I am a portrait and fashion photographer based in Brooklyn, NY, but birds have often been incorporated into my work. Recently I have become fascinated with chickens.
The chicken seems just a bird that you imagine on a farm or in a backyard, but there is a plethora of beautiful chickens out there! I find all the different breeds of chickens fascinating with their abundant detail and diversity: from the color, pattern and shape of their feathers, to their array of combs and architectural forms. I decided that I wanted to document and highlight this wealth of variety and bring out their beauty on a simple white background.
I have been photographing a whole variety of chickens on white in a studio setting. I have met people and their birds at poultry shows from Maine to New Jersey, as well as backyard chicken farmers right here in NYC. Although, it seems contradictory to have chickens in the city, I have found while doing this project that backyard chickening has really taken off.
Ultimately, I envision this series printed very large. On this grand scale, these photographs would be a bit tongue-in-cheek. Large prints allow the viewer to see detail not normally visible, triggering reflection upon this bird that most people see as just a daily protein on their plate.
Here the lowly domestic chicken has been elevated to a monolithic size, becoming a beautiful and mesmerizing subject.
http://elizabethtjones.com/chickenphotoprojectgallery
