8/30/14 The Morning Coffee: The Rembrandt of Chicken Photographers

I have many favorite photographers whose work I try to keep up with. One from Britain, Kate Kirkwood, is, in my soberest judgment, the greatest photographer of chickens ever to have lived. Number 33 from her series “Light, Landscape, Lives” is the “Night Watch” of chicken pictures:

Kirkwood

Rembrandt

When I first said this to her I thought she might take it the wrong way—it's a bit flip, as I am wont to be, and I was not trying to belittle* her work—but she took it in the right spirit. She wrote, "I was immediately flattered and delighted by the Rembrandt comparison because I look for and strive for that sumptuous dark light, the dense colours, those possibilities."

I think she finds them, but see what you think. I love this body of work, from Britain's famous Lake District.

She's not bad at street photography, either, as you'll see if you delve further into her website. But of course there's probably more money in chickens. (Again with the flip....)

•     •     •

I had to spend eight hours in the (still empty) new house today as, tick-tock, I inexorably lost my last working weekday till Tuesday. Ya hate that. The first half waiting for the AT&T UVerse guy (Internet hookup), who was supposed to show up in the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. window and showed up at 2:30 instead; the second half waiting interminably for him to get his work done. I was required to be present, in case any decisions had to be made. He was a nice guy, don't get me wrong—Ricky, from the city, with daughters nine, eleven, and thirteen. And he was working away at it right along. It just took forever.

A few decisions did have to be made, but they did nothing to fill up all the time. I was bored out of my s k u l l.

On the good side, the painter is all finished (thanks Karl), and the colors I chose for the walls work wonderfully. As the day progresses the subtlety of the colors and the way the shifting light is reinforced by the colors is marvelous, much better than I expected. The house is more beautiful than I thought. The light is wonderful. Based on a big eight hours of observation.

Also we discovered that our bathtub is a whirlpool bath! You know, with massaging jets. Another experience that is still in my future in this life. Kind of a bonus, because that's the kind of thing I would never specifically spend my own money on, not in a million years.

I should have brought a towel and taken a long bath, come to think. I had nothing else to do. Except sit around watch the light change. And think of all the other things I should have been doing.

Mike

*Did you know that Thomas Jefferson coined the word "belittle," and made himself a figure of fun among English pedants at the time because of it? That's according to Mencken.

"Morning Coffee" is auto-published weekdays at 3:30 a.m. Central Time today to be in time for morning coffee breaks in the UK and Europe. For those who rise later, it will be there. The feature is a month-long experiment to give people something to check in with while I'm busy moving. If I can get the rhythm down, I'll try to continue the tradition when TOP gets revved up again in mid-September.

I'll write about anything. Want to suggest a topic or ask a question? Leave it as a comment.

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

JacobT: "For me that set of photographs captures the lake district far better than any of the grand vistas for which it's most famous. Those little vignettes cast me straight back to my childhood there, encountering various creatures on late night drives and misty atmospheric walks. Thanks so much for bringing her work to my attention! Thanks again for the wonderful site, from a homesick Cumbrian residing in London."

Dave Stewart: "Thank you for the link to Kate Kirkwood's site. I really enjoyed looking through her work. Also most heartening to see that she has built up a fine body of work with a humble Nikon D60 and kit lens. That's something to bear in mind as Photokina approaches, and many of us find ourselves tempted by all the new and (allegedly) so much better baubles!"

Mike replies: Right, but I somehow keep feeling that her "sumptuous dark light and dense colours" would be better served by a full-frame Canon with an L lens.

Svein-Frode: "What a great photographer. Talk about turning a weakness (digital camera noise) into an advantage! Thanks for sharing, and Kate if you're reading this, keep up the excellent work. I can imagine that your prints must be even more beautiful!"

Steve Pritchard: "The photographs in Kate Kirkwood's 'Light, Landscapes, Lives' section of the linked site are just sumptuous. I've only looked at the first twenty but had to leave so as to save them until I can clear the decks of distractions and give them my undivided attention. I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Thanks for the link.

"By the way, did there really used to be such a thing as English pedants? Before my time!"

Bob Smith: "Ok, I looked. Here is what I think: WOW. It's wonderful coming across or being pointed to a photographer with a definite look and feel to their work. I have bookmarked Kate's site and will be spending a pleasant afternoon taking it in."

Comments

[Don Daso]

This IS lovely work.
The comparison certainly apt, too....

[James]

You can do a lot worse than sit around watching the light change.
I do it all the time, even forgetting to get a camera out.
That golden color after it stops raining in the early evening and the sun is still up?
The changes of color at dawn if you look away from the sun?
James

[Mike]

Be prepared for a lot of nasty black stuff to come out the first time you use the tub jets. Best to start a regular maintenance regimen. Here is one manufacturer's advice.

http://m.us.kohler.com/mt/www.us.kohler.com//us/Special-Considerations:-Flushing-Your-Whirlpool/content/CNT900255.htm

[FK]

Her gallery 'Cowspines' is pretty wonderful too.

[dan meyers]

Mike,

Those eight hours could have been filled with shooting a wonderful time-lapse sequence of shifting light in your never-to-be-empty-again abode!

[Dennis Mook]

You could have spent your time watching the paint dry. Oh, wasted day...

[jim woodard]

I'm sure I would have done the same, fretted over the lateness of the installer and my wasted time but, but, maybe sitting and watching the light change could have served the same purpose as that tree on the hill and the fluffy clouds?

[I did enjoy the break and the time for reflection. For about the first four hours. --Mike]

[Roger Bradbury]

I had a look at Kate's work, and reluctantly returned to my chores. I'm going back for another look later. How nice to see unromantic photos of the English countryside, and all done with a kit lens, at least from what I read.

[Sal Santamaura]

I've very sorry to hear that you went for UVerse. You're now saddled with a single-point-failure system that will afford you no access to needed first responders during extended power outages. Even if your home were equipped with an independent backup electrical generator.

It's sad that the rush to embrace new technology ignores how valuable some old systems were. Copper land line networks, with their autonomous power from central offices (including both battery and diesel generator backups), afford 99.999% reliability -- the "five nines." VOIP and cell approaches, all the rage, pale in comparison. They remain operational for only a matter of hours when utility mains power fails, even if one's cell phone or the backup battery in one's phone modem are fully charged. Land lines just keep on working, unless some regional apocalypse prevents delivery of additional diesel fuel to central offices.

Unfortunately, since there's been something of an exodus from copper land line service, the phone companies would like to completely abandon those networks. Thus far, regulators won't permit them to, but that might change. In the meantime, every incentive possible is being used for motivating consumers to give up copper permanently. Our friend Oren understands the ramifications. He deals with the limitations of DSL rather than switch to Verizon FIOS because that provider insists he would have to permanently abandon his Verizon copper land line and instead take VOIP telephone as part of the bargain.

I gleefully shred the endless UVerse junk mail AT&T sends to my physical mailbox day after day, while continuing to use the AT&T copper land line we've had since moving into this house 21 years ago. That is what I'll keep doing as long as the regulators don't capitulate.

[R. A. Krajnyak]

Thanks for the Kate Kirkwood link. Lovely images and use of light. I'm with you, Mike...would love to see her work with FF, although my choice would be the Sony A7s for her low light work. Seems like that camera would be a perfect match for her.

[Patrick Medd]

Great work. I've always thought one shouldn't be afraid to let the shadows block up in colour photography, Rembrandt and Caravaggio weren't! This is one of the things that colour transparency film did well and it has been partially lost with the transition to digital, where the shadows can now be opened up so easily. For instance if you compare some of Joe Cornish's earlier film work (http://www.joecornishgallery.co.uk/gallery/item/gateway-to-the-moors-ii) with his recent digital output (http://www.joecornishgallery.co.uk/gallery/item/spring-newlands-valley), then while the digital has greater tonal range and subtlety, some of the depth of the film pictures has been lost. John Claridge is the master of deep shadows in colour of course.

[Jim Henry]

Oh! Those white dots are sheep on a hill, not stars in the sky! I was trying to figure out what constellation was showing through slightly greenish clouds.

The "Light, landscape, lives" gallery is really extraordinary. Everyone should see it.

[Barry]

In regard to your footnote about "belittle", I am reminded of the following quote from Jebediah Springfield, the founder of the town depicted in "The Simpsons":

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."

[I do love the word "embiggen." --Mike]

[Kevin Purcell]

Belittle? Is that the opposite of embiggen?

[Ray]

Very nice and refreshingly different from the norm, and thankfully she maintained a non-Flash version of her site. Unfortunately, I can't stand Flash driven websites and instantly go elsewhere when it is such a site.

[expiring_frog]

Haha. She just got the white foot wrong.

http://cdn.lightgalleries.net/4bd5ec04c7db4/images/ruralstreet_Jermaine_snow-creep_0938s-1.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5hUIGlVzIDE/UCl0zTgP7BI/AAAAAAAAJyk/TsOdxqQ8HWE/s1600/koudelka_hound.jpg

[Oskar Ojala]

I love the chicken picture; must look through her gallery tomorrow.

As for waiting for the Internet guy, I hate waiting like but don't you have wireless Internet for those situations, smartphone and all?

[Jack]

If you don't offer her work on TOP, shame on both of you.

[Mathew Hargreaves]

Classical art styles being adapted to photography is interesting. Myra Wiggins did Vermeer. BTW, is "bored out of my skull" the equivalent of "thinking out of the box" ? Looking forward to the Lincoln photo arriving. CHEERS...

[Ernie Van Veen]

Embiggen is a perfectly cromulent word.

[mike plews]

Go figure, this morning for no particular reason I pulled our copy of The American Language supliment one off the shelf and read about Jefferson and belittle. Also stumbled over a neologistic failure, "osteocephalic" which was supposed to replace "bone head" but never caught on. Just ahead of it's time says I.

[Greg Edwards]

Mike - there are worst things to do at a new site than to sit around and watch the light change...

[Godfrey]

Kate Kirkwood's photos are delightful, thanks for pointing to them.

Far worse days than sitting and watching the light change. I did little else today, really, and enjoyed it.

To the person talking about copper lines... There are none of those left in my area, aside from the switch box to condo in the complex. Everything else is optical fibre. And when there have been any problems, it's always been the copper lines with the problem. Such it is.

[FK]

And here on Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/onthestreet/discuss/72157647043008225/

[Dillan]

Oh my, that made me laugh! I have to agree with you, though, that is the finest photo of a chicken that I've ever seen!

[Andrew John]

Didn't eight hours of observing that wonderful light make you want to choose that room as your TOP office instead of the basement which would serve as your printing and billiards room?

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Thanks for Kate Kirkwood! The best of those are really fine, and the average is extremely respectable. She's also a fine example to wave at gear-heads -- taking pictures is actually a different activity than gear acquisition! Who knew?

[Robert Newcomb]

In spite of the weakness of digital images (no grain and texture) as well as the unlikely location of a remote rural area, Kate has found her heart and expressed her love for her subjects extremely well in her lovely well seen photographs. Well seen and beautufully expressed.
Robert

[Fred Haynes]

I found that link to Kate Kirkwood's pictures what I wanted to respond to, even though I know the bother of waiting for a cable guy, or anyone else that has to break into one's day. However necessary it is!
Ms Kirkwood is ( another commenter used this highly appropriate expression) "WOW" on many levels! She's quite attractive, and young to show such a mastery of light is something!
I would use the word elegant for her work, my wife said whimsical, and 'dark' as well.
I looked several times, and will go back again as soon as my I Pad is charged. Its better if I sit in a comfortable chair, rather then squint at my computer screen.
But I do wonder, does she post process to any degree to get that look? Were any pictures set up; I'm thinking in particular those images that look like the animal is caught in car headlights. And should I care?
As I said, I'll be going back to her site, and maybe some of the answers are there if I look.
And Mike, thanks for the link. Even with just the "coffee" posts, your still the best photo blogger around;- in my humble opinion!
Fred

[Nick M]

Kate Kirkwood's "rural street photography" is a great discovery - thank you! I think she is probably familiar with the work of James Ravilious, one of the first photographers to grab my attention...

[joanlvh]

re waiting cellular internet, a book, an audible book ??

[Sarge]

Lovely!

Thanks Mike for the Kate Kirkwood link.

"Agricultural" is a favorite epithet used by Brit car reviewers when dissing an unrefined SUV. Kate's pictures of English rustic bliss puts paid to that.

I never would have thought that cow parts can be a wonderful subject or a natural frame for art photos.

Gainsborough meets Magritte.

[Nigel Robinson]

I feel humbled.

[Cmans]

Apropros the subject of image variations on different viewing mechanisms, I also had wondered what Constellation of stars was in KK's image (IPad). But when viewed on my Dell desktop screen they were obviously a "constellation" of sheep on a hill. Also, imagine the challenge to our black ink cartridges and printers in printing these. At least we wouldn't have had such a challenge with the old wet style printing :-)

Also, Mike, I think it pretty crafty of you to pick a Rembrandt painting which also had a chicken imbedded in it. (I would never have noticed/known without consulting Wikipedia)

[matthew victor]

In regard to your footnote about "belittle", I am reminded of the following quote from Jebediah Springfield, the founder of the town depicted in "The Simpsons":

"A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."

Why oh WHY descend into the trash with such quotes?

[David Bennett]

Mike,
"...would be better served by a full-frame Canon with an L lens."

Why not Nikon?

This is a serious 'information' question, as they say - and not rhetorical.

[Dean Johnston]

Hiya.

I just sent the link you gave of Kirkwood's work to a non-photographer friend of mine (on the grounds that he is currently on holiday in the general vicinity of the Lake District).

His reply was thus:

"I think she must carry a chicken in her bag"

[Paul Morris]

Thank you so much for bringing Kate Kirkwood's work to my attention. JacobT in his comment expressed how she captures the real sense of the place. I also live in North West England (although not the Lakes), and that's my feeling too - rural England in its real beauty and poetry, rather than some idealised version.
I also like the fact that she uses an 'old' entry-level SLR - very much a woman after my own (20 year-old OM4Ti using) heart!