Wellington

I love self-published books and magazines, particularly when they are mailed by their author. You can always tell by the neat packaging, beautiful stamps, and hand-written notes. These little things make the entire experience feel extra special.

I know Madi from the growing film photography Twitter community. A Wellington local, she also works as a web designer and developer, which could make for an interesting chat if we ever meet in person. (Digital technologists shooting film, where you at?)

Madi’s book explores Wellington’s position as a modern urban landscape in the midst of New Zealand’s beautiful natural scenery. Separated into two chapters: People and Places, the book features 26 photo selections with no text other than the preface. Despite the lack of a written word, I found the book highly illustrative of what life in the distant islands could’ve been if I spent a few years there myself. It looks lovely, quiet, adventurous; possibly not too different from Vancouver, a Canadian city shielded by a huge island from the Pacific Ocean and an expansive range of mountainous wilderness on the other side.

Printed on bright white stock with relatively thick ~32lb inner pages, all in black-and-white, this little (just under 6✕6”) square book is a surprisingly detailed overview of a city in just a few pages. You may still be able to get a copy if you contact Madi on Twitter or through her website. If not, she sells all of the images published in the book as prints on her Darkroom page.