What stops you?
Still scenes aren’t silent. They speak of our near presence and momentary return. Sam Abell
I recently completed an online intensive course with master photographer Sam Abell. It was a deeply enriching experience. Here’s the first assignment after our initial meeting.
First and Best
For this assignment, find something that compels you to pause and capture it in a photograph. Take your time with the subject or situation, and feel free to take as many pictures as you wish. However, please submit only two images. The first picture you submit should be the initial one you took of this situation, regardless of its quality. The second image should be your ‘best’ one.
I headed to my son’s family’s century-old barn for the assignment. I love barns and farm life. There is a sense of the sacred for me, of life’s miracles, birth, death, history, tradition, labour and love. I wasn’t sure where to start, but once inside the barn the clucking of the chickens called to me. In the early morning the hens were going about their business.
First image: A hen hopped into the laying box and settled onto a clutch of eggs laid by her sisters. She pulled as many eggs as possible under her feathered breast and settled down to wait for the fulfillment of her egg laying urge.
In seconds I was completely absorbed by the hen’s behaviour. As soon as Hen 1 settled a second hen appeared. And she was a bossy one! She delivered a few hard pecks to Hen 1’s head then pushed her way into the nesting box. No matter there was an empty nesting box right beside this one. After significant jostling the two took up shared space with the odd nasty peck from Hen 2 to Hen 1 to hurry up!
A third hen tried to join the duo but there was no room. I was reminded of my childhood home. We had one bathroom; nobody was allowed to waste any time in there in the morning!
There are a few chickens in the coop who insist on creating their own laying spot outside the nesting boxes. One of these hens nonchalantly watched the squawking and jostling from the quiet of her own private corner. No amount of chicken retraining effort has been able to coax the “outliers” to lay in the nesting boxes.
Lost in the world of hens I became determined to get a video of an egg being laid. I planted my back against the wall iPhone primed and set for video. Waiting for something to happen is familiar territory in animal photography. Hen 1 took her sweet time but finally, after a lot of tail wagging, she popped out an egg. This was followed by a raucous clucking announcement to the entire flock. Not to be outdone, Hen 2 quickly followed suit. That hens lay large, beautiful eggs most days of the year is truly amazing. I’ll post the videos next week. Now, back to the assignment.
I straightened up from my cramped position, turned and there it was – my final image; a solo egg perfectly framed by the stonework of a previous generation of craftsmen. The fresh green of spring peeked through the mottled patina of the glass. The egg rested like a gift on the altar of the windowsill, a soft light revealing its perfect contours. Old, new, birth, death, renewal, soiled, clean, rough, smooth, it was all there and more.
While I was absorbed with the antics of the laying hens, this peaceful offering lay unseen behind me. Life is like that sometimes. After the breathtaking moment of discovery, I added my respect for the hen who managed to not only lay “outside the box” but also do it with uncanny agility!
Photography is an on-going resource to access the awe and wonder that surrounds me daily. All I need to do is slow down, pause and bear witness.