languages. He virtually broke cinematic grammar. He also includes many sequences of the written word in various forms in his films to great effect.

_____________________________________________________

There is much to learn about art and much, as yet unknown, to be done with it.

Heaven is the land of many dreams. Many including myself hope to be there someday.

Me, I’ve got no chance, according to the myth makers. So I’ll be hanging out with Jimi and Janice and the rest of the undeserving. Should be very interesting.

While not particularly enamored of either the presented photo or the poem, I see value in both- AND I see the value of adding a poem to a photograph. Furthermore, combining the two is a great way to memorialize or highlight a special moment- as you seem to have done here. If YOU love the photo and your poetic accompaniment, then it's perfect! Of course, it's always nice to get some form of affirmation to our endeavors from our peers- that said, it's always completely possible to simply please oneself. No need to follow the well beaten path.

Poetry has been accompanied by many things over the years, so why not a photo and a poem? Both have their place in my heart. I, for one, am all in on the concept of combining photography and poetry.

If YOU love the photo and your poetic accompaniment, then it's perfect!

With this I will disagree.

First off, I love many things, including people, places, and my own photos, that are far from perfect. Some I even love for their imperfections.

Secondly, what you say has some truth to it in terms of our doing photography as an often very personal matter. Nevertheless, this kind of ME prioritization is too often an excuse not to improve, not to recognize that communication as intended is not happening, and not to learn from a world rich with perspectives other than our own.

Often, the photos of mine (and others) I most often “love” at first can easily fade over time. On the other hand, photos of mine (and others) that at first give me difficulty or are somewhat outside my taste range are often ones that stand the test of time and that I come to love more than many quicker loves. I love a challenge more than ease.

What is it about each that you are not enamored with? Instead of focusing on how the author of the poem and photo judges them, he’s asked for your judgments. So, he’s already told us that he’s interested in something in addition to his own opinions.

My own critique would suggest that I find the mood of the photo still and sublime yet leaning a bit toward a too-sweet Hallmark card. The purple cast is off-putting and the crop extreme and distracting.

The poem creates a similar mood so is a good companion but, again, the mood itself doesn’t explore much more than a sweet surface.

[ATTACH=full]1345380[/ATTACH]

 

This was taken back in 2004 while on the causeway to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. The clouds and the lighting were amazing to me. This photo as some do inspired me poetically. If this is not acceptable please advise me and I will not post this type again. Thanks for viewing

 

The Land of my Dreams

 

oh the land of my dreams

where everything is

as fine as it seems

 

where purpose does not

have to be justified

where people are people

who have no need

to be satisfied

 

where people can be

what they want to be

restricted by no one

simple, natural and free

 

where color is no issue

all tongues are one

communication is shared

with grace and fun

 

a land where there are

no wants or needs

nothing taken

there is no greed

 

all tomorrows are

met with the son

joyous for all

and all are for one

 

peace and harmony

fill this domain

no one points fingers

there is no blame or shame

 

no hunger

no thirst

no last

no first

no pain nor anger

nothing obscene

can be found in the

land of my dreams

 

where enemies are

nowhere to be found

friendships prevail

yet no one is bound

 

oh the land of my dreams

where everything is

as fine as it seems

John, I think the image and the poem suit each other well.

’ll be hanging out with Jimi and Janice and the rest of the undeserving.

Please pass on my best regards to each of them, Sam. Tell them how much I wish to see them, whether separately or together, in concert again.

Here's the last stanza of a poem I wrote after my first time in Israel (1999-2000).

I have stood on the Land and could do nothing

but cry tears of awe and wonder

the Land has found its way

into all that I am

and it has steeled me

I will be stronger

the next time I'm in

the Land.

I'll follow this with an image.

Shot in Tel Aviv near my hotel, which overlooked the Mediterranean

I've never attempted to write poetry so I can't say for certain whether I can or can't. Certainly not 10,000 words! But perhaps 20-100 at a time if I really wanted to write. IMHO, poetry is the literary equivalent of visual (and tactile) art. At best, it concisely and eloquently expresses the poet's feelings, emotions, reactions to situations in reality, messages he/she wants to communicate, etc.

Unfortunately, I agree with you that most folks in Western Europe are far more interesting in lining their pockets with gold. And that most of the Western world is generally mindless. One of the (few) positive things about COVID-19 lockdown in Europe is that more people have started to think more about what's really important to them and have decided to make changes. One of my former 'teachers' said that for many people, daily life is like living in a washing machine on spin: everything's happening fast and you only ever touch the (outer) surface. Only when you stop (as has happened through COVID-19) you fall back into the center, reconnect with your deeper self and can decide how you want to go forward.

I'm a great admirer of Buddhist (and secular) teachers and organizations who continue to show and promote the benefits of mindfulness. For individuals and for society. It's been proven helpful for medical patients and in other therapeutic situations.

The thing is Mike you can write 10,000 words of magnificent poetry.

 

But, the reality is, folks are far more interesting in lining their pockets with gold.

 

The poetry is just poetry stuff.

 

Mindlessness in the real world..

[ATTACH=full]1345380[/ATTACH]

 

This was taken back in 2004 while on the causeway to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. The clouds and the lighting were amazing to me. This photo as some do inspired me poetically. If this is not acceptable please advise me and I will not post this type again. Thanks for viewing

 

The Land of my Dreams

 

oh the land of my dreams

where everything is

as fine as it seems

 

where purpose does not

have to be justified

where people are people

who have no need

to be satisfied

 

where people can be

what they want to be

restricted by no one

simple, natural and free

 

where color is no issue

all tongues are one

communication is shared

with grace and fun

 

a land where there are

no wants or needs

nothing taken

there is no greed

 

all tomorrows are

met with the son

joyous for all

and all are for one

 

peace and harmony

fill this domain

no one points fingers

there is no blame or shame

 

no hunger

no thirst

no last

no first

no pain nor anger

nothing obscene

can be found in the

land of my dreams

 

where enemies are

nowhere to be found

friendships prevail

yet no one is bound

 

oh the land of my dreams

where everything is

as fine as it seems

John, first of all, I did make one other post prior to now If you'd like to read that, OK fine, I said it, and it still applies, IMO. But here's a bit more of a critique.

I'd like to see this original photo. As others have noted, the crop seems awkward and the color cast seems just a little too... something. Off-putting (@samstevens)? Then again it's a photo of the "land of your dreams", so. And you've clearly done some work on the photo to get it to here from original. But it'd be nice, from my perspective- and I think others agree, to see the original shot.

I've done a lot of cropping over the years, for sure. As I've learned more about photography tho, I usually stick to a set format or "size". 4:3 is typical, I like 3:2. A true or traditional pano crop would probably be 16:9. One of my film cameras shoots a 6cm X 6cm square. Since these are long established photographic formats, they don't tend to alienate our subconscious- IMO sticking to established means and mores gives things better & stronger longevity. So you might revisit the photo in its original form and reconsider your crop and treatment. One of the very best pieces of advice I ever got is to get the photo as close to perfect as possible, in camera. First & foremost. Then do a bit of post production work on it as needed. Honestly, this crop (and crops like this in general) tend to make me think, "here's a person who shot some stuff and cropped all the unnecessary elements out to get to this". Now days, I shoot more purposefully, with the advice to get the shot in camera the first time- in the front of my mind.

Now, on to the poem. I like poetry in general and of course poetry has been set to art, added to photos, has had musical accompaniment, etc etc. By my way of thinking there is a totally legitimate space for combining poetry with a photo. Your poem is nice, if not a wee bit long. We (the royal we, as in We People Of The World) are in hurry-up mode these days. I'm going to say that with most folks, you have roughly 10-15 seconds- at best. If peoples' eyes fuzz over within the first 3 to 5 seconds, you've lost them completely. I love the overall sentiment of your poem, but I had to force myself to slow down long enough to read every word. If it were way shorter, I'd be better off with it- and this is just me personally. But as presented, I'd say you have a poem accompanied by a photograph, not so much a photo with a poem- simply because, as presented, the poem is so much more than the photo.

Somewhere in there is a nice balance. I like where you've taken this, and I encourage you to do more. I also encourage you to consider how things present.

In this instance, your posted photo appears as little more than a thumbnail. Certainly, this was a grand scene. Maybe you have this printed and hung in your living room at 16 by 96 inches. If so, its impact is no doubt more impressive. Please also give more thought to how your overall presentation of the poem and the photo are going to mesh in real time. It's one thing to do some inner ruminating and dream up a landscape and nice sentiment for yourself. But if you plan to invite others along for the ride, think about their comfort and willingness to climb aboard, sit back, and enjoy the journey.

You know, honestly maybe this is a question of just how & where you see this being shown. At a poetry reading, with the photo behind you as you read aloud? Framed on your wall in your living room with the poem meticulously hand scribed upon the matting? In a gallery with other artists and more works of your own? Or in a much more private space where people who may see it have time to absorb it all?

This sort of thing, IMO, needs to be compelling at first glance, then has to draw a viewer in and hold them. It needs just the right amount of depth to keep people engaged- but it can't be scary, and it can't ask too much of anybody. Seek the balance. It's there somewhere, and I think you're on the right track.

I've never attempted to write poetry so I can't say for certain whether I can or can't. Certainly not 10,000 words! But perhaps 20-100 at a time if I really wanted to write. IMHO, poetry is the literary equivalent of visual (and tactile) art. At best, it concisely and eloquently expresses the poet's feelings, emotions, reactions to situations in reality, messages he/she wants to communicate, etc.

Exactly. Nobody wants to bounce across any expanse in the back of a bus. We'd much rather take a 30 minute flight in air-conditioned comfort!

Unfortunately, I agree with you that most folks in Western Europe are far more interesting in lining their pockets with gold. And that most of the Western world is generally mindless. One of the (few) positive things about COVID-19 lockdown in Europe is that more people have started to think more about what's really important to them and have decided to make changes. One of my former 'teachers' said that for many people, daily life is like living in a washing machine on spin: everything's happening fast and you only ever touch the (outer) surface. Only when you stop (as has happened through COVID-19) you fall back into the center, reconnect with your deeper self and can decide how you want to go forward.

 

I'm a great admirer of Buddhist (and secular) teachers and organizations who continue to show and promote the benefits of mindfulness. For individuals and for society. It's been proven helpful for medical patients and in other therapeutic situations.

Also agreed. This world moves quickly, Presentation is everything. Many of us have slowed way down lately, but not everybody has. I wrote a few minutes ago that with most folks one only has a few seconds to grab them. If you miss the grab or alienate them immediately, you;ve lost them and for the most part, won't get them back.

Mindfulness is a lovely thing to have. it's a bit of luxury for some some, not everybody can afford the time! Others simply won't allow the time or give theirs up with any ease.

Poetry is an area that I think many people just don't understand. Photography is something that everybody takes for granted because they all take endless numbers of "photos" with their phones. In today's world, to draw somebody in for more than a couple seconds, one really needs to create something that makes people WANT to slow down and/or stop.

In a world of shiny distractions moving at light-speed, one really needs to apply serious mindfulness to any project one hopes will gain any attention at all.

John and Ricochet - - I've written a poem quite a while ago. It's about poetry. Let me know if you're interested in reading it.

I'll happily read your poem, Michael! I saw the one above, I like it. I honestly like when things adept together like this, but it has to be accessible (for me, I suppose).