When you think of elegant, flamboyant birds, hens and roosters probably aren’t the first that come to mind. But not for Alex ten Napel. This Dutch photographer built his studio in a hen house and came into a world of hens and roosters. In this article, we bring you his exquisite portraits of these beautiful animals and a bit about his extraordinary projects.
Alex has been photographing people for over two decades. But he tells DIYP that he was immediately captivated by the way hens and roosters walk, talk, look, and behave. Dressed in beautiful feathers with a great variety of colours and patterns they walk gracefully as models on a catwalk, dance delicately like ballet dancers and move acrobatically like gymnasts,” he tells us. “I was overwhelmed by what I saw and soon hens and roosters became a new source to refresh me after 25 years portraying people.”
“Although I have changed the subject, my intentions are the same. I still want a portrait with a soul, and fortunately, hens and roosters proved to be very useful in that respect. What at first felt like a disadvantage turned out to be an advantage because hens and roosters couldn’t be directed. They don’t act, hide, mask, or pretend either. Hens and roosters just simply show themselves naturally and beautifully, and photographing became unexpected, exciting and out of control. I was impressed by these little feathered creatures who had the power to tell me to be patient and to wait for the right moment.”
The project didn’t come without challenges. Alex reveals that, although their beauty was within reach, it wasn’t easy to catch it in a portrait. The first obstacle was that hens and roosters would, obviously, fly away. They don’t fly high, but enough to ruin your shot. Then there’s poo, of course. You know how birds are. So, Alex had to clean his set regularly or chase his feathery models around it.
Another challenge was that the animals’ movements were fast, unpredictable, and unexpected. Because of this, Alex would often press the shutter too late or too early, or the flash and digital back weren’t ready when he pressed it.
Yet another obstacle was the manual focus. Alex would sometimes struggle with it due to the unpredictability of his little models, so many images ended up sharp… but in front of or behind the subject. “A fixed working distance was the solution, and I followed their movements as if I was attached to them with an invisible thread,” he tells DIYP. “Moving forward and backward, to the left and right, the shoots looked like a dance accompanied by flashlights and the rhythm of the sounds of their cackling and crowing.”
“Thinking back, I had a great time with hens and roosters. Their presence is enchanting and refreshing, and as often as I could, I drove to the countryside and found peace in a henhouse. Hens and roosters have been very generous to me, and I am very grateful to them. They taught me the most important lesson in life: who I am. They supported me in a photo portrait series in which everything fell together at the right place and time. They made me the happiest photographer on earth, and this is only the beginning…”
Alex’s project reminded me of all those weekends I spent in the countryside as a child. I loved hanging out with chickens and roosters, feeding them, and observing how they behaved. My favorite one was even cuddly, like a kitten!
Enjoy more photos from Hens and Roosters below, and make sure to check out Alex’s website for more of his stellar work. You can also order prints here.
