Lisa Adams Contemplates the Chicken & the Egg

Lisa Adams in her own words…

Which came first…the chicken or the egg?
Well for this shoot the eggs definitely came first.
The egg shot was originally intended to be paired with another photograph which is also monochromatic & has a tape measure featured in it.
I admit to having a slight obsession with all types of bird eggs…they are visually simple in shape and texture yet so pleasing to the eye and a wonderfully tactile object that fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.
Ever read how a chicken produces an egg….Fascinating!

I ended up really liking the shot of the eggs…they looked almost illustrative vs photographic to me, and the depth made me want to reach out & touch the image, maybe roll the eggs around a bit.

I started thinking that perhaps a better pairing with the eggs would be a chicken, and it just so happens that one of my crew members had recently been working on the “Taj Mahal” of chicken coops for his girlfriend’s city chickens. I ask about the possibility of booking a couple of chicks for a shoot and stopped by to take a look at the hens. I was intending to choose a solid white breed, but when I saw the gorgeously graphic black & white outfits of the Silver Laced Wyandottes, I chose two of these girls over the white Leghorn variety.

Once on set, hen #1- Hazel, was amazingly calm and cooperative. She had a bit of swagger and was quite the feathered prima donna. However hen #2 – Bertha, seemed to think we were the paparazzi and managed to avoid any appealing shots while she scowled, turned her back to the camera, gave me some mean looks and then just stomped off set, emphatically clucking “I quit.”    “Well, OK then Bertha …you just sit quietly please and eat a little corn while we give Hazel another shot…Thank-You-Very-Much”, says me.

But….we really had a blast working with Hazel…she was friendly and funny, provoking howls of laughter at times. She had lots of different looks, from coquettish to hawkish, and proved to be entertaining subject matter & a much better pairing for the egg shot!
Hope you agree…..

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