The National Poultry Show
One of my assignments over the weekend was to pay a visit to the largest hen party ever held in the UK, yet there wasn't a single inflatable man or "L" plate to be seen. I was entering the world of the National Poultry Show.
The annual event plays host to over 7000 birds of varying category and breed, with owners fighting to win a coveted ribbon from the fowl-fancying judging committee.
I genuinely didn't know what to expect on arrival but I really wasn't expecting the noise. I assumed that maybe the strange environment would force the birds to keep their beaks shut but that's far from the case. If you weren't awake when you arrived, the simultaneous morning calls, squawks and crowing of thousands of birds is like being in a Corn Flake advert, directed by Dante.
Once you've got used to the aural onslaught, the people are a lovely bunch and were all more than happy to help out with my photographic plan. Previously, colleagues had attended the show and opted to either cover it "straight" or, as Oli Scarff opted to do, create portraits of the owners with their birds. The latter always proved successful but I didn't want to just replicate the work of others so decided to try to create portraits of the birds' personalities.
As it happened, the idea worked really well. I set up a soft-box on a stand with a Nikon SB5000 flash, remotely triggered from the camera and went in hunt of owners who were up for helping out. The official magazine of the poultry community had a couple of bright and clean "infinite white" studios set up and were dealing with queues of proud owners, hen in hand, waiting to immortalise their birds. There were some raised eyebrows and questions asked when I dragged the participants into a dark corner against a black curtain and just requested to photograph the bird's head. It seemed quite a painful question to ask, when so much time had been put into making sure that every feather on their body was immaculate but I knew that a formal "head and shoulder" portrait was what would work for me.
I think that the results, although very quick in their capture, worked as planned, with some birds clearly having bags of personality. My personal favourite is the ultra-gothic "South Black Poland" that reminds me of Johnny Marr for some reason, followed closely by the authoritarian Brahma and the ultra-glam Polish Silver-laced Frizzle.
Thanks to the Poultry Club of Great Britain for allowing me to attend this years event and to all the owners for their help in getting these photographs.
