As an independent operation ourselves we are always thrilled to see others taking the step to create without compromise—to create what the many mega corps of the world may not give them permission to do should they ask. It’s not always (read: almost never) a lucrative road to take, but the freedom to do whatever one wants is certainly a reward worth pursuing.
Wild Rose is one such endeavor. Created and self-published by Alberta-born, Brooklyn-based photographers and musician Landon Speers, the 10x10 inch softcover is in essence a portrait book, of nature, accompanied by a digital album of original, ambient compositions. The two separate entities—largely written, recorded and photographed in the same locations—are designed to be enjoyed together, with the rolling, rising, and falling music meant to shape a unique viewing experience.
The images themselves capture stillness of many kinds, across both landscapes rural and urban, exploring growth and decay and the beauty within each. Perhaps mundane to the uninterested eye, the medium-format framed portraits captures trees, rocks, and other organic material of Wild Rose will captivate those that look for inspiration in the everyday.
“A meditative approach to being aware of one’s surroundings,” as Speers puts it. We can dig it.
