Matthew Hemminghaus

In my “Still Life With Chicken” series, I give the viewer a non-traditional view of what is usually considered a utility bird. The miniature sets are built in my studio using found objects, various soils, wood ashes, sawdust…etc. Once the set is completed, I fine tune the lighting, usually consisting of 8 to 10 different lights, highlighting different areas of the set. I do the photoshoots at night, when the chickens are a bit more cooperative. It often takes up to 400 exposures until I get the one I am happy with. The images are printed on cotton rag paper, matted using museum board, and custom framed using reclaimed wood.