April 11th, 2018: Flying Rats of NYC

xoxoxoBruce • Apr 10, 2018 10:36 pm
Aspiring Professional Photographers have a tough challenge, always struggling to photograph something different, something to make their work stand out.
Of course they are always working on better quality pictures than we snapshotters take, but a unique subject matter is all but impossible to find.

Image
But photographer Andrew Garn isn’t like most people.
“Watch a flock of pigeons in your local park or sidewalk—at first impression you might think they were all alike,” he says. “But if one were to observe for a few minutes, you would not only note the startling range of feather patterns, but behavioral diversity as well.”


Image
Like many New Yorkers, Garn started out ignoring pigeons. But thanks to a visit to a pigeon coop years ago, he’s become an unexpected flag bearer. His new book, The New York Pigeon: Behind the Feathers, showcases their overlooked beauty in a series of sometimes humorous, sometimes startling images.


Image
As I grew up in Manhattan, I actually never really noticed pigeons. I saw them, but never genuinely looked at them. In late 2007, pigeons came to mind when I was searching for a new, underexplored photography project. Under-recognized topics have been a consistent theme in my work over the years—I have documented U.S. penal architecture, Stalin-era industrial plants built with forced labor, the Las Vegas homeless, and 42nd Street/Times Square, pre-Disney.


Image
It became a very long a commitment, around 10 years, one of those projects that took on a life of its own. As I got more involved, more layers of pigeon culture became apparent and I became part of a larger pigeon community.

Apparently NYC flying rats have mastered mind control also. :rolleyes:

link
fargon • Apr 11, 2018 12:14 pm
Birb.
newtimer • Apr 11, 2018 1:42 pm
Trivia of the day: After being cooked in a crockpot overnight, pigeons and rats taste exactly the same!
Gravdigr • Apr 11, 2018 3:43 pm
Like chicken?
BigV • Apr 13, 2018 9:48 pm
Like a new crockpot.
fargon • Apr 14, 2018 1:39 pm
BigV for the win!!!
Diaphone Jim • Apr 17, 2018 12:53 pm
Today's NASA Astronomy Pic of the Day fits nicely with the pigeon eyes,
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1804/Ring_HubbleDonatiello_3251.jpg
Gravdigr • Apr 18, 2018 3:32 pm
Oh, shit! It's Sauron!!!!

Run away, run away!