Untitled, from the series Owner of this World by Shawn Records

Just weeks ago we released a wistful and wonderful edition by Shawn Records, and wanted to take the opportunity to have a closer look at the larger series from which Records' image was gleaned. Shawn's project stands as a poignant meditation on parenthood and on growing up, as well a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of Hollywood and the film industry. Shawn writes of the project:

Owner of This World is a series of photographs made during the four months that my son, Max Records, worked as an actor in Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic. Max was nine-years old at the time, and neither he nor anyone in our family had been involved in the film industry before. Though the majority of these photographs were made behind the scenes, my goals were far more personal than objective. Beyond documenting Hollywood's incongruities, I think of this series more as a manifestation of my own anxieties; a collection of both fears and reassurances, upon letting my son out into a world that's beyond my control.

What's more, this series has been made into book of the same title by the remarkable Portland, OR-based Publication Studio, an "experiment in sustainable publication." They write of their project: "We print and bind books on demand, creating original work with artists and writers we admire, books that both respond to the conversation of the moment and can endure." (Read more about this innovative and outstanding organization here).

More images from the book manifestation of Owner of This World are available on the Publication Studio website—as well as on Shawn's own page. You can order your very own, (custom-printed!) copy of this book here.

Untitled, behind the scenes on Where the Wild Things Are, Bushranger's Bay, Victoria, Australia by Shawn Records