General Entry - Emerging Talent Awards

"The Trouble with Birds" In recent years, walking my Chicago neighborhood, I kept coming across dead birds. Many, I had never seen before in the area and it became apparent that this was cyclical and part of the annual migration. Many birds had struck windows, and I later learned that 100,000 birds die annually on their migration. Others die from wind turbines, climate change that causes insects to hatch before the birds get to their feeding grounds, etc. This seemed alarming to me since they are harbingers of all of life on this planet. Each bird, upon close examination, was exquisite. While I saw birds at a distance and enjoyed their calls, I had never held these beautiful deceased creatures in my hand examining their every feature. Certain feathers on some species were rope like around the eyes to prevent feathers from irritating the eyes. These magnificent specimens informed me of their specialness even in death and I felt privileged to hold their small lives in my hand. Carefully, I would bring them back to the studio to photograph. Choosing a black background with creative compositions, I made formal portraits of them. Some times I would crop the image and focus just on one part so the viewer could appreciate the feather structure or feet, or some other feature. All of these birds speak to the difficulties of their existence: finding the right place to nest to protect their young, finding their historical flyways, avoiding predators, etc. Truly, these small beings are an inspiration to all of us and we can’t afford to lose any of them.