Italian photographers Moreno Monti and Matteo Tranchellini felt that chickens are one of the most underrated animals in the world, thus the start of their journey to prove that chickens are one of the most beautiful species in the world.
They began a portrait project called Chic!ken to show 100 different types of chickens in all their beauty.
Tranchellini first thought about how chickens are stunning during his 2013 photoshoot in his studio garden in Milan. He met with a farmer named Giorgio who invited him to an aviary exhibition. Tranchellini fell in love with the birds and met Concincina hen, Jessicah.
He then paired up with fellow photographer Monti to take photographs of hens and roosters at bird shows. “We felt like chickens had been waiting for their moment in the spotlight,” they explained on their Kickstarter campaign.
The photographers had magnificent models, including Martha, a Frizzle Bantam, and Agnes, a Silkie chicken.
“They were just themselves and had a natural ability to move in front of the camera. Some of them were photographed from the side, from behind, or with only a glance over the shoulder. A NATURAL TALENT,” Tranchellini said.
If you like chickens, or are curious about Monti and Tranchellini’s work, you can pre-order Chicken: The Book, featuring “the sexiest and most beautiful chickens on the planet.”
Here are some of their best chicken photos:
You might want to read:
– This hilarious photo of turtle wins Comedy Wildlife Photography Award
– Here are the winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020
– Finding and photographing wildlife: 11 animal-friendly pointers for budding photographers