Prosperity

This polaroid seems like a fitting one for the times we are living in. Prosperity, think about that word for a while. What defines Prosperity for you?  

recycle beauty

Isn't if funny how this whole Recycling phase has really taken off in the 21st century, when the earth has been doing it since the beginning of time.  Just shows you how strong the earth really is.  You can drop bombs on me, build cities that touch the clouds, you can sit there and think you are doing harm by burring that coal, or cutting down that tree.  Your trying to use less, produce less and for what? To save me! I have given you all you need to survive. Food, light, and energy is yours for the taking. My resources are endless, don't you understand, all the beauty you see is recycled.  Not matter what they tell you I will not fade away. So survive from my seeds, live off of the land, drink the water, and remember recycling is NOT a man made invention.  Earth was here before you and will be here long after you are gone.

Spotface; An Interview

Blog:Welcome back R.Pearson
Rp: Its good to be back
Blog: What happen to your face?
Rp: Got some bad shit from the sun, they had to cut me, thats why you can't see my face.
Blog: Are you better now?
Rp: There are days when I feel like kicking the dog but I take a shot or two of bourbon my face starts to  heal faster.
Blog: Didn't know Bourbon had that effect on people.
Rp: I guess ya never seen MadMen then.
Blog: Have you been back to the studio?
Rp: No but thanks for bringing it up dickhead.
Blog: So when do you plan on going back to rehab?
Rp: You mean the studio right?
Blog: Yeah yeah, did I say rehab, i'm so sorry.
Rp: Its ok Blog... Very soon, but I said the same thing after the summer of 2009
Blog: Moving on, What do you think about the Impossible Project?
Rp. I guess its good, I haven't used the stuff. The whole thing with it is, Polaroid was an American institution and its just sad to me that we have lost such vital part of that American institution. If you think about how ahead of its time it really was.  I mean, shit, now everyone has some device on them that takes a picture.  Polaroid defined a generation and gave it an identity and today I feel like we are losing that identity.
Blog: Do you plan on using the new film?
Rp: When I run out of Polaroid, I'll take up cross stitching.
Blog: Do you still call yourself an artist?
Rp: I don't think I ever called myself that.  What does that mean anyway?  Has my work ever been in a museum, have I made money from what I have created, I mean what the F$#@ does that mean?  I'm a human that needs to create, I think about creating something everyday. As the saying goes art is in the eye of the beholder.  I've seen pink dogs wearing sunglasses hanging in million dollar museums.
Blog: I feel like you have something against dogs.
Rp: Hell yeah, we give them free food, water, toys and what do they give us? Those damn eyes looking up at you, saying can I have some of your steak? No you can't so get gone.
Blog: What was the best part of your summer?
Rp: Not hearing your voice, Ha ha, just kidding. No, probably swimming in the smoky mountains and baking in a tent during the night. I think I lost 10lbs!
Blog: When was the last time you googled yourself?
Rp: I do that daily
Rp: Are there anymore questions about photography or anything else of importance, shit.I got an appointment with one of those hot rock massage places!
Blog: You like massages?
Rp: yes
Blog: I can give you  a massage.
Rp: We are done here this interview is over.  Have fun writing your F@#$*ing article 


SpotFace,Interview done for Rapidview, 2011 by Blog. Polaroid image ©Rp2003

American Birthday

We Americans hold our future in our hands, no matter what you say about the road we are on. Our nation has done more for mankind then any other. I will not apologize for being strong, I will not apologize for having freedom of speech, I will not apologize for having freedom of religion, I will not apologize for excepting all walks of life, I will not apologize for being an American.  Just remember, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  There is still good in this nation and we Americans will hold fast and stay the course that freedom has set forth.


May God bless America....

B16

Paper Image #06 iphone 4x5 June 8, 2011 Looks like all I can do is post these paper images taken with my iphone. Which I have heard is the #1 device used to upload to Flickr. On another note, Garrett newspapers let go another 700 people last week. Looks like the newspaper industry is still in the woods even though they tell us otherwise. If I get enough of these images I'll have to call the series "Death of Paper".  Paper will be around for a while but newspapers on the other hand not so much.

American Smile

We will never forget what happen on that day, I am happy we can turn the page with a smile.  I hope you enjoy your weekend America.  I"ll leave you with a quote from one of our founding  fathers.


"If we desire to insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War."

-George Washington, 

 December 1793

Risk

Paper Image #05

iphone

4x5

April 22, 2011

Another paper image from the iphone 3G. Yes I know apple is following me and if you know anybody else that likes to check out blogs like mine send them over.  I've been working on dayside, so my week has been all screwed up.  I hope everyone is having a great week. Go create something, go help the needed, go see a movie, go look at the clouds, do something you haven't done before.......

Mask

Never been posted as a single image but part of a Polaroid Collage posted on 1.28.2008. Got a few more poalroids, just have to find the time to scan them in for ya.  I"ll have another one for you by the end of the week. Where would photography be without Polaroid?  Ponder that question while your taking your digital images and layering  little cutesy masks on them to make it look like they just fell from the southside of heaven. I'm sorry, where I come from people don't glow neon gumbo and their hair is not as soft as those flowered sheets waving in the wind out back at grandma Mildred's house.  But hey we all put them on but sometimes we have others put them on for us....

Crooked water

There was one time I was duck hunting with some friends. Beautiful morning, bagged a couple of ducks everything was going great. Then all of a sudden a storm comes up, the lake turns into a monster.  We are in this little flats boat, waves and wind like you couldn't believe.  The lake has some flooded timber areas and we took refuge there and hoped it would pass.  It never did.  Good thing out captain knew how to maneuver the boat back to safety.  There were many reports of boats capsized and even deaths through-out the area on that day.

Cy

Name: Cy
Place: Crooked Lake, FLA
Date: 02.25.11

Numbers

Paper Image #04

iphone

4x5

March 26, 2011

Thanks to all the people that are following my blog now and for the kind words left through-out my blog.  I had no idea that I was the Blog Of Note until around 10:00pm yesterday.  It was a big surprise. I"ll be sure to return the follows once I go through them all.  Thanks again google for sending me some love traffic. 

Leaders

Paper Image #03
iphone
4x5
February 12, 2011

Learning to Con$ume

Artist: Michael Johnsson

Very interesting stuff by Michael Johansson born in 1975 in Sweden.  He is exploring the nature of how we consume as human beings. How products shape our lives.  I assume Johansson didn't like this and started shaping the products into whatever form he desired.  I love his take on objects in space. Putting together like objects and un-like objects transforming them into something total new.   What amazes me is how it gets his shape and form in his sculptures! He gets it through color and texture from the product.  By mixing and matching color he gives his sculptures depth. Really impressive stuff. What a great vision he has.  Click through his website you will be amazed.

Strövtåg i tid och rum, 2009

(Strolls through time and space)

Armchair, books, bags, boxes, radio, clock, etc.

Dimensions: 0.55 x 0.85 x 0,6 m.

New Blog

I wanted to let you guys know I have started a new blog.  More of a photoblog then anything.  I really like the clean crisp look and the operating system that Tumblr.com is putting out, seems a lot easier also. I haven't decided if I'm going to stop using blogger or not.  Does anyone out there know whole to transfer all my data to another blog?  If you do I would love to hear from ya.  Just in case you don't have a smartphone!....click here RapIDview

Face

Paper Image #02

iphone

4x5

December 16, 2010

Dear Mr. Winters

Richard "Dick" Winters dies @ 92

What a great life you had Mr. Winters. You have touched my life like you wouldn't believe. You were cut from a different breed. How blessed I am to know your story.  

Dear Mr. Winters,

It has always been hard for me to transfer my thoughts to paper but when I heard about your death today, I felt thankful that I live in a country that has heard your story. I am grateful for your service and the sacrifice you made for this country.  

Your story has meant a lot to me Mr. Winters. As matter of fact toward the end of every year, I sit down and watch Band of Brothers.  Not because its a great mini series, I mean don't get me wrong it's great, probably the greatest since Lonesome Dove.The reason I watch it every year is not because of all the great action, its because of the interviews.  To see and hear you men, actual heroes, talking about their experiences brings a tear to my eye almost every time. It helps me to re-focus on life and to give thanks to the Lord above for men like yourself.  Without you and others alike we wouldn't be enjoying the freedoms that we do.

I feel like my generation is constantly searching for meaning, we want so badly to leave a mark on this world.  Your generation set the gold standard, you did it not because you had to but because you choose to.  You choose to run into battle, you choose to lead men, you choose to do the right thing.  I just wish my generation would hear stories like yours more often.  We need them.  They help us slow down, sit back and think about the more important things in life.

Mr. Winters I never got the chance to meet you and that is ok.  I consider it a blessing that I can sit here and reflect on your life in a free country. Even though its a sad day knowing your gone. I know your story will live on in the hearts and minds of many Americans and people throughout the world. Thank you so much for the positive influence you have had on me and will have on my family in the future.

Sincerely, 

Richard A. Pearson

Year 2011

2011 is upon us let us hope its a good one. With all of the birds falling from the sky, I thought these pictures were a good fit for the times...enjoy

Top 10 Albums of 2010 That Made Nobody's List (But Should Have Been on Everyone's)

Guest Post by: Steve Gregg
The state of the union here in America says 2010 was a year, but judging by my list of favorite albums, I'd say it was the year of pertinacious energy and optimism. Yes, some of the albums on my list might not be the “best,” but they were the albums that I listened to the most, the albums that meant the most to me.



10.
Mavis Staples

You Are Not Alone

Staples collaborated with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, who produced this album like Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash's last albums. The blueprint: bring an aging artist back to his or her roots, strip the music down, mix a couple of covers and traditionals with some never material, and watch the aging artist emerge back into the spotlight with new vigor. The blueprint works. You Are Not Alone is a winning effort for Staples, who should have never been out of the spotlight to begin with.

9.

Big Boi

Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Have a good time: that's all this album asks of you. A long-time coming, Sir Lucious Left Foot is a bucketful of party, deep-fried in the South, brimming with tongue-tying, boastful, lyrics and oozing with a trail of funk that leads all the way back to the Mothership. Big Boi is ever inventive and charismatic, and his flawless flow elegantly complements every crazy turn of the production. Gospel choir on “General Patton,” I'm talking to you.



 

 

8.The Mynabirds
What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood

I've been waiting for years for someone to come along and take what Cat Power has tried to do – resurrect the country and soul sounds of the 1960s – and actually do it well. Finally, here came Laura Burhenn, the lady-half of defunct indie-pop duo Georgie James, in 2010. The debut album from the Mynabirds has been my go-to album for breathy blue-eyed, horn-riddled soul that shuffles, jangles, and bounces just the way Dusty Springfield did.













7. Against Me!
White Crosses

I'm the first to admit that I thought the punkness of White Crosses would be outside of my comfort zone. Then, I listened to it, and my comfort zone grew larger. With White Crosses, Against Me! did not create just another throwaway disc of teen-aged angst. Instead, they created a catchy slice of rock-and-roll a short-but-sweet drive through a post-adolescent wasteland.

6.
The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt

After I gave The Wild Hunt to a friend of mine, he texted me this message: Now I know how people must have felt the first time they heard Bob Dylan. The Tallest Man on Earth, Kristian Matsson, probably gets compared to Dylan too often, but there's a reason for it. Like Dylan, Matsson cuts a concise figure of the human condition with deft hands. This album is simple and comforting, a fit companion for the times when you might feel like the onliest man that ever lived.

5.
The National
High Violet

I can't think of any other album by any other band in 2010 that made melancholy sound so refreshing. High Violet subtly moves without ever relying on hooks or coherent narration. Its power rests in its instrumentation – a bassoon here, a string section here, Matt Beringer's baritone everywhere. Funereal anthems from start to finish, High Violet is 11 songs that are both sad and happy simultaneously. Even more amazing is that these happy-sad songs compel us to sing along, happily.

4.
Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam

I'm the little brother of a Queen lover. Coming of age in the 1980s, my brother, a solid six years older than me, blared the soundtrack to Flash Gordon when he'd pick me up from school. At the time, I was embarrassed by it, the guilty pleasure that it is. But the more I listened to it, the more I grew to embrace it and Queen alike. Foxy Shazam works on me in much the same way. Their self-titled album is a victory lap full of blistering guitar solos, fiery theatrics, and flamboyant vocals that should allow Freddie Mercury to rest a little more peacefully. Foxy Shazam fills the Queen-sized void.

3.
The Gaslight Anthem
American Slang


Some of the best songs are songs that tell stories, and Brian Fallon, lead vocalist for The Gaslight Anthem, has no shortage of stories to tell, much like the Boss. Blogs have complained about Fallon's affection for all things Springsteen for several years, but, hey, if you're going to incessantly channel someone, who better to channel than Bruuuuuuce? American Slang is a slick one-two wallop of youthful mythology that finds strength in its brevity, veracity, and uncanny ability to deliver an honest-to-god hook.

2.
Cee Lo Green
The Lady Killer


Cee Lo's summertime mixtape, Stray Bullets, warned us that this album was coming, but little could have prepared anyone for the vocal prowess and confident artistry that Cee Lo would thrust at us full-force with The Lady Killer. Seriously, What doesn't this The Lady Killer do? Fueled by the viral hit, “Fuck You!,” The Lady Killer is an fantastic collage of progressive soul, eccentric uptown hip-hop, and seductive spy-thriller themes. You can't help but be mesmerized.

1.
Fang Island
Fang Island

Pure joy, that's what Fang Island's self-titled album is. In Pitchfork's review of this album, Fang Island describes their aesthetic as “everyone high-fiving everyone,” and that's about as accurate as it gets. I've had to tear myself away from this album out of fear that I'd ruin it, that somehow by overplaying it I'd squeeze the everloving life out of it. But that's a ridiculous notion. This album is a neverending triumph, no matter how tightly I hold it. The blistering power chords and revitalizing lyrics continually tell me so.

Top 10 Albums Of 2010

#1.

Sufjan Stevens

THE AGE OF ADZ

My #1 album of the year is The Age of Adz by: Sufjan Stevens.  This album took me to a different planet.  Almost like when Radiohead came out with Ok Computer or the 1st time I heard Gnarls Barkley, The odd Couple.  On the break of retirement this summer Sufjan left his old sounds behind and birth a masterpiece.  An orchestra of heaven.  The whole album feels like its from the future.  To leave your old sound behind and take on something new and make it work to me is pretty remarkable.  A lot of bands try to change their sound and just fall short. My hat is off to you Sufjan! You had a sound that was strictly yours and now you have another...

#2.

Arcade Fire

THE SUBURBS

The best thing exported out of Canada since Molson Lager is? Arcade Fire.  No matter when this band puts out an album its an epic event. As of now there has been 3 albums and I already can't wait for the next one. They bring a captivating and complex sound like no other. Unlike there last two albums people in the U.S. are starting to catch on to their greatness.  No song is bigger than the other.  It flows like a gem from beginning to the end. 

 #3.
The Black Keys.

BROTHERS

Ever since Ben Blackstone brought over Attack & Release I have been hooked on the Black Keys. I got to see them live at HOB in Orlando.  It was quite amazing .  Two dudes, one jamming on the drums, the other playing guitar and singing. This album is by far there deepest  and best one.  Their beats are channeled from the old Wu-tang days.  (i.e. Tighten up)  They are jamming like no other. Their lyrics are stories  from the golden days of the hollywood film noir.  Heavily influenced by the Blues but with sounds that makes you want to put your hands in the air and shake it like a polaroid picture.

#4.

Beach House

TEEN DREAM

The dreamy sounds of Victoria Legrand. Each album they put out I grow more fond of her and her voice. Also I'm a sucker for the piano that she plays.  There is something about this album that makes your feel at peace after a listen.  Teen Dream is an emotional album filled with great keyboards and razor sharp guitars from Alex Scally.  All the emotions that love bring both good and bad are sprinkled throughout the whole album. 

#5.

Kanye West

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Say what you want about Kanye as a person but the boy can make music. I'm not one to follow his twitter feed or watch him when he's on Tv. I don't  read the reviews about his albums.  All I do is que the CD on my ipod and press play and I hear flow like no other.  The beats from this album would make the eye of the tiger look like a sesame street song for sissy's. I did hear someone say that Kanye's music is all about the beats and the tempo, which drowns out the lyrics making them irrelevant.  I have to disagree with that. I believe Kanye and his lyrics are front and center and Kanye wouldn't have it any other way. 

#6.

Band of Horses

INFINITE  ARMS

If you looking for an album that you could play and play and never get sick of.  You will find it here.  Its that way for me. I go to this album all the time.  This is by far there most polish album and worth a listen or two or three.

#7.

Janelle Monae

THE ARCHAIDROID

The debut album for Janelle Monae has it all.  Taking soul, blues, rock, rap, R&B, you name it. She mixes it all in on this album.  Discovered by Big Boi also produced by him and Sean Combs. What a great start for her, excited to see what she does in the future.  

#8.

Mumford &  Sons

SIGH NO MORE

I got this album early November. After the 1st listen I thought. Man these guys are great, lots of energy and great sounds.  Any other year this album would have been my top 5. You'll love the sound and its hard for me to believe they are from London. 

#9.

Vampire Weekend

CONTRA

The 1st album was great well guess what this one is too. You got to love the different sounds and melodies bouncing around this album.  And come on they name it Contra!  One of the greatest words outside of the word Katie Holmes.

#10.

Caribou

SWIM

My surprise of the year is Caribou, Swim, Not much singing going on in this album but damn does it flow. I'm becoming a big fan of Caribou, I actually blogged about their past album. Daniel Snaith is the only member of this band. Yet another great Canadian. What the hell are they doing up there!?  Well heraaahayyy for Canada. Two bands in the top 10 and probably more people that I don't know about! O by the way that Molson Lager is one hell or a beer.