The Chicken Shack

[jennyb]

Sorry I have not visited your thread for ages. This is a whole new world that I know nothing about. I especially like the shots of the egg judging. Great stuff

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks Jenny. I keep on learning about this world all the time. I got some handy tips for successful poultry dealing today! I'll post some pictures and words tomorrow.

 

[wallyboy]

Still enjoying the egg sign shots you have given project a good momentum

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks Walter. I keep plodding on. The egg signs are almost a project on their own now!

Yesterday's auction was a smaller affair than the prvious ones due to teh time of year. Somehow or other I got there earlier than I usually do with the result that sunlight was slanting in through the slatted wall of the building. I got a bit carried away by the effect and I'm not sure the pictures fit with the 'look' of what I've done before. But I'm not one to turn down a photograph or two.

This is more in keeping.

But it's people pictures which bring things to life. Which made it mildly disconcerting when a bloke asked me why I was photographing people, and claimed the 'office' hadn't given me permission. Odd, I'd spoken to the auctioneer when I arrived and he was still OK with me doing my thing. I'll be e-mailling them some snaps for their website as usual Undeterred I carried on, but it remains tricky to get decent angles and to avoid the clichéd shots of 'characters'.

One aspect I concentrated on was people studying the sale programme.

I like pictures in which there are lots of people engaging in the situation in different ways. But they are very hard to pull off. Ken Grant managed it in 'Flock', a book that is an influence I'm trying to avoid mimicking.

I did deliberatly go a bit MArtin PArr for this one.

The little and large element of these fowl was hard to resist.

I whittled 300 plus down to half that quite easily, and even editing them down to 41 for a gallery of the day wasn't too difficult. But picking a handful to post here is always tricky. There is a temptation to choose pictures that are individually striking, rather than helping to paint the big picture.

Progress wise I feel as if an impasse has been reached and I'm making the same photos over and over now, with minor variations. There's a country show on Tuesday, which I'm hoping to go to if work doesn't get in the way. Then it might be time for a rethink and a new direction.

 

[jennyb]

I love the first shot with the light shining through the slats and "Little and Large" made me smile. What a difference between these two breeds

 

[wallyboy]

Your covering all anglesEd good to see,

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks for the comments. I made it to the country show today. Lots going on and photograph. The whole culture of showing animals is getting to me with the different dress codes and strict ways of doing things. Poultry judges wear white coats, but for the sheep, cattle etc. the exhibitors wear them. Anyway, I tried some different angles and ways of looking at things in the poultry marquee.

The first one gives an idea of how little space there is at some shows.

I tried to get some pictures shooting through the cages, but focusing is a real problem and most failed on that technicality.

I've been trying to get a few portraits, but I'm not right good at giving direction to people. Partly because I don't have a clue what I want and mostly because I'm not very confident at it. (When I take photos of other anglers with fish they've caught, even strangers, I can give direction - because I know what a good fishing trophy shot looks like...) I know @Pookeyhead doesn't like smiling people, and I don't either, but even when I ask them not to smile they still do! Hey ho. There's another country show towards the end of the month. I'll try and think of a new approach for that. In the meantime I might start editing what I've got so far and seeing what I can pull together. That might show up holes which need filling.

 

[Ed Sutton]

After my third country show I've realised that as far a s poultry go there's probably not much more mileage in them. There aren't as many birds on display, an not much peripheral stuff. There were some old prints for sale at the Chipping Show today - I was tempted by a couple myself - but otherwise more of the same old stuff. That said I might have got a slightly better version of one picture I already have on file and a couple that might come in useful.

All in all I think it's time to get out of my comfort zone and start following up those offers to photograph people 'at home with their chickens'!

 

[wallyboy]

Every time i see an egg sign on the side of the road now i think of Ed and his thread,
Maturing nicely, look forward to those people shots

 

[sphexx]

All in all I think it's time to get out of my comfort zone and start following up those offers to photograph people 'at home with their chickens'!

Definitely poultry at home is worth looking into, you may find quite a variety of subjects. I don't show but I keep a show breed (Black Rosecomb Bantams) which lived "wild" in the garden and roosted in a tree until this year when I got a terrier whose sole aim in life is killing birds ... work in progress

 

[Ed Sutton]

Every time i see an egg sign on the side of the road now i think of Ed and his thread,
Maturing nicely, look forward to those people shots

I see egg signs everywhere these days! Drove past three yesterday but wasn't able to stop. I know where they are though.

Definitely poultry at home is worth looking into, you may find quite a variety of subjects. I don't show but I keep a show breed (Black Rosecomb Bantams) which lived "wild" in the garden and roosted in a tree until this year when I got a terrier whose sole aim in life is killing birds ... work in progress

It's surprised me to see that poultry keepers don't fit a stereotype. Good luck with the terrier. It might be a lifetime's work!

 

[Ed Sutton]

Another local bantam society show today. I don't think I got much to add to the project, but I did learn a lot more about the poultry showing world (and the best way to get the hairs off a pig carcass...), and listened to a discussion about the demise of the agricultural show. I also got asked to take photos of the winners and the presentations - their regular photographer being unavailable. The old 'he's got a good camera' thing at work.

However, the nicest part of the day was giving a couple of people prints, including the chap sat on the chair a few post up. He got into the Guinness Book of Records for winning the most first prizes for eggs in a year. 539 I think it was.

Prettifying:

Arranging eggs:

Results are announced:

Home time:

Anyway...

For some reason I had a flashgun with me and decided to use that for the 'official' pictures. I know those who use artificial light well say that people like me who use available light are scared of using flash, and I'll admit it's true in my case. But I'm also bone idle and it's too much of a faff for me. Still, I stuck a Flashbender on and set everything to automatic! Most were like these two:

Finding a decent background is nigh on impossible, and I know I could have given better direction. My main concern was timing it so the chickens weren't looking the wrong way.

I did get one that I was reasonably happy with - but the rosette behind the pullet's head is a clear fault. But my admiration goes to anyone who does this sort of thing for a living. My biggest fault is not taking my time when photographing people. Oh well, I'll learn from my mistakes with a bit of luck - but not if history is anything to go by!.

 

[jennyb]

The mysterious world of chicken breeding! Your thread is a real education to me. It is our local agricultural show next week and I usually avoid the poultry tent. Maybe this time I will have a look and see for myself.

You are very brave taking on the job of "official" photographer. I don't think you did too badly.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks Jenny. I think the 'official' pictures will serve a purpose.

Be careful when entering the poultry ten, the aficionados might try to tempt you to join them!

 

[Ed Sutton]

A couple of recently appeared egg sales, both rather hidden away off the main roads. I could have made a better job of the first one but I was using the screen on my compact and could hardly see it in the bright sunshine. The variety and ingenuity of the displays makes them interesting. I've recorded 30 so far!

 

[Solo man]

I'm really liking your set of 'eggs for sale' signs Dave, it's even got me noticing signs around here where I walk... and, not one of them is the same.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks Lee. It's funny how things can go unnoticed until you have their existence pointed out! I'd always known of a couple locally, but since actively looking for them I've found lots. Some come and go though. I went in search of one I'd seen last week today, but it wasn't there and I stumbled on Niamh's Chucky eggs down a lane I drive frequently and had never seen it there before.

 

[sphexx]

I lik'em but I'm a bit worried about the Chucky eggs - wasn't Chucky a movie serial killer? I think I'll stick with chooky eggs, or in my case ducky eggs. One of my Runners has just gone up a gear today and laid a 98gm egg instead of the usual 80gm ones

 

[Ed Sutton]

I lik'em but I'm a bit worried about the Chucky eggs - wasn't Chucky a movie serial killer? I think I'll stick with chooky eggs, or in my case ducky eggs. One of my Runners has just gone up a gear today and laid a 98gm egg instead of the usual 80gm ones

I wasn't aware ducks were laying at this time of year. I assumed they were like geese and only lay in the spring.

I'm about to start the daunting task of editing this year's photos into a book format. I have a provisional title and cover.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Whittled it down to 330 pics so far. What is becoming far too obvious is the photographs I should have taken. The ones which would have helped tell a story (or 'form the narrative' as I believe the current art-speak has it...).

Oh well, back to the Lightroom catalogue!

 

[sphexx]

I wasn't aware ducks were laying at this time of year. I assumed they were like geese and only lay in the spring.

My 3 Runners hatched 1st May 2015 and laid their first egg 9 January 2016 and have laid one egg a day each for most of the year so far, tailing off 1st September but have now picked up again. They are egg laying machines, outdoors in natural light so nothing forced. I have 2 drakes as well but so far no eggs from them .
You may like to know that I buy most of the poultry I've reared as "eggs for hatching" on eBay.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks for the info. I'm always learning something about poultry. I only knew about goose eggs being seasonal because my late mum used to decorate them and had to stock up each spring for a mass egg blowing session to have enough eggs to see here through the year.

I've heard people at the bantam club talking about buying the eggs they hatch off eBay. Some then take them to a local turkey farmer who has plenty of incubator space and then pick the chicks up from him.

 

[Ed Sutton]

It seems I have 1,400 poultry pictures to sift through (admittedly a lot are alternative versions of the same shot - which can be useful) which is why I chickened out on starting the editing proper by collecting roadside egg sale pictures to try as grids across two pages. With a bit of rearranging I think they might make useful break points in the book the way I'm thinking of organising it. Here's a sample.

 

[Ed Sutton]

My head is hurting trying to edit this!! Not to mention writing the text. But I'm playing around with some new layout ideas which might look okay.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I'll post some photographs from yesterday's auction visit later, before I knuckle down to working on my book. In the meantime here's a snap from my visit to the community farm this morning to watch a small mammal survey being conducted. If you think hens don't have an evil streak, think again. One unfortunate wood mouse ran into the chicken run when it was released.

 

[sphexx]

Chickens are very, very predatory. Mostly only small creatures so they will chase a fly or moth over a longish distance to try to catch it. They'll eat baby mice if they find them. If I miss picking up a mouse that my terrier has killed then a bantie will grab it and announce to the others, as they always do with large worms etc, then they scrap over it.

 

[Ed Sutton]

There was quite a chase!

 

[jennyb]

Love the photo with the mouse. Great light and good catchlights in all the eyes and the mouse's expression says it's completely bewildered.

I had no idea that chickens were so predatory. You learn something new every day

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks Jenny. As I'm sure you can imagine it was a lucky shot as everything was unexpected and happened very quickly. The frames either side of the frame above were rubbish!

As far as the auctions are concerned I think I've pretty gone as far as I can. It's almost become chasing a slightly better version of a picture I already have, or trying to make pictures which look good but don't really add much to what I've got. That said I did manage to shoot a few frames which are a bit different to what I've done before, and which I think help tell the story.

I'm not sure if this will stand up to being printed larger, but as a picture I think it shows how the day begins with birds being penned.

With that done people weigh up the stock.

Then the sale starts.

Finally the cleaning out.

I just liked all the legs in this one!

This is just a snap to show one of the stranger breeds - the naked neck.

As usual I've tried to put a sequence together in a gallery : http://dlst.co.uk/camoct/index.html#

 

[Ed Sutton]

Some trial page spreads - subject to change! Still a long way to go.

 

[Ed Sutton]

The editing continues. For what it's worth this is the procedure I use.

Make a large selection of pictures and add almost all of them to the book's rough template (I use Blurb's Booksmart because I'm used to it). Then start moving them around to make the double pages 'work' and to make the whole thing flow. While doing this pictures get culled. Often a picture which is a good one has to go because it simply doesn't work with anything else or it doesn't add anything to the overall feel of the book. The next step is to get ruthless and cull some more. Occasionally a culled picture finds its way back in. I'm about a third of the way done - I think. But it's best not to rush things. And then to sit on it for a while and take another look. When I'm reasonably happy I get one copy printed at the cheapest price I can (paperback, thin paper) and see how the book looks in my hand and to weed out any pictures which fail on a technical level when printed. Then I make final adjustments and corrections, upload the final version and order a hardback copy. Still a long way off that yet!

When making books I see the exercise more as one of design in which my 'rules' are different to photography, so I am willing to crop pictures. Yet the same pictures, if I were to print them for display, would be uncropped. Just the way my mind works..

So far I'm going with splitting the book into two 'chapters'

Mostly it's straightforward one picture per page.

But detail pictures can be used smaller.

While other pictures can stand being used larger.

I haven't stopped finding and photographing roadside egg sales.

 

[Shirleyr]

What a wonderful thread, I like bantams and chickens. There is nothing better than a fresh egg and picking it up all warm. Great photos, I love local shows and seeing the animals turned out so well. Keep it up Ed.

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks Shirley. I've come to realise that people keep chickens for all sorts of reasons. Amusement seems to be a big one!

 

[Ed Sutton]

I've got the first draft of the book done now. This link should take you to the Blurb preview http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/7411426-sales-and-shows

The layout is OK, I think. I've already got the page count down from 130 odd to 100 but there are still some pictures which will get culled. I just wanted to see what they look like printed in a book! The text also needs working on.
Putting it together has, as I expected, shown me some gaps which need filling to pull it together a bit tighter. There is another auction and another show before the end of the year which I hope will give me the chance to fill those holes. If I remember to make a note of what I need! I'll be taking the printed book along with me to let people see what I've been up to and maybe try to get permission to display some prints at one of the venues next year.

Another idea I have, which I've done before (until my PC started to go to slow to make them) is to put together a slideshow or two. Possibly with an audio track of sounds I've recorded at the auctions and shows. Or if I can be brave enough something like this:

View: https://vimeo.com/62238794

 

[Ed Sutton]

I'm not sure if quail really fit in this project, but I couldn't resist this display when it appeared recently.

 

[jennyb]

I've just been through your book, Dave. It is looking good! It's a really comprehensive look at the world of poultry. Are you planning to add any text on the photo pages rather than just at the front and back. Do you think that maybe some photos need some explanation?

 

[Ed Sutton]

Thanks for the comments, Jenny. It's good to have someone else's thoughts on the presentation. I hadn't thought about adding text to the photo pages, but will be expanding the introduction and probably adding a key at the back to where each picture was taken.

It's always difficult to decide how much information to include, and whether to caption pictures or not as it can depend on who is looking at it. A poultry keeper wouldn't need telling what was going on, but someone outside that loop would.

Certainly something for me too think about when I get the book in my hands (it's on its way!) and start to revise it. Thanks again.

 

[Cloudforest]

I was driving down a narrow country road on Friday to photograph a garden in a village l'd never been to before when l spotted a roadside, eggs for sale sign.
I slowed down and was about to stop and jump out of the car to take a picture of said sign, when it dawned on me that it was your project, Dave, not mine!
That's the power of this thread. It draws you in and I seem now to have developed an interest in all things poultry.

Looking forward to reading more about the book. Good luck with it all.

 

[Ed Sutton]

I was driving down a narrow country road on Friday to photograph a garden in a village l'd never been to before when l spotted a roadside, eggs for sale sign.
I slowed down and was about to stop and jump out of the car to take a picture of said sign, when it dawned on me that it was your project, Dave, not mine!

I'm still managing to resist the temptation to get chickens of my own...

People can get addicted and attached to poultry and waterfowl. When I was in my teens there was a boy in the village who took his pet duck for walks on a lead. He even got on the local TV news with it!

 

[Ed Sutton]

I think the 'official' pictures will serve a purpose.

They've appeared in November's Fancy Fowl magazine! I'm used to having pictures published in fishing magazines, so it's not a big deal for me to see my photos in print. Just nice to know they are as good as the other reports photos in the mag.

I know I'd get slated for 'giving the pictures away' in other areas of TP, but I'm always conscious that I might be seen as exploiting the poultry fanciers so I like to think of it as giving something back to the people who let me photograph them. That's why I give prints to those I've taken portraits of and anyone else who might want any. I'll be taking some along to the show next week.

I've got the first book back from Blurb and have started making changes. Some pictures which printed out on my printer haven't reproduced so well in the book. I think because the resolution isn't great and that exagerates the noise in out of focus areas. I use high ISO's most of the time as I don't use flash and some of the venues are quite dark.